Babak Javid, MB, PhD

Assoc Professor In Residence

I am an infectious diseases physician-scientist. My research focuses on three questions with regards to why/how tuberculosis is the world's most successful (and deadly) bacterial pathogen:

(1) how does alteration of the bacterial protein synthesis machinery (ribosomes, pre-ribosomal pathways) allow mycobacteria to adapt to hostile environments such as the host and antibiotic treatment?
(2) what is the role and mechanism of antibody-mediated immunity to tuberculosis.
(3) what the molecular mechanisms that allow Mycobacterium tuberculosis to survive antibiotics -- necessitating months-long treatment regimens.

I am always delighted to explore new collaborations and work with people who are curious and passionate about making exciting new discoveries.

Education
2021 - Diversity Equity and Inclusion Champion training, UCSF
09/2011 - Postdoctoral training, Harvard Chan School of Public Health
09/2007 - Infectious Diseases Fellowship, Cambridge University Hospitals
PhD, 05/2006 - Immunobiology, University of Cambridge
04/2001 - Internal Medicine Residency, Hammersmith & University College Hospitals
MB BChir, 12/1997 - Medicine and Surgery, University of Cambridge Clinical School
BA, 06/1995 - Medical Sciences, Psychology & Neurobiology, University of Cambridge
Honors and Awards
  • Elected Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation, 2023---
  • Investigator, Wellcome Trust, 2017---
  • Young Immunologist of the Year, British Society for Immunology, 2003
Websites
Publications

  1. Vijay S, Bao NLH, Vinh DN, Nhat LTH, Thu DDA, Quang NL, Trieu LPT, Nhung HN, Ha VTN, Thai PVK, Ha DTM, Lan NH, Caws M, Thwaites GE, Javid B, Thuong NT. Rifampicin tolerance and growth fitness among isoniazid-resistant clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from a longitudinal study. eLife 2024. PMID: 39250422


  2. Sangsuwan W, Taweesablamlert A, Boonkerd A, Isarangkool Na Ayutthaya C, Yoo S, Javid B, Faikhruea K, Vilaivan T, Aonbangkhen C, Chuawong P. A quest for novel antimicrobial targets: Inhibition of Asp-tRNAAsn/Glu-tRNAGln amidotransferase (GatCAB) by synthetic analogs of aminoacyl-adenosine in vitro and live bacteria. Bioorganic chemistry 2024. PMID: 38852310


  3. Vijay S, Bao NLH, Vinh DN, Nhat LTH, Thu DDA, Quang NL, Trieu LPT, Nhung HN, Ha VTN, Thai PVK, Ha DTM, Lan NH, Caws M, Thwaites GE, Javid B, Thuong NTT. Rifampicin tolerance and growth fitness among isoniazid-resistant clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates: an in-vitro longitudinal study. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 2023. PMID: 38045287


  4. Miyakawa R, Louie J, Keh C, Chen L, Javid B, Ernst JD, Goswami N, Chow FC. A teenage girl with altered mental status and paraparesis. Journal of clinical tuberculosis and other mycobacterial diseases 2024. PMID: 38468819


  5. Eskandarian HA, Chen YX, Toniolo C, Belardinelli JM, Palcekova Z, Hom L, Ashby PD, Fantner GE, Jackson M, McKinney JD, Javid B. Mechanical morphotype switching as an adaptive response in mycobacteria. Science advances 2024. PMID: 38170768


  6. Krishnananthasivam S, Li H, Bouzeyen R, Shunmuganathan B, Purushotorman K, Liao X, Du F, Friis CGK, Crawshay-Williams F, Boon LH, Xinlei Q, Chan CEZ, Sobota R, Kozma M, Barcelli V, Wang G, Huang H, Floto A, Bifani P, Javid B, MacAry PA. Author Correction: An anti-LpqH human monoclonal antibody from an asymptomatic individual mediates protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. NPJ vaccines 2023. PMID: 37749097


  7. Krishnananthasivam S, Li H, Bouzeyen R, Shunmuganathan B, Purushotorman K, Liao X, Du F, Friis CGK, Crawshay-Williams F, Boon LH, Xinlei Q, Chan CEZ, Sobota R, Kozma M, Jo VB, Wang G, Huang H, Floto A, Bifani P, Javid B, MacAry PA. An anti-LpqH human monoclonal antibody from an asymptomatic individual mediates protection against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. NPJ vaccines 2023. PMID: 37626082


  8. Agarwal S, Javid B. Navigating a Path to Rifampicin Resistance in Tuberculosis. mBio 2023. PMID: 36688640


  9. Bouzeyen R, Javid B. Therapeutic Vaccines for Tuberculosis: An Overview. Frontiers in immunology 2022. PMID: 35812462


  10. Walker TM, Miotto P, K?ser CU, Fowler PW, Knaggs J, Iqbal Z, Hunt M, Chindelevitch L, Farhat M, Cirillo DM, Comas I, Posey J, Omar SV, Peto TE, Suresh A, Uplekar S, Laurent S, Colman RE, Nathanson CM, Zignol M, Walker AS, CRyPTIC Consortium, Seq&Treat Consortium, Crook DW, Ismail N, Rodwell TC. The 2021 WHO catalogue of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex mutations associated with drug resistance: A genotypic analysis. The Lancet. Microbe 2022. PMID: 35373160


  11. Fazel S, Zhang L, Javid B, Brikell I, Chang Z. Harnessing Twitter data to survey public attention and attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccines in the UK. 2021. PMID: 34907201


  12. Divangahi M, Javid B, Kaufmann E. 100 years of antibody solitude in TB. 2021. PMID: 34811545


  13. Li YY, Cai RJ, Yang JY, Hendrickson TL, Xiang Y, Javid B. Clinically Relevant Mutations of Mycobacterial GatCAB Inform Regulation of Translational Fidelity. mBio 2021. PMID: 34225495


  14. Javid B, Bassler D, Bryant MB, Cevik M, Tufekci Z, Baral S. Should masks be worn outdoors? BMJ (Clinical research ed.) 2021. PMID: 33910914


  15. Kalin A, Javid B, Knight M, Inada-Kim M, Greenhalgh T. Direct and indirect evidence of efficacy and safety of rapid exercise tests for exertional desaturation in Covid-19: a rapid systematic review. Systematic reviews 2021. PMID: 33726854


  16. Vijay S, Nhung HN, Bao NLH, Thu DDA, Trieu LPT, Phu NH, Thwaites GE, Javid B, Thuong NTT. Most-Probable-Number-Based Minimum Duration of Killing Assay for Determining the Spectrum of Rifampicin Susceptibility in Clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy 2021. PMID: 33257450


  17. Watson A, Li H, Ma B, Weiss R, Bendayan D, Abramovitz L, Ben-Shalom N, Mor M, Pinko E, Bar Oz M, Wang Z, Du F, Lu Y, Rybniker J, Dahan R, Huang H, Barkan D, Xiang Y, Javid B, Freund NT. Human antibodies targeting a Mycobacterium transporter protein mediate protection against tuberculosis. Nature communications 2021. PMID: 33504803


  18. Beaudry G, Zhong S, Whiting D, Javid B, Frater J, Fazel S. Managing outbreaks of highly contagious diseases in prisons: a systematic review. BMJ global health 2020. PMID: 33199278


  19. Cai RJ, Su HW, Li YY, Javid B. Forward Genetics Reveals a gatC-gatA Fusion Polypeptide Causes Mistranslation and Rifampicin Tolerance in Mycobacterium smegmatis. Frontiers in microbiology 2020. PMID: 33072044


  20. Chen YX, Xu ZY, Ge X, Sanyal S, Lu ZJ, Javid B. Selective translation by alternative bacterial ribosomes. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2020. PMID: 32723820


  21. Chen Y, Sun T, Bi Z, Ni JQ, Pastor-Pareja JC, Javid B. Premature termination codon readthrough in Drosophila varies in a developmental and tissue-specific manner. Scientific Reports 2020. PMID: 32444687


  22. Wang BW, Zhu JH, Javid B. Clinically relevant mutations in mycobacterial LepA cause rifampicin-specific phenotypic resistance. Scientific Reports 2020. PMID: 32439911


  23. Javid B, Weekes MP, Matheson NJ. Covid-19: should the public wear face masks? BMJ (Clinical research ed.) 2020. PMID: 32273278


  24. Zhang YW, Zhu JH, Wang ZQ, Wu Y, Meng X, Zheng X, Javid B. HspX promotes the polar localization of mycobacterial protein aggregates. Scientific Reports 2019. PMID: 31601950


  25. Wu J, Mu R, Sun M, Zhao N, Pan M, Li H, Dong Y, Sun Z, Bai J, Hu M, Nathan CF, Javid B, Liu G. Derivatives of Natural Product Agrimophol as Disruptors of Intrabacterial pH Homeostasis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. ACS infectious diseases 2019. PMID: 31016962


  26. Chen YX, Pan M, Chen YM, Javid B. Measurement of Specific Mycobacterial Mistranslation Rates with Gain-of-function Reporter Systems. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE 2019. PMID: 31081825


  27. Zhu JH, Wang BW, Pan M, Zeng YN, Rego H, Javid B. Rifampicin can induce antibiotic tolerance in mycobacteria via paradoxical changes in rpoB transcription. Nature communications 2018. PMID: 30310059


  28. Chen YX, Javid B. More than merely drug resistance. Nature microbiology 2018. PMID: 30254331


  29. Li H, Javid B. Antibodies and tuberculosis: finally coming of age? Nature reviews. Immunology 2018. PMID: 29872140


  30. Edwards D, Kent D, Lester C, Brown CS, Murphy ME, Brown NM, Sule O, Itani A, Chand M, Trindall A, Pearson C, Roddick I, Fry NK, Hoffmann J, Iyanger N, Kemp L, White J, Javid B, Ramsay ID, Zenner D, Ahmed A, Amirthalingam G, Salimee S, Litt D, Reacher M. Transmission of toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae by a fully immunised resident returning from a visit to West Africa, United Kingdom, 2017. Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin 2018. PMID: 30280689


  31. Chaudhuri S, Li L, Zimmerman M, Chen Y, Chen YX, Toosky MN, Gardner M, Pan M, Li YY, Kawaji Q, Zhu JH, Su HW, Martinot AJ, Rubin EJ, Dartois VA, Javid B. Kasugamycin potentiates rifampicin and limits emergence of resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis by specifically decreasing mycobacterial mistranslation. eLife 2018. PMID: 30152756


  32. Li H, Wang XX, Wang B, Fu L, Liu G, Lu Y, Cao M, Huang H, Javid B. Latently and uninfected healthcare workers exposed to TB make protective antibodies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2017. PMID: 28438994


  33. Li H, Wu M, Shi Y, Javid B. Over-Expression of the Mycobacterial Trehalose-Phosphate Phosphatase OtsB2 Results in a Defect in Macrophage Phagocytosis Associated with Increased Mycobacterial-Macrophage Adhesion. Frontiers in microbiology 2016. PMID: 27867377


  34. Su HW, Zhu JH, Li H, Cai RJ, Ealand C, Wang X, Chen YX, Kayani MU, Zhu TF, Moradigaravand D, Huang H, Kana BD, Javid B. The essential mycobacterial amidotransferase GatCAB is a modulator of specific translational fidelity. Nature microbiology 2016. PMID: 27564922


  35. Long J, Basu Roy R, Zhang YJ, Antrobus R, Du Y, Smith DL, Weekes MP, Javid B. Plasma Membrane Profiling Reveals Upregulation of ABCA1 by Infected Macrophages Leading to Restriction of Mycobacterial Growth. Frontiers in microbiology 2016. PMID: 27462310


  36. Moradigaravand D, Grandjean L, Martinez E, Li H, Zheng J, Coronel J, Moore D, Török ME, Sintchenko V, Huang H, Javid B, Parkhill J, Peacock SJ, Köser CU. dfrA thyA Double Deletion in para-Aminosalicylic Acid-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing Strains. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy 2016. PMID: 27021327


  37. Javid B, Török ME. Whole-genome sequencing for the diagnosis of drug-resistant tuberculosis. The Lancet. Infectious diseases 2016. PMID: 26738825


  38. Leng T, Pan M, Xu X, Javid B. Translational misreading in Mycobacterium smegmatis increases in stationary phase. Tuberculosis (Edinburgh, Scotland) 2015. PMID: 26542220


  39. Liu C, Kong C, Wu G, Zhu J, Javid B, Qian F. Uniform and amorphous rifampicin microspheres obtained by freezing induced LLPS during lyophilization. International journal of pharmaceutics 2015. PMID: 26383842


  40. Li H, Kayani Mu, Gu Y, Wang X, Zhu T, Duan H, Ma Y, Huang H, Javid B. Transmitted Extended-Spectrum Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Beijing, China, with Discordant Whole-Genome Sequencing Analysis Results. Journal of clinical microbiology 2015. PMID: 26063862


  41. Zhu JH, Javid B. Tuberculosis: hey there, lonely guy! Molecular cell 2015. PMID: 25794612


  42. Köser CU, Javid B, Liddell K, Ellington MJ, Feuerriegel S, Niemann S, Brown NM, Burman WJ, Abubakar I, Ismail NA, Moore D, Peacock SJ, Török ME. Drug-resistance mechanisms and tuberculosis drugs. Lancet (London, England) 2015. PMID: 25706840


  43. Ribas de Pouplana L, Santos MA, Zhu JH, Farabaugh PJ, Javid B. Protein mistranslation: friend or foe? Trends in biochemical sciences 2014. PMID: 25023410


  44. Wang X, Li H, Jiang G, Zhao L, Ma Y, Javid B, Huang H. Prevalence and drug resistance of nontuberculous mycobacteria, northern China, 2008-2011. Emerging infectious diseases 2014. PMID: 24959839


  45. Toosky M, Javid B. Novel diagnostics and therapeutics for drug-resistant tuberculosis. British medical bulletin 2014. PMID: 24810849


  46. Javid B, Sorrentino F, Toosky M, Zheng W, Pinkham JT, Jain N, Pan M, Deighan P, Rubin EJ. Mycobacterial mistranslation is necessary and sufficient for rifampicin phenotypic resistance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2014. PMID: 24395793


  47. Wong SY, Javid B, Addepalli B, Piszczek G, Strader MB, Limbach PA, Barry CE. Functional role of methylation of G518 of the 16S rRNA 530 loop by GidB in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy 2013. PMID: 24100503


  48. La Rosa V, Poce G, Canseco JO, Buroni S, Pasca MR, Biava M, Raju RM, Porretta GC, Alfonso S, Battilocchio C, Javid B, Sorrentino F, Ioerger TR, Sacchettini JC, Manetti F, Botta M, De Logu A, Rubin EJ, De Rossi E. MmpL3 is the cellular target of the antitubercular pyrrole derivative BM212. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy 2011. PMID: 22024828


  49. Javid B, Derbyshire KM. Nanotubes: shaking hands, talking, or sharing? Frontiers in microbiology 2011. PMID: 21833333


  50. Su Y, Blake-Palmer KG, Sorrell S, Javid B, Bowers K, Zhou A, Chang SH, Qamar S, Karet FE. Human H+ATPase a4 subunit mutations causing renal tubular acidosis reveal a role for interaction with phosphofructokinase-1. American journal of physiology. Renal physiology 2008. PMID: 18632794


  51. Daly ML, Cartwright DJ, Lehner PJ, Javid B. A 58-year-old woman with abdominal symptoms and elevated C-reactive protein. PLoS medicine 2008. PMID: 18597553


  52. Phuah CL, Javid B, Aliyu SH, Lever AM. A case of Mycoplasma hominis septic arthritis postpartum. The Journal of infection 2007. PMID: 17892899


  53. Javid B, MacAry PA, Lehner PJ. Structure and function: heat shock proteins and adaptive immunity. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2007. PMID: 17675458


  54. Javid B, Aliyu SH, Save VE, Carmichael AJ, Lever AM. Schistosomal colonic polyposis in an HIV-positive man. AIDS (London, England) 2007. PMID: 17255754


  55. Javid B, MacAry PA, Oehlmann W, Singh M, Lehner PJ. Peptides complexed with the protein HSP70 generate efficient human cytolytic T-lymphocyte responses. Biochemical Society transactions 2004. PMID: 15270691


  56. Watkins NA, Dafforn TR, Kuijpers M, Brown C, Javid B, Lehner PJ, Navarrete C, Ouwehand WH. Molecular studies of anti-HLA-A2 using light-chain shuffling: a structural model for HLA antibody binding. Tissue antigens 2004. PMID: 15009806


  57. MacAry PA, Javid B, Floto RA, Smith KG, Oehlmann W, Singh M, Lehner PJ. HSP70 peptide binding mutants separate antigen delivery from dendritic cell stimulation. Immunity 2004. PMID: 14738768


  58. Moore DA, Lightstone L, Javid B, Friedland JS. High rates of tuberculosis in end-stage renal failure: the impact of international migration. Emerging infectious diseases 2002. PMID: 11749753