Tione Buranda, PhD

Research Interests

Research in the Buranda Lab is multidisciplinary and focuses on the role of integrins and small GTPases in host-pathogen interactions. Specifically, I am interested in how these factors regulate the host's immune response to infections caused by hantaviruses and SARS-CoV-2.

We have developed assays to measure the interactions between viruses and host cells. To mitigate the biosafety constraints associated with BSL-3 level containment, we established a biosafety committee-approved protocol to UV-inactivate virus species and fluorescently label their envelope membranes. This allows us to conduct our experiments outside of BSL-3 containment while utilizing equipment unavailable in the limited BSL-3 environment. In this way, we have utilized the inactivated and fluorescently labeled virus particles as probes for drug discovery assays and to investigate cellular entry mechanisms.

In 2017, my lab collaborated to develop G-Trap, a high-throughput flow cytometry assay for examining how viruses or bacteria affect nucleotide binding to small GTPases. This assay can measure GTP loading for up to six targets simultaneously. Small GTPases are vital in signaling pathways and immune responses, allowing us to limit diagnostic biomarkers to fewer than five effectively. The G-Trap assay is a uniquely valuable tool for our research. 

Leadership

Additionally, I serve as the Interim Director of the UNM Center for Molecular Discovery (CMD). In this role, I assist UNM principal investigators (PIs) in developing high-throughput format assays that are compatible with flow cytometry or plate reader platforms. As the interim CMD director, I oversee the Drug Discovery and Repurposing Core (DDRC) of the UNM Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) by integrating drug discovery capabilities at our CTSC hub with the national Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program network to enhance the discovery of drug candidates.

We support the CTSC's OPIOIDD function (Core H2) in developing an assay to evaluate the impact of opioids on patient immune response using a single biomarker (Rac1•GTP) to predict the positive and negative effects of opioid medication in chronic pain treatment. Our premise is that pain and opiates modulate the activation status of peripheral blood innate and adaptive immune cells to a distinguishable extent relative to control cases. We have recently used the G-Trap assay to analyze the activation status of peripheral blood leukocytes of 105 pain patients, wherein we identified cases at potential risk of opioid use disorder (OUD). We consider this an essential first step for early identification of OUD, thus enabling early intervention.

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Principal Investigator

Recent Publications

Publications within the past ten years: Link to PubMed