Ramakrishna U. Rao, PhD

Research Associate Professor of Medicine

Dr. Ramakrishna Rao has an appointment in the Department of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases Division in the School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis. His current research activities are related to molecular diagnosis of filarial infections, and the role of Wolbachia endobacteria in the growth, development and reproduction of filarial worms.  He is interested in identifying the functional aspects of nematode (filarial worm) proteins and genes using current methodologies of proteomics and genomics. He has extensively studied host immune response to parasitic nematode infection as it develops into either protection from infection or pathology. He was involved in antifilarial drug development with companies including Ciba-Geigy (India), Zonagen Inc., (TX), Divergence (now merged with Monsanto, St. Louis), and now is collaborating with Washington University School of Medicine Genome Institute investigators to study target based antifilarial activities. In addition, he is actively involved in ongoing field studies (In Sri Lanka and Egypt) to study the impact of mass treatment programs on filariasis prevalence rates in humans and transmission of infection.

Biographical Sketch

Link to PubMed for selected publications

Office Location:
Washington University School of Medicine
Division of Infectious Diseases
660 South Euclid
Box 8051
St. Louis, MO 63110

Telephone: (314) 454-8982
Fax:
Email: rrao@dom.wustl.edu