Back to Oak Crest Faculty & Staff

Manjula Gunawardana

Senior Scientist – Microbiology & Molecular Biology

B.S., University of California Los Angeles, 2000, Microbiology

M.P.H., University of California Los Angeles, 2001, Molecular Genetics

NCBI Bibliography

Principal Research Interests

  • Isolate and amplify DNA/RNA from highly contaminated sources (e.g., asphalt pools) and biological specimens (e.g., primate vaginal samples) for deep metagenomic/metatranscriptomic sequencing.
  • Conduct epidemiology surveys of infectious diseases using nucleic acid-based techniques.
  • Utilize tissue culture models to study host-pathogen interactions, drug efficacy and toxicity.
  • Assess APT pharmacokinetics using multilayered tissue culture systems.
  • Manipulate biosynthetic pathways and design genes for optimized protein overexpression.
  • Implement phage display peptide synthesis to discover/engineer target-specific peptides for therapeutic or diagnostic applications.
  • Develop innovative sustained-release systems for targeted biomolecule delivery.
  • Screen enzyme stability/activity via high-throughput methods for enzyme panel development and qPCR array optimization.

Representative Publications

  • Baum MM, Ramirez CM, Moss JA, Gunawardana M, Bobardt M, Gallay PA. Highly synergistic drug combination prevents vaginal HIV infection in humanized mice. Sci Rep. 2020 Aug 3;10(1):12995. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-69937-5. PubMed PMID: 32747682; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7400648.
  • Gunawardana M, Remedios-Chan M,Sanchez D, Webster S, Galvan P,Fanter R, Castonguay AE, Webster P,Moss JA, Kuo J, Gallay PA, Vincent KL,Motamedi M, Weinberger D, MarzinkeMA, Hendrix CW and Baum MM(2020) Multispecies Evaluation of a Long-Acting Tenofovir Alafenamide Subdermal Implant for HIV Prophylaxis. Front. Pharmacol. 11:569373. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2020.569373
  • Vincent KL, Moss JA, Marzinke MA, Hendrix CW, Anton PA, Gunawardana M, Dawson LN, Olive TJ, Pyles RB, Baum MM. Phase I trial of pod-intravaginal rings delivering antiretroviral agents for HIV-1 prevention: Rectal drug exposure from vaginal dosing with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, emtricitabine, and maraviroc. PLoS One. 2018;13(8):e0201952. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201952. eCollection 2018. PubMed PMID: 30133534; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6104940.
  • Gunawardana, M.; Remedios-Chan, M.; Miller, C. S.; Fanter, R.; Yang, F.; Marzinke, M. A.; Hendrix, C. W.; Beliveau, M.; Moss, J. A.; Smith, T. J.; Baum, M. M., Pharmacokinetics of Long-acting Tenofovir Alafenamide (GS-7340) Subdermal Implant for HIV Prophylaxis. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 2015, 59 (7), 3913-3919.
  • Wu, S.; Li, X.; Gunawardana, M.; Maguire, K.; Guerrero-Given, D.; Schaudinn, C.; Wang, C.; Baum, M. M.; Webster, P., Beta-lactam Antibiotics Stimulate Biofilm Formation in Non-Typeable Haemophilus influenzae by Up-regulating Carbohydrate Metabolism. PLoS One 2014, 9 (7), e99204.
  • Gunawardana, M.; Chang, S.; Jimenez, A.; Holland-Moritz, D.; Holland-Moritz, H.; La Val, T. P.; Lund, C.; Mullen, M.; Olsen, J.; Sztain, T. A.; Yoo, J.; Moss, J. A.; Baum, M. M.., Isolation of PCR Quality Microbial Community DNA from Heavily Contaminated Environments. J. Microbiol. Methods 2014, 102, 1-7.
  • Gunawardana, M.; Mullen, M.; Yoo, J.; Webster, P.; Moss, J. A.; Baum, M. M., Sustained Delivery of Commensal Bacteria from Pod-intravaginal Rings. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 2014, Epub ahead of print Feb. 3.
  • Ursell, L. K.; Gunawardana, M.; Chang, S.; Mullen, M.; Moss, J. A.; Herold, B. C.; Keller, M. J.; McDonald, D.; González Peña, A.; Knight, R.; Baum, M. M., Comparison of the Vaginal Microbial Communities in HSV-2 Seropositive Women Receiving Medicated Intravaginal Rings. Antiviral Res. 2014, 102, 87-94.
  • Baum, M. M.; Gunawardana, M.; Webster, P., Experimental Approaches to Investigating the Vaginal Biofilm Microbiome. Methods Mol. Biol. 2014, 1147-1185.
  • Gunawardana, M.; Mullen, M.; Moss, J. A.; Pyles, R. B.; Nusbaum, R. J.; Patel, J.; Vincent, K. L.; Wang, C.; Guo, C.; Yuan, Y.-C.; Warden, C. D.; Baum, M. M., Global Expression of Molecular Transporters in the Human Vaginal Tract: Implications for HIV Chemoprophylaxis. PLoS One 2013, 8, e77340. PMCID: PMC3797116.
  • Keller, M. J.; Malone, A. M.; Carpenter, C. A.; Lo, Y.; Huang, M.; Corey, L.; Willis, R.; Nguyen, C.; Kennedy, S.; Gunawardana, M.; Guerrero, D.; Moss, J. A.; Baum, M. M.; Smith, T. J.; Herold, B. C., Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Acyclovir in Women Following Release From a Silicone Elastomer Vaginal Ring. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 2012, 67, 2005-2012. PMCID: 22556381.
  • Gunawardana, M.; Moss, J. A.; Smith, T. J.; Kennedy, S.; Kopin, E.; Nguyen, C.; Malone, A. M.; Rabe, L.; Schaudinn, C.; Webster, P.; Srinivasan, P.; Sweeney, E. D.; Smith, J. M.; Baum, M. M., Microbial Biofilms on the Surface of Intravaginal Rings Worn in Non-human Primates. J. Med. Microbiol. 2011, 60, 828-837. PMCID: 21393449.
  • Vedha-Peters, K., Gunawardana, M., Rozzell, J.D. & Novick, S.J., Creation of a Broad-Range and Highly Stereoselective D-Amino Acid Dehydrogenase for the One-Step Synthesis of D-Amino Acids. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 9122-9126. PMID: 16910688.