Publications by authors named "Deshan Madhusanka"

Unlabelled: Beyond the most common oncogenes activated by mutation (mut-drivers), there likely exists a variety of low-frequency mut-drivers, each of which is a possible frontier for targeted therapy. To identify new and understudied mut-drivers, we developed a machine learning (ML) model that integrates curated clinical cancer data and posttranslational modification (PTM) proteomics databases. We applied the approach to 62,746 patient cancers spanning 84 cancer types and predicted 3,964 oncogenic mutations across 1,148 genes, many of which disrupt PTMs of known and unknown function.

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Human thirty-eight-negative kinase-1 (TNK1) is implicated in cancer progression. The TNK1 ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domain binds polyubiquitin and plays a regulatory role in TNK1 activity and stability. No experimentally determined molecular structure of this unusual UBA domain is available.

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Human thirty-eight-negative kinase-1 (TNK1) is implicated in cancer progression. The TNK1-UBA domain binds polyubiquitin and plays a regulatory role in TNK1 activity and stability. Sequence analysis suggests an unusual architecture for the TNK1 UBA domain, but an experimentally-validated molecular structure is undetermined.

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Background: The worst SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Sri Lanka was due to the two Sri Lankan delta sub-lineages AY.28 and AY.104.

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Background: SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen (Ag) detection kits are widely used in addition to quantitative reverse transcription PCR PCR (RT-qPCR), as they are cheaper with a rapid turnaround time. As there are many concerns regarding their sensitivity and specificity, in different settings, we evaluated two WHO approved rapid Ag kits in a large cohort of Sri Lankan individuals.

Methods: Paired nasopharangeal swabs were obtained from 4786 participants for validation of the SD-Biosensor rapid Ag assay and 3325 for the Abbott rapid Ag assay, in comparison to RT-qPCR.

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Article Synopsis
  • - A serosurvey conducted in Colombo, Sri Lanka, before the vaccination program revealed a 24.46% overall seropositivity rate for SARS-CoV-2 among 2,547 individuals aged 10-86, indicating a widespread outbreak in the community.
  • - The seropositivity was higher in females (29.70%) compared to males (21.2%), but no significant differences were found across different age groups in seropositivity, despite varying PCR detection rates which were highest in ages 20-60.
  • - The study highlighted that PCR positivity rates may underestimate the true extent of the COVID-19 outbreak, as significant differences were found between seropositivity and PCR rates across detailed
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Background: The transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 varies depending on social distancing measures, circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, host factors and other environmental factors. We sought to investigate the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak that occurred in a highly dense population area in Colombo, Sri Lanka from April to May 2020.

Methodology/principal Findings: We carried out RT-qPCR for SARS-CoV2, assessed the SARS-CoV-2 specific total and neutralizing antibodies (Nabs) in a densely packed, underserved settlement (n = 2722) after identification of the index case on 15th April 2020.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluated the immunogenicity of a single dose of the AZD1222 COVID-19 vaccine among healthcare workers, finding that 93.4% of those who had not been previously infected developed antibodies.
  • Almost all naive participants had ACE2 blocking antibodies, but antibody levels were higher for the wild-type virus than for emerging variants like B.1.1.7 and B.1.351.
  • Previously infected healthcare workers showed significantly stronger antibody responses to the variants, indicating that one vaccine dose may not provide adequate protection against these emerging strains.
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Cross-reactive T cell immunity to seasonal coronaviruses (HCoVs) may lead to immunopathology or protection during SARS-CoV2 infection. To understand the influence of cross-reactive T cell responses, we used IEDB (Immune epitope database) and NetMHCpan (ver. 4.

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