Staff Profiles

Introduction

I'm a trained Biotechnologist specifically in the fields of Immunology, Bioinformatics, and Molecular biology. I have been employed as a Lecturer (Non-clinical) at NUMed Malaysia since September 2023. Before joining NUMed, I was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Faculty of Pharmacy, National University of Malaysia. My current roles and responsibilities are teaching Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Genetics, and Essential Biomedical Research Skills, etc. My research interests include antibody engineering, bacterial bioinformatics, and vaccinology.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine (Universiti Sains Malaysia)
• M.Sc. in Biotechnology (Universiti Sains Malaysia)
• B.Sc. (Hons) in Biotechnology (AIMST)

Research interests:

• Antibody engineering-Phage display technology based scFv monoclonal antibodies for disease diagnostics
• Bioinformatics-Genomics, metagenomics and transcriptomics studies
• Vaccinology-SpyTag-SpyCatcher VLP and inclusion bodies based SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates

Teaching (Biomedical Sciences)

• Essential Biomedical Research Skills (Stage II)
• Genetics (Stage I)
• Cell Biology (Stage I)
• Biochemistry (Stage I)
• Cell and Molecular Biology of the Immune System (Stage II)
• Cell Biology and Disease (Stage II)
• Professional and Practical Skills for Bioscientists (Stage I)
• Control of Eukaryotic Gene Expression (Stage II)

Teaching (MBBS)

• Genetic Mutations and Disease (Year 1)

• Articles

  • Baharudeen Z, Noordin R, Theam Soon L, Balachandra D, Anuar NS, Mustafa FH, Rahumatullah A. Isolation and production of human monoclonal antibody proteins against a Toxocara canis excretory-secretory recombinant antigen. Pathogens 2022, 11(11), 1232.
  • Alkatib H, Silvester C, Balachandra D, Joseph F, Sreenivasan S, Kia Kien P. Rapid confirmation of five non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) serotypes using a low-cost portable-DIY OpenPCR© thermocycler. Malaysian Journal of Microbiology 2021, 17(2), 113-120.
  • Rahumatullah A, Balachandra D, Noordin R, Baharudeen Z, Yee Ying L, Yee Siew C, Theam Soon L. Broad specificity of immune helminth scFv library to identify monoclonal antibodies targeting Strongyloides. Scientific Reports 2021, 11, 2502.
  • Balachandra D, Rahumatullah A, Theam Soon L, Mustafa FH, Ahmad H, Noordin R. A new antigen detection ELISA for the diagnosis of Strongyloides infection. Acta Tropica 2021, 221, 105986.
  • Balachandra, D, Ahmad, H, Arifin, N, Noordin, R. Direct detection of Strongyloides infection via molecular and antigen detection methods. 2020.
  • Ahmad, H, Balachandra, D, Arifin, N, Nolan, TJ, Lok, JB, Khan, AH, Yunus, MH, Noordin, R. Diagnostic potential of an IgE-ELISA in detecting Strongyloidiasis. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2020.
  • Yunus, MH, Arifin, N, Balachandra, D, Anuar, NS, Noordin, R. Lateral flow dipstick test for serodiagnosis of Strongyloidiasis. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2019.
  • Gunaselvam, P, Nyok-Sean, L, Furusawa, G, Balachandra, D, Swee Yeok, F, Abdullah, AAA. Metagenomic insights into the phylogenetic and functional profiles of soil microbiome from a managed mangrove in Malaysia. Agri Gene 2018.
  • Balachandra, D, Nyok-Sean, L, Furusawa, G, Seok-Won, K, Taylor, TD, Swee Yeok, F, Shu-Chien Chong, A. Comparative genome analyses of novel Mangrovimonas-like strains isolated from estuarine mangrove sediments reveal xylan and arabinan utilization genes. Marine Genomics 2016.
  • Balachandra, D, Furusawa, G, Abdullah, AAA. Mangrovimonas xylaniphaga sp. nov. isolated from estuarine mangrove sediment of Matang Mangrove Forest, Malaysia. Archives of Microbiology 2016.

• Book Chapter

  • Rahmah, N, Arifin, N, Balachandra, D, Ahmad, H. Serodiagnosis of Strongyloides stercoralis infection. In: Methods in Microbiology. 2020.