Tejan Lodhiya
I am a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Olivier Neyrolles, where my work focuses on uncovering the hidden metabolic language of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. My research aims to understand how this remarkably successful pathogen rewires its metabolism and secretes small molecules that influence host immunity, bacterial persistence, and disease progression during tuberculosis infection.
My scientific background combines microbiology, quantitative mass spectrometry, and systems-level analysis of mycobacterial physiology.
During my PhD at Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Tirupati with Raju Mukherjee, I investigated how mycobacteria respond and adapt to antibiotic stress using proteomics and 13C isotope tracing approaches. This work shaped my broader interest in understanding metabolism not merely as a housekeeping process, but as a dynamic regulatory system that governs bacterial survival, adaptation, and pathogenicity.
Building on my expertise in high-resolution mass spectrometry, I am now developing integrated IC-MS and LC-MS metabolomics workflows coupled with computational pipelines to systematically explore the “dark metabolome” of M. tuberculosis — the vast repertoire of chemically and functionally uncharacterized metabolites that remain invisible in conventional studies. I am particularly interested in identifying secreted metabolites that could act as molecular effectors at the host–pathogen interface, uncovering how metabolic networks can be exploited to design new therapeutic strategies against TB.
More broadly, my long-term goal is to bridge microbiology, analytical chemistry, and systems biology to develop functional metabolomics frameworks that can reveal previously inaccessible aspects of infectious disease biology.
Outside the laboratory, I enjoy playing cricket and mountain trekking, and can often be found at Toulouse Cricket Club or exploring hiking trails.
More information about my research and professional background can be found on LinkedIn. I am always happy to discuss interesting questions in mycobacterial biology and collaborative ideas aimed at improving TB treatment strategies. I can be reached out at Tejan.Lodhiya@ipbs.fr.