Sessions, October

PhD

Assistant Professor

Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme

+65 6516 7406

+65 6221 2529

Email 1:

october.sessions@duke-nus.edu.sg

Research Bio Container

Research

Research Interest:

We have a particular interest in the mechanisms affecting the pathogenic potential of viruses. The laboratory frequently utilises high-throughput sequencing as a tool to elucidate these mechanisms. Recently, we have explored the human transcriptome in response to a pathogenic and vaccine derivative dengue virus infection and have analysed the changes in dengue virus quasi-species during human to mosquito transmission to characterise the genetic constraints its human and mosquito hosts place on the viral genome. The tools developed for these studies readily translate to the mechanistic analysis of other pathogens as well. In collaboration with clinical partners both local and international, we are applying these tools to study the emergence of both novel pathogens as well as known pathogens with novel clinical manifestations/associations.

Selected Publications:

Kwek SS, Watanabe S, Chan KR, Ong EZ, Tan HC, Ng WC, Nguyen MTX, Gan ES, Zhang SL, Chan KWK, Tan JH, Sessions OM, Manuel M, Pompon J, Chua C, Hazirah S, Tryggvason K, Vasudevan SG and Ooi EE. (2018) A molecular pathway for the development of a safe live attenuated Zika vaccine. Nature communications. (Accepted 23 January 2018)

Bodinayake CK, Tillekeratne LG, Nagahawatte A, Devasiri V, Kodikara Arachchi W, Strouse JJ, Sessions OM, Kurukulasooriya R, Uehara A, Howe S, Ong XM, Tan S, Chow A, Tummalapalli P, De Silva AD, Ostbye T, Woods CW, Gubler DJ and Reller ME. (2018) Evaluation of the WHO 2009 classification for diagnosis of acute dengue in a large cohort of adults and children in Sri Lanka during a dengue-1 epidemic. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, Feb 9;12(2):e0006258. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006258. eCollection 2018 Feb.

Thao NTT, Donato C, Trang VTH, Kien NT, Trang PMMT, Khanh TQ, Nguyet DT, Sessons OM, Cuong HQ, Lan PT, Huong VTQ, van Doorn HR and Vijaykrishna D. (2017) Evolution and Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Enterovirus A71 Subgenogroups in Vietnam. J Infect Dis, Dec 12;216(11):1371-1379. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jix500.

Zhou B, Deng YM, Barnes JR, Sessions OM, Chou TW, Wilson M, Stark TJ, Volk M, Spirason N, Halpin RA, Kamaraj US, Ding T, Stockwell TB, Salvatore M, Ghedin E, Barr IG and Wentworth DE. (2017) Multiplex Reverse Transcription-PCR for Simultaneous Surveillance of Influenza A and B Viruses. J Clin Microbiol, Dec;55(12):3492-3501. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00957-17. Epub 2017 Oct 4. PMID: 28978683

Uehara A, Tissera HA, Bodinayake CK, Amarasinghe A, Nagahawatte A, Tillekeratne LG, Cui J, Reller ME, Palihawadana P, Gunasena S, Desilva AD, Wilder-Smith A, Gubler DJ, Woods CW and Sessions OM#. (2017) Analysis of Dengue Serotype 4 in Sri Lanka during the 2012-2013 Dengue Epidemic. Am J Trop Med Hyg, Jul;97(1):130-136. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.16-0540. PMID: 28719296

Kalimuddin S, Chan YFZ, Wu IQ, Tan QL, Murthee KG, Tan BH, Oon LLE, Yang Y, Lin RTP, Joseph U, Sessions OM, Smith GJD, Ooi EE and Low JGH. (2017) A Report of Adult Human Adenovirus Infections in a Tertiary Hospital. Open Forum Infect Dis, Mar 25;4(2):ofx053. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofx053. eCollection 2017 Spring. PMID: 28491891

Ho ZJM, Hapuarachchi HC, Barkham T, Chow A, Ng LC, Lee JMV, Leo YS, Prem K, Lim YHG, de Sessions PF, Rabaa MA, Chong CS, Tan CH, Rajarethinam J, Tan J, Anderson DE, Ong X, Cook AR, Chong CY, Hsu LY, Yap G, Lai YL, Chawla T, Pan L, Sim S, Chen IM, Thoon KC, Yung CF, Li JH, Ng HLD, Nandar K, Ooi PL, Lin RTP, Aw P, Uehara A, Pratim De P, Soon W, Hibberd ML, Ng HH, Maurer-Stroh S and Sessions OM. (2017) Outbreak of Zika virus infection in Singapore: an epidemiological, entomological, virological, and clinical analysis. Singapore Zika Study Group. Lancet Infect Dis, Aug;17(8):813-821. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30249-9. Epub 2017 May 17.

Duy NN, Huong LTT, Ravel P, Huong LTS, Dwivedi A, Sessions OM, Hou Y, Chua R, Kister G, Afelt A, Moulia C, Gubler DJ, Thiem VD, Thanh NTH, Devaux C, Duong TN, Hien NT, Cornillot E, Gavotte L and Frutos R. (2017) Valine/isoleucine variants drive selective pressure in the VP1 sequence of EV-A71 enteroviruses. BMC Infect Dis, May 8;17(1):333. doi: 10.1186/s12879-017-2427-4.

Pompon J, Morales-Vargas R, Manuel M, Huat Tan C, Vial T, Hao Tan J, Sessions OM, Vasconcelos PDC, Ng LC and Missé D. (2017) A Zika virus from America is more efficiently transmitted than an Asian virus by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes from Asia. Sci Rep, Apr 27;7(1):1215. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-01282-6.

Dung TTN, Duy PT, Sessions OM, Sangumathi UK, Phat VV, Tam PTT, To NTN, Phuc TM, Hong Chau TT, Chau NNM, Minh NN, Thwaites GE, Rabaa MA and Baker S. (2017) A universal genome sequencing method for rotavirus A from human fecal samples which identifies segment reassortment and multi-genotype mixed infection. BMC Genomics, Apr 24;18(1):324. doi: 10.1186/s12864-017-3714-6

Too IH, Yeo H, Sessions OM, Yan B, Libau EA, Howe JL, Lim ZQ, Suku-Maran S, Ong WY, Chua KB, Wong BS, Chow VT and Alonso S. (2016) Enterovirus 71 infection of motor neuron-like NSC-34 cells undergoes a non-lytic exit pathway. Sci Rep, Nov 16;6:36983. doi: 10.1038/srep36983.

Bodinayake CK, Tillekeratne LG, Nagahawatte A, Devasiri V, Kodikara Arachichi W, Strouse JJ, Sessions OM, Kurukulasooriya R, Uehara A, Howe S, Ong XM, Tan S, Chow A, Tummalapalli P, De Silva AD, Ostbye T, Woods CW, Gubler DJ and Reller ME. (2016) Emergence of Epidemic Dengue-1 Virus in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, Oct 6;10(10):e0004995. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004995. eCollection 2016 Oct.

Sung C, Wei Y, Watanabe S, Lee HS, Khoo YM, Fan L, Rathore AP, Chan KW, Choy MM, Kamaraj US, Sessions OM, Aw P, de Sessions PF, Lee B, Connolly JE, Hibberd ML, Vijaykrishna D, Wijaya L, Ooi EE, Low JG and Vasudevan SG. (2016) Extended Evaluation of Virological, Immunological and Pharmacokinetic Endpoints of CELADEN: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Celgosivir in Dengue Fever Patients. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, Aug 10;10(8):e0004851. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004851. eCollection 2016 Aug.

Lee HG, William T, Menon J, Ralph AP, Ooi EE, Hou Y, Sessions O and Yeo TW. (2016) Tuberculous meningitis is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in adults with central nervous system infections in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia: an observational study. BMC Infect Dis. 2016 Jun 16;16:296. doi: 10.1186/s12879-016-1640-x.

Goh KC, Tang CK, Norton DC, Gan ES, Tan HC, Sun B, Syenina A, Yousuf A, Ong XM, Kamaraj US, Cheung YB, Gubler DJ, Davidson A, St John AL, Sessions OM, Ooi EE. Molecular determinants of plaque size as an indicator of dengue virus attenuation. Sci Rep. 2016 May 17;6:26100. doi: 10.1038/srep26100. PMID: 27185466

Tissera H, Amarasinghe A, Gunasena S, DeSilva AD, Yee LW, Sessions O, Muthukuda C, Palihawadana P, Lohr W, Byass P, Gubler DJ and Wilder-Smith A. (2016) Laboratory-Enhanced Dengue Sentinel Surveillance in Colombo District, Sri Lanka: 2012-2014. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, Feb 29;10(2):e0004477. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004477. eCollection 2016 Feb.

Quam MB, Sessions O, Kamaraj US, Rocklöv J and Wilder-Smith A. (2016) Dissecting Japan's Dengue Outbreak in 2014. Am J Trop Med Hyg, Feb;94(2):409-12. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.15-0468. Epub 2015 Dec 28.

Choy MM, Sessions OM, Gubler DJ and Ooi EE. (2015) Production of Infectious Dengue Virus in Aedes aegypti Is Dependent on the Ubiquitin Proteasome Pathway. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2015 Nov 13;9(11):e0004227. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004227. eCollection 2015 Nov.

Sessions OM#, Wilm A, Kamaraj US, Choy MM, Chow A, Chong Y, Ong XM, Nagarajan N, Cook AR and Ooi EE. (2015) Analysis of Dengue Virus Genetic Diversity during Human and Mosquito Infection Reveals Genetic Constraints. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, Sep 1;9(9):e0004044. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004044. eCollection 2015. PMID: 26327586

Manokaran G, Finol E, Wang C, Gunaratne J, Bahl J, Ong EZ, Tan HC, Sessions OM, Ward AM, Gubler DJ, Harris E, Garcia-Blanco MA and Ooi EE. (2015) Dengue subgenomic RNA binds TRIM25 to inhibit interferon expression for epidemiological fitness. Science, Oct 9;350(6257):217-21. doi: 10.1126/science.aab3369. Epub 2015 Jul 2. PMID: 26138103

Wilder-Smith A, Quam M, Sessions O, Rocklov J, Liu-Helmersson J, Franco L and Khan K. (2014) The 2012 dengue outbreak in Madeira: exploring the origins. Euro Surveill, 2014;19(8):pii=20718. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES2014.19.8.20718

Reller ME, Akoroda U, Nagahawatte A, Devasiri V, Kodikaarachchi W, Strouse JJ, Chua R, Hou Y, Chow A, Sessions OM, Ostbye T, Gubler DJ, Woods CW and Bodinayake C. (2013) Chikungunya as a cause of acute febrile illness in southern Sri Lanka. PLoS One, Dec 2;8(12):e82259. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082259. eCollection 2013.

Sessions OM#, Khan K, Hou Y, Meltzer E, Quam M, Schwartz E, Gubler DJ and Wilder-Smith A. (2013) Exploring the origin and potential for spread of the 2013 dengue outbreak in Luanda, Angola. Glob Health Action, Aug 2;6:21822. doi: 10.3402/gha.v6i0.21822.

Sessions OM*, Tan Y*, Goh KC, Liu Y, Tan P, Rozen S and Ooi EE. (2013) Host cell transcriptome profile during wild-type and attenuated dengue virus infection. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 7(3):e2107. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0002107. Epub 2013 Mar 14.

Kalimuddin S, Sessions OM, Hou Y, Ooi EE, Sim D, Cumaraswamy S, Tan TE, Lai SH and Low CY. (2013) Successful clearance of human parainfluenza virus type 2 viraemia with intravenous ribavirin and immunoglobulin in a patient with acute myocarditis. J Clin Virol, 56(1):37-40. doi: 10.1016/j.jcv.2012.10.005. Epub 2012 Nov 6.

Sessions OM, Barrows NJ, Souza-Neto JA, Robinson TJ, Hershey CL, Rodgers MA, Ramirez JL, Dimopoulos G, Yang PL, Pearson JL and Garcia-Blanco MA. (2009) Discovery of insect and human dengue virus host factors. Nature, Apr 23;458(7241):1047-50. doi: 10.1038/nature07967.

Florez PM*, Sessions OM*, Wagner EJ*, Gromeier M and Garcia-Blanco MA. (2005) The polypyrimidine tract binding protein is required for efficient picornavirus gene expression and propagation. J Virol, May;79(10):6172-9

Wagner EJ, Baraniak AP, Sessions OM, Mauger D, Moskowitz E and Garcia-Blanco MA. (2005) Characterization of the intronic splicing silencers flanking FGFR2 exon IIIb. J Biol Chem, Apr 8;280(14):14017-27. Epub 2005 Jan 31.

Aw PP, de Sessions PF, Wilm A, Hoang LT, Nagarajan N, Sessions OM and Hibberd ML. (2014) Next-generation whole genome sequencing of dengue virus. Methods Mol Biol, 1138:175-95. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-0348-1_12.

DIRECTORY