Latest news with #Antani
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Amdavadi scientist at Yale aims to combat AMR bacteria using viruses
Ahmedabad: Taking a cue from ancient wisdom – an enemy's enemy is a friend — an associate research scientist from Yale University, with his roots in the city, is working on improving the virus-bacteria interaction to use viruses known as bacteriophages to kill bacteria. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Dr Jyot Antani is part of the team that aims to further the science of targeting specific bacteria that have developed antimicrobial resistance (AMR) due to which the infection they cause cannot be treated with conventional antibiotics. The study, 'Microscopic Phage Adsorption Assay: High-throughput Quantification of Virus Particle Attachment to Host Bacterial Cells,' by Antani, Timothy Ward, Thierry Emonet, and Paul Turner from Yale University, was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal. "Like humans, bacteria can also be infected by viruses. They bind to the receptors on a bacterial host cell and replicate in a process identified as lytic replication, where the host's resources are used to create more phages. This causes the cell to rupture and die," explains Antani. Globally, these mechanisms are being reviewed as a potential way to address AMR bacterial infections through phage therapy. However, one roadblock is understanding this unique interaction at the microscopic level. The traditional method involves mixing bacteria and viruses in a flask and testing the mixture sample at regular intervals to measure the attachment of the phage (virus) on bacteria. It is time-consuming, labour-intensive and provides only an estimation, said researchers. Antani's team from the Yale Quantitative Biology Institute worked on the problem to develop the Microscopic Phage Adsorption (MPA) assay. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The published work indicates that the method quantifies the interaction between bacteria and phage at individual levels. "Using fluorescent dye, the phages appear as bright spots against the background of bacteria. Using this technique, researchers can record videos of the phages and bacteria in real time, documenting the dynamic movements and individual attachments of phages to bacteria," read the research summary on the Yale University website, Yale Scientific. Antani said that the breakthrough will help researchers understand the impact of different phage types on bacteria and develop strategies to combat bacteria. "If the sample shows a stable fluorescent dot (phage), it means that it got strongly attached to host bacteria. Phages bind to specific molecules (proteins or sugars) that stick out from the bacterial surface, like a ship docking into its assigned spot in the harbour," he said. "We tried many different species of each, including some notorious bacteria known for becoming resistant to antibiotics. Our approach successfully worked for most phages and bacteria that we tested." Antani's journey from Ahmedabad to New Haven has been inspiring. He studied in Gujarati medium until Class 12 before gaining admission to IIT Bombay where he pursued chemical engineering. He received a scholarship for his PhD at Texas A&M University, where he studied the movement of bacteria. "The Covid and post-Covid phases motivated me to explore the interaction between bacteria and viruses, and I got the postdoctoral opportunity at Yale University," he adds. "There are several interesting projects going on in India in this field, too."
Associated Press
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Amid ‘new dynamic,' former state Sen. Niraj Antani drops one statewide campaign, launches another
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Former Republican state Sen. Niraj Antani is suspending his 2026 campaign for Ohio secretary of state to run for state treasurer. Antani, 33, of Miamisburg in the Dayton area, on Wednesday cited the 'new dynamic' injected into the contest last week when Ohio's sitting statewide officeholders finally settled into their lanes. Treasurer Robert Sprague dropped a gubernatorial bid to run for secretary of state and Secretary of State Frank LaRose launched a campaign for state auditor. Both have said they will endorse Trump insider Vivek Ramaswamy for governor should he seek the seat, as is expected. Antani said that he was disappointed but 'not deterred' when the jockeying created a head-to-head with Sprague. He will just seek a different office. 'My team and I have taken the last week to evaluate this new dynamic, and unfortunately we see no path forward to victory with Treasurer Sprague in the race,' Antani said in a statement. 'While I am disappointed, I am not deterred. For the last decade, I've fought against the entrenched establishment who seek to protect the status quo. I will continue that fight.' It is unclear if Antani's announcement marks an end to Republican positioning for Ohio's statewide executive offices, all five of which are open next year due to term limits. Antani was first elected to the Ohio House in 2014, the first Indian-American and Hindu to serve in the chamber. He served six years there and a single four-year term in the Ohio Senate before seeing his district redrawn by fellow Republicans to favor Democrats. Antani opted not to seek re-election, but ran instead for southern Ohio's 2nd Congressional District. He finished 10th of 11 primary candidates, with 1.7% of the vote, to Republican and now-U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Former state legislator Antani drops out of one race, will run for Ohio treasurer
Feb. 12—Former Dayton-area state lawmaker Niraj Antani announced Wednesday that he is suspending his campaign for Ohio secretary of state to announce a 2026 run for state treasurer. This follows the announcement last week that term-limited Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague will run for secretary of state. "My team and I have taken the last week to evaluate this new dynamic, and unfortunately we see no path forward to victory with Treasurer Sprague in the race," said Antani, a Republican from Miami Twp. "While I am disappointed, I am not deterred. For the last decade, I've fought against the entrenched establishment who seek to protect the status quo. I will continue that fight." This is the fifth office Antani has sought. Antani first took office at in 2014 — at age 23, making him the youngest state lawmaker at the time — when he was elected to the Ohio House. He was elected to the Ohio Senate in 2020, becoming the first Indian-American elected to that chamber. He chose not to run for reelection in 2024 after his district was redrawn to favor Democrats and Antani fell out of favor with Republican leadership. He instead ran for U.S. Congress in a district he didn't live in. He came in next-to-last in a 11-way GOP primary despite raising more than $600,000 for the race. Antani announced his run for secretary of state last month, noting his work in the Ohio General Assembly pushing for voting security legislation. A formal announcement of his run for treasurer is expected later today. No other candidates have announced a run for that office, though there is still plenty of time before the 2026 primary. The dynamics of who is running for statewide office have been shifting in recent weeks since businessman Vivek Ramaswamy became a sudden front-runner for governor. Most of the current statewide officeholders, all Republicans, are term-limited. Attorney General Dave Yost is also running for governor. Current Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose now wants to be Ohio auditor. He and Sprague have endorsed each other. "These recycled cookie cutter, copy-paste politicians are playing musical chairs with Ohio's Constitutional executive offices," Antani said in a statement. "They'll do whatever it takes to stay in power, no matter the Tammany Hall style, smoke filled, back room behavior that makes Ohioans sick. Ohioans are tired of riding this merry-go-round within the insane asylum carnival of squishy establishment politicians."
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Antani suspends Secretary of State campaign
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Former Ohio Sen. Niraj Antani announced Wednesday that he has suspended his run for Secretary of State. Antani will instead campaign for state Treasurer. This news comes after current Treasurer Robert Sprague announced last week that he was forgoing a run for Ohio governor in favor of Secretary of State position. That announcement followed speculation that Trump-backed businessman Vivek Ramaswamy would seek the state's top job in 2026. 'My team and I have taken the last week to evaluate this new dynamic, and unfortunately we see no path forward to victory with Treasurer Sprague in the race. While I am disappointed, I am not deterred. For the last decade, I've fought against the entrenched establishment who seek to protect the status quo. I will continue that fight,' Antani said in a press release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
