Dr. Hridika Talukder Barua

Details

Dr. Hridika Talukder Barua is a microbiologist, molecular biologist, and public health researcher whose work spans antimicrobial resistance (AMR), clinical microbiology, molecular diagnostics, cancer biology, and One Health surveillance. She has extensive experience in laboratory research, public health program implementation, and interdisciplinary collaboration, integrating microbiology with translational medicine and health systems research.

She earned her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Deakin University, Australia, where her doctoral research focused on developing a novel exosome-based diagnostic assay for the early detection of pancreatic cancer. Her research combined molecular biology, cancer biomarker discovery, extracellular vesicle biology, and diagnostic assay development to improve non-invasive cancer detection.

Dr. Barua completed her Master of Science (M.S.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Microbiology from the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh, building a strong academic foundation in microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, immunology, and microbial genetics.

Professionally, she played a leading role in antimicrobial resistance surveillance in Bangladesh through the CAPTURA (Capturing Data on Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns and Trends in Use in Regions of Asia) project of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI). As Project Coordinator, she coordinated national AMR surveillance activities, strengthened multi-institutional collaborations, supported antimicrobial stewardship initiatives, and worked closely with government agencies, healthcare institutions, and international partners.

Dr. Barua has extensive experience in molecular diagnostics, clinical microbiology, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, bacterial identification, cell culture, cancer biology research, and laboratory quality management. Her research interests include antimicrobial resistance, molecular epidemiology, cancer diagnostics, and One Health approaches to infectious disease surveillance.

Currently, she serves as an Assistant Professor of Microbiology at Notre Dame University Bangladesh, where she teaches undergraduate microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and related biomedical sciences. She is committed to integrating research-based teaching with practical laboratory training while mentoring students in scientific research.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Deakin University, Australia
  • Research Area: Cancer Biology and Molecular Diagnostics
  • Thesis: Development of an exosome-based diagnostic assay for early detection of pancreatic cancer
• Master of Science (M.S.) in Microbiology, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh
• Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Microbiology, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh

Research Interests

• Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)
• Clinical Microbiology
• Molecular Diagnostics
• Cancer Biology
• Extracellular Vesicles (Exosomes)
• Pancreatic Cancer Biomarkers
• Molecular Epidemiology
• Public Health Microbiology
• One Health
• Diagnostic Assay Development

Selected Publications

1. Cheah, R., Thursky, K., Acharya, J., dos Santos, A.R.A., Shrestha, S., Tshering, D., Lamichaney, G., Sujan, M.J., Barua, H.T., Zangmo, S. and Maharjan, S. (2026). Practical Insights from Implementing a National Programme for Monitoring Appropriateness of Antimicrobial Prescribing in the South-East Asia Region: Experience from the CAPTURA Project in Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.
   Journal: IJID Regions.
2. Rahman, A., Sujan, M.J., Rizvi, S.S., Barua, H.T., et al. (2025). Patterns of antimicrobial resistance among major bacterial pathogens isolated from clinical samples in Bangladesh (2017–2020): A nationwide cross-sectional study.
   Journal: Microbiology Research.
3. Nasrin, M., Begum, F., Sujan, M.J., Barua, H.T., et al. (2025). Bacterial Profile and Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern from Different Clinical Specimens at Uttara Adhunik Medical College Hospital, Dhaka.
   Journal: Microbiology Research.
4. Roy, S., Barua, H.T., Sujan, M.J., et al. (2025). Trends and patterns of antimicrobial resistance in a tertiary care hospital in Bangladesh.
   Journal: Microbiology Research.
5. Sujan, M.J., Habib, Z.H., Rahman, A., Rizvi, S.S., Barua, H.T., et al. (2023). Antimicrobial resistance surveillance methods in Bangladesh: Present and way forward.
   Journal: Clinical Infectious Diseases.
6. Pham, C.V., Midge, S., Barua, H., et al. (2021). Bovine extracellular vesicles contaminate human extracellular vesicles produced in cell culture conditioned medium when exosome-depleted serum is utilised.
   Journal: Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics.
7. Tran, P.H., Wang, T., Yin, W., Tran, T.T., Barua, H.T., et al. (2019). Development of a nanoamorphous exosomal delivery system as an effective biological platform for improved encapsulation of hydrophobic drugs.
   Journal: International Journal of Pharmaceutics.
8. Islam, F., Hossain, M.A., Shah, N.M., Barua, H.T., et al. (2015). Synthesis, characterization, and antimicrobial activity studies of Ni (II) complex with pyridine as a ligand.
   Journal: Journal of Chemistry.

Conference Presentations

1. Hridika Barua et al. (2018). How good is the gold standard – the impact of methods on exosome function study.
   Conference: International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV), Barcelona, Spain.
2. Hridika Barua et al. (2018). EDS (Exosome-Depleted Serum) is NOT Depleted of Exosomes.
   Conference: C-MMR iMPACT Joint SRC Showcase.
3. Snehal B. Midge et al. (2019). The Impact of Gold Standard Methods on Extracellular Vesicle Function Study.
   Conference: iMPACT Showcase.
4. Wei Duan et al. (2020). Nucleic Acid Aptamer: A Key Weapon to Study EV Heterogeneity.
   Conference: ISEV Virtual Annual Meeting.

Professional Expertise

• Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance
• Clinical Microbiology
• Molecular Biology
• Cell Culture
• Cancer Biomarker Research
• Exosome Isolation and Characterization
• PCR and qPCR
• Western Blotting
• Flow Cytometry
• ELISA
• DNA/RNA Extraction
• Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing
• Research Project Management
• Public Health Surveillance
• Scientific Writing
• Laboratory Quality Management