Dr Suparna Mitra

Profile

Currently I am a lecturer in Bioinformatics and Micro in Gastrointestinal Research including Bioinformatics at Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Leeds and Honorary Research Fellow at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

I am responsible for supervision, data handling and analyses of multiple medical projects involving Genomics, Statistics and Bioinformatics.

I am a principal investigator in following projects:

1. 2024- Academy of Medical Science UK-India AMR Visiting Fellowships: £6000
2. 2024- Official Development Assistance (ODA) fund for Bangladesh project on antimicrobial resistance in Bangladeshi Population. Awarded value (100%): £5000
3. 2023- International Strategic Fund (ISF): Impact of unrestricted antibiotic usage on the gut microbiome and antibiotic resistance genes in Bangladeshi Population. Awarded value (100%): £4000
4. 2022-2023- Using shotgun metagenomic profiling to gain functional insights about the prebiotic effects of omega-3 fatty acids; Crucible 2021 by Nesta. The UK’s innovation agency for social good; Awarded value (100%): £8000.
5. 2022-2023- Impact of unrestricted antibiotic usage on the gut microbiome and antibiotic resistance genes in developing countries; Michael Beverley Fellowship; Awarded value (100%): £7500.

I am a co-investigator (bioinformatics lead) on multiple large awards:

1. 2023-2025- Afabicin gut models; Debiopharm. Awarded value (100%): £283,691.
2. 2024-2026- MRC Biomedical Data Science Leadership scheme; Medical Research Council. Awarded value (100%): £432,495.
3. 2022-2023 - Developing novel strategies for weight loss – an interdisciplinary approach to target starch digestion and activate gut-brain ; Crucible 2021 by Nesta. Awarded value (100%): £8000.
4. 11/1/2020- 4/30/2022: Impact of antimicrobial prescribing during the COVID-pandemic on MDRO colonisation and the gut microbiome; Awarded value (100%): £87,327
5. 30/07/2018 - 20/12/2019: Development of an in vitro intestinal dysbiosis model, USA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Awarded value (100%): £327,740
6. 21/01/2019 - 20/01/2024: COLO-COHORT (Colorectal Cancer Cohort) Study, Guts UK Charity (fka Core); Awarded value (100%): £1.25 million
7. 01/09/2020 - 27/11/2020: SARS-CoV-2 microbiome / viral excretion, EnteroBiotix; Awarded value (100%): £8,903
8. 01/11/2020 - 30/04/2021: BSAC COVID microbiome, British Society for Antimicrobial; Awarded value (100%): £82,510
9. 01/10/2018 - 31/03/2020: Effect of trehalose on C. difficile infection, Hayashibara Co. Ltd (Industry); Awarded value (100%): £57,260
10. Funding through company projects for microbiome data analysis work:
    • 2017-18: Summit Plc; CoDIFy - £ 27,905, Astellas; EXTEND - £ 23,740
    • 2018-19: Astellas; PROFILE - £ 25,964
11. Marie Curie Experienced Researcher Fellowship (Initial Training Networks (ITN)-FP7) during 20112012. £102,822 – FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN) Fighting Drug Failure (Grant Agreement Number 238132). Fighting Drug Failure ITN focusing the area of Pharmacogenomics.

Academic and professional background: 

Education/ Achievement:

2024: Aurora- Advance HE’s Aurora Women’s Leadership Development Program

2023: Michael Beverley Innovation Fellowship

2021: Fellowship of Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

2012-2013- Experienced researcher  Marie Curie Fellowship

2007-2010- PhD: Bioinformatics (Suma cum laude); Algorithms in Bioinformatics,  University of Tuebingen, Germany

2005- MSc: Statistics (with first class degree); University of Burdwan, India

2003- BSc: Mathematics; University of Burdwan, India 

Please visit my Blog to Find more about me at drsuparnamitra.com/

Responsibilities

• Module Lead for ENQUIRE 2 at University of Leeds medical degree program (MBChB)
• Lead for international research projects: Impact of Unrestricted Antibiotic Usage and AMR in LMICs
• Teach and supervise students and researchers Medical and Applied Statistics

Research interests

The majority of my research at University of Leeds (UoL) involves applying metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to medical sciences, especially the complex gut microbiome which is a major potential reservoir for antimicrobial resistance genes that may be selected for and/or transferred to/between potential pathogens.
With an interdisciplinary research background, I am inspired to apply my knowledge and experience in developing multivariate methods for ’omics data analyses that can identify potential applications in the real-world. During my research career, I have >14 years of experience in working both theoretical (statistics/bioinformatics) and applied (biostatistics/ medical/ biology/ infection control) research groups and various projects. Whilst still in the mid stage of my career my published research( >40 article and book chapters)  has a good impact: total >5000 citations (H-index=21).

For past few years I have focused my research to understand the impact of Unrestricted Antibiotic Usage on the Gut Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) among relatively healthy population. Our pilot study in Bangladesh is the first of its kind. There is no other study trying to investigate the unrestricted use of antibiotics in generally healthy population and exploring other possible sources of AMR, like animal and environment.
Mirroring this study in India will give us the comparative factor in neighbouring country. Multiple locations will enable us to include effect of various culture and food habit. Further my plan is to extend this as a prospective cohort study, so that we can investigate the changes of microbiome within individuals’ and associate them with different groups of antibiotics to identify key, patho-physiologically/functionality relevant microbiome changes (taxonomy and functions). 

Interdisciplinary Collaboration as the Key to My Research 

Interdisciplinary collaboration is central to my research, which explores the complex interactions between the gut microbiome, antibiotic resistance, and environmental factors. Tackling these multifaceted challenges requires the combined expertise of microbiologists, environmental scientists, epidemiologists, clinicians, and community engagement specialists. By integrating diverse perspectives, we can develop a holistic understanding of how human, animal, and environmental factors drive the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Collaboration with experts from different fields allows for innovative approaches, such as blending advanced microbiome analysis with community-driven interventions and policy insights. This has been particularly crucial in my work across LMICs, where cultural, ecological, and healthcare system variability necessitate tailored solutions. Engaging with environmental microbiologists, social scientists, and public health experts enables me to generate impactful findings that inform evidence-based policies and sustainable health practices.

By fostering these partnerships, I aim to bridge gaps between clinical, environmental, and social research, ultimately contributing to a more comprehensive strategy for combating antibiotic resistance and improving global health outcomes.

Qualifications

• BSc Mathematics
• MSc Statistics (1st class)
• PhD Bioinformatics (Summa cum laude)

Professional memberships

• European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID).
• Microbiology Society (SGM)

Student education

Student Education

• 2023-2025 • ENQUIRE2 (MEDI2224); module lead, lecture and tutorial Module redesign, planning and beginning of newly evolved for (RESS2+SSP2) to ENQUIRE2 move, which started in Sept 2023. This ENQUIRE2 module is the replacement module for teaching delivered across two related modules taught since 2010 MBChB curriculum: Research, Evaluation and Study Skills (RESS2) (MEDI2217) + Student Selected Project - Community Placement (SSP2) (MEDI2220). The ENQUIRE Strand refers to a compulsory strand of related modules for all students across all five years of the undergraduate medical degree programme (MBChB). The name change reflects work undertaken to refresh the curriculum in alignment with a) requirements from the General Medical Council to shift focus from learning about research skills to understanding how to generate and use evidence to solve problems, innovate healthcare and support clinical reasoning for doctors across all medical specialities and career trajectories, b) student and staff feedback on the 2010 curriculum during course and programme meetings, student evaluation cycles, and QME reports, and c) innovation provided by ongoing work resulting from the UoL Curriculum Redefined strategy.

  • Analytical Skills in Precision Medicine (BIOL5322M), lecture and practicals.

  • MSc Cancer biology and molecular oncology module (MEDM5221), Lecturer.

  • Molecular Biology of Cancer (MEDM5141M), Tutor.

  • Supervision: MSc Precision Medicine: Genomics and Analytics; multiple students each year

  • 2022-2023- Research, Evaluation and Special Studies 2 (RESS2, MEDI2217); module co-lead, lecture and tutorial

Research groups and institutes

• Leeds Institute of Medical Research at St James's
• Healthcare Associated Infection Research Group.