Distinguished Research Professor, Emeritus Fellow, The American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow, National Academy of Inventors Inventor's Award, University of Georgia Lamar Dodd Award for Research, University of Georgia Creative Research Medal, University of Georgia, Grant Support - "Targeted Pan-Antifungal Lipsomes," NIH "Antifungal Liposomes Targeted to Cell Wall Mannans," NIH "Antifungal Immunoliposomes," NIH Research Interests - Invasive fungal diseases are globally responsible for over 1,350,000 deaths each year, with annual mortality rates ranging from 25 to 50%, in spite of various antifungal drug therapies. I and my research team have designed a new drug delivery system, DectiSomes. We've begun demonstrating the efficacy of DectiSomes against four of the five most life-threatening pathogens causing candidiasis, aspergillosis, cryptococcosis, and mucormycosis. Antifungal drug loaded liposomes are coated with fungal cell binding proteins that concentrate the drugs on fungal cells and their biofilms. In vitro and in vivo in mouse models, DectiSomes lower the effective dose by order(s) of magnitude. We continue to modify and improve or design of DectiSomes to improve their anti-infective properties against diverse pathogens and diseases. Education Education: Ph.D. (1973) Yale University M. Phil. (1971) Yale University B.S. with Honors (1969) University of Illinois, Champaign Research Research Areas: Molecular Genetics Biotechnology Evolutionary Genetics Research Interests: I have very broad biology research interests, having worked on organisms from all four eukaryotic kingdoms and eubacteria and archaea. I have employed diverse scientific methods to study biological problems and I have published in the fields of biochemistry, enzymology, protein chemistry, immunology, cell biology, microbiology, genetics, epigenetics, metabolism, electrochemistry, and anti-infective drug delivery. I have changed fields several times to keep my interests in biology alive and challenging. Selected Publications Selected Publications: 2019 to 2022 (see Google Scholar for a complete list of peer reviewed publications) Meagher, R., Lewis, Z., Ambati, S., and Lin, X. (2021). Aiming for a bull’s-eye: Targeting antifungals to fungi with dectin-decorated liposomes. PLoS Pathog 17, 1-7. 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009699. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34293050. Ambati, S., Ellis, E.C., Lin, J., Lin, X., Lewis, Z.A., and Meagher, R.B. (2019a). Dectin-2-Targeted Antifungal Liposomes Exhibit Enhanced Efficacy. mSphere 4, 1-16. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31666315. Ambati, S., Ellis, E.C., Pham, T., Lewis, Z.A., Lin, X., and Meagher, R.B. (2021a). Antifungal Liposomes Directed by Dectin-2 Offer a Promising Therapeutic Option for Pulmonary Aspergillosis. mBio 12, 1-8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33622715. Ambati, S., Ferarro, A.R., Kang, S.E., Lin, J., Lin, X., Momany, M., Lewis, Z.A., and Meagher, R.B. (2019c). Dectin-1-Targeted Antifungal Liposomes Exhibit Enhanced Efficacy. mSphere 4, 1-15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30760610. Ambati, S., Pham, T., Lewis, Z.A., Lin, X., and Meagher, R.B. (2021b). DC-SIGN Targets Amphotericin B-Loaded Liposomes to Diverse Pathogenic Fungi. Fungal Biol and Biotech 8, 1-13. https://rdcu.be/cDPZS. Ambati, S., Pham, T., Lewis, Z.A., Lin, X., and Meagher, R.B. (2022). DectiSomes- Glycan Targeting of Liposomal Amphotericin B Improves the Treatment of Disseminated Candidiasis. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 66, 1-13. https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/AAC.01467-21. Meagher, R., Ambati, S., Lewis, Z., and Lin, X. (2021a). TARGETED NANOPARTICLES AND THEIR USES RELATED TO INFECTIOUS DISEASES. I. University of Georgia Research Foundation. Meagher, R., Lewis, Z., Ambati, S., and Lin, X. (2021b). Aiming for a bull’s-eye: Targeting antifungals to fungi with dectin-decorated liposomes. PLoS Pathog 17, 1-7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34293050. Meagher, R.B., Lewis, Z.A., Lin, X., Ambati, S., and Momany, M. (2019). Targeted Nanoparticles and Their Uses Related to Fungal Infections. U.S. Patent. WO/2020/146514. 62/913,489. https://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/detail.jsf?docId=WO2020146514&_cid=P11-KHDI99-36314-1. Phillips, B.G., Wang, Y., Ambati, S., Ma, P., and Meagher, R.B. (2020). Airways therapy of obstructive sleep apnea dramatically improves aberrant levels of soluble cytokines involved in autoimmune disease. Clinical Immunology 221, 1-10. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1521661620307610. Wang, Y., Meagher, R.B., Ambati, S., Ma, P., and Phillips, B.G. (2020). Patients with obstructive sleep apnea have suppressed levels of soluble cytokine receptors involved in neurodegenerative disease, but normal levels with airways therapy. Sleep Breath April, 1-13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33037528.
