Sesh A. Sundararaman, MD, PhD

Appointments and Referrals: 1-800-TRY-CHOP (1-800-879-2467)
MD - Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
PhD - Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Pediatric Resident, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Fellow, Division of Infectious Diseases
Loy DE, Plenderleith LF, Sundararaman SA, Liu W, Gruszyczyk J, Chen YJ, Trimboli S, Learn GH, MacLean OA, Morgan ALK, Li Y, Avitto AN, Giles J, Calvignac-Spencer S, Sachse A, Leendertz FH, Speede S, Ayouba A, Peeters M, Rayner JC, Tham WH, Sharp PM, Hahn BH. Proc Natl Acad Sci, 2018 Sep 4;115(36):E8450-E8459. PMID:30127015
Plenderleith LJ, Liu W, MacLean OA, Li Y, Loy DE, Sundararaman SA, Bibbolet-Ruche F, Learn GH, Hahn BH, Sharp PM. Adaptive Evolution of RH5 in Ape Plasmodium species of the Laverania Subgenus. MBio, 2018 Jan 23; 9(1). PMID: 29362238
Liu W, Sherrill-Mix S, Learn GH, Scully EJ, Li Y, Avitto AN, Loy DE< Lauder AP, Sundararaman SA, Plenderleith LJ, Ndjango JN, Georgiev AV, Ahuka-Mundeke S, Peeters M, Bertolani P, Dupain J, Garai C, Hart JA, Hart TB, Shaw GM, Sharp PM, Hahn BH. Wild bonobos host geographically restricted malaria parasites including a putative new Laverania species. Nat Commun, 2017 Nov 21;8(1):1635. PMID: 29158512
*Clarke E, *Sundararaman SA, Seifert SN, Bushman FD, Hahn BH, Brisson D. swga: a primer design toolkit for selective whole genome amplification. Bioinformatics, 2017 Jul 15; 33(14):2071-2077. PMID: 28334194
Cowell AN, Loy DE, Sundararaman SA, Valdivia H, Fisch K, Lescano A, Baldeviano GC, Durand S, Gerbasi RV, Sutherland C, Nolder D, Hahn BH, Winzeler EA, Vinetz JM. Selective whole genome amplification of Plasmodium vivax from unprocessed blood samples and dried blood spots for scalable whole genome sequencing. Genome Biology (submitted).
Guggisberg AM, Sundararaman SA, Lanaspa M, Moraleda C, González R, Mayor A, Cisteró P, Hutchinson D, Kremsner PG, Hahn BH, Bassat Q, Odom AR. Whole genome sequencing to evaluate the resistance landscape following antimalarial treatment failure with fosmidomycin-clindamycin. J Infect Dis, 2016 Jul 20; jiw304. PMID: 2744361
Loy DE, Liu W, Li Y, Learn GH, Plenderleith LJ, Sundararaman SA, Sharp PM, Hahn BH. Out of Africa: Origins and evolution of the human malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax. Int J Parasitol, 2016 Jul 2; S0020-7519(16):30122-9. PMID: 27381764
Liu W, Sundararaman SA, Loy DE, Learn GH, Yingying L, Plenderleith LJ, Ndjango J, Speede S, Atencia R, Debby C, Shaw GM, Ayouba A, Peeters M, Rayner JC, Hahn BH, Sharp PM. Multigenomic delineation of Plasmodium species of the Laverania subgenus infecting wild-living Chimpanzees and Gorillas. Genome Biol Evol, 2016 Jul 2; 8(6):1929-39. PMID: 27289102
Sundararaman SA, Plenderleith LJ, Liu W, Loy DE, Learn GH, Li Y, Shaw KS, Ayouba A, Peeters M, Speede S, Shaw GM, Bushman FD, Brisson D, Rayner JC, Sharp PM, Hahn BH. Genomes of cryptic chimpanzee Plasmodium species reveal key evolutionary events leading to human malaria. Nat Commun, 2016 Mar 22; 7:11078. PMID: 27002652
Larremore DB, Sundararaman SA, Liu W, Proto WR, Clauset A, Loy DE, Speede S, Plenderleith LJ, Sharp PM, Hahn BH, Rayner JC, Buckee CO. Ape parasite origins of human malaria virulence genes. Nat Commun, 2015 Oct 12; 6:8368. PMID: 26456841
Liu W, Li Y, Shaw KS, Learn GH, Plenderleith LJ, Malenke JA, Sundararaman SA, Ramirez MA, Crystal PA, Smith AG, Bibollet-Ruche F, Ayouba A, Locatelli S, Esteban A, Mouacha F, Guichet E, Butel C, Ahuka-Mundeke S, Inogwabini BI, Ndjango JB, Speede S, Sanz CM, Morgan DB, Gonder MK, Kranzusch PJ, Walsh PD, Georgiev AV, Muller MN, Piel AK, Stewart FA, Wilson ML, Pusey AE, Cui L, Wang Z, Färnert A, Sutherland CJ, Nolder D, Hart JA, Hart TB, Bertolani P, Gillis A, LeBreton M, Tafon B, Kiyang J, Djoko CF, Schneider BS, Wolfe ND, Mpoudi-Ngole E, Delaporte E, Carter R, Culleton RL, Shaw GM, Rayner JC, Peeters M, Hahn BH, Sharp PM. African origin of the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax. Nat Commun, 2014 Feb 24; 5:3346. PMID: 24557500
Ocwieja KE, Fernando AN, Sherrill-Mix S, Sundararaman SA, Tennekoon RN, Tippalagama R, Krishnananthasivam S, Premawansa G, Premawansa S, De Silva AD. Phylogeography and molecular epidemiology of an epidemic strain of dengue virus type 1 in Sri Lanka. Am J Trop Med Hyg, 2014 Aug 6; 91(2):225-34. PMID: 24799375
Sundararaman SA, Liu W, Keele BF, Learn GH, Bittinger K, Mouacha F, Ahuka-Mundeke S, Manske M, Sherrill-Mix S, Li Y, Malenke JA, Delaporte E, Laurent C, Mpoudi Ngole E, Kwiatkowski DP, Shaw GM, Rayner JC, Peeters M, Sharp PM, Bushman FD, Hahn BH. Plasmodium falciparum-like parasites infecting wild apes in southern Cameroon are not a recurrent source of human malaria. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA, 2013 Apr 23; 110(17):7020-5. PMID: 23569255
Ting CS, Hsieh C, Sundararaman S, Manella C, Marko M. Cryo-electron tomography reveals the comparative three-dimensional architecture of Prochlorococcus, a globally important marine cyanobacterium. J Bacteriol, 2007; 189(12):4485-93.
Sundararaman SA, Plenderleith LJ, Liu W, Loy DE, Learn GH, Li Y, Speede S, Rayner JC, Sharp PM, Hahn BH. Horizontal transfer of essential invasion genes in the ancestors of Plasmodium falciparum, Poster Presentation and Short Talk Molecular Parasitology Meeting XXVI, 2015.
Sundararaman SA, Plenderleith LJ, Liu W, Loy DE, Learn GH, Li Y, Speede S, Rayner JC, Sharp PM, Hahn BH. Gene expansion, diversification and horizontal transfer in the ape ancestors of Plasmodium falciparum, Poster Presentation, ASTMH Annual Meeting, 2015
Sundararaman SA, Plenderleith LJ, Liu W, Loy DE, Learn GH, Li Y, Speede S, Bernal A, Roos DS, Rayner JC, Sharp PM, Hahn BH. Selective whole genome amplification yields near full length genomes of Chimpanzee Plasmodium parasites, Poster Presentation, Molecular Parasitology Meeting XXV, 2014.
Sundararaman SA, Plenderleith LJ, Liu W, Loy DE, Learn GH, Li Y, Rayner JC, Sharp PM, Hahn BH. Selective whole genome amplification yields near full length genomes of Chimpanzee Plasmodium parasites, Oral Presentation, International Congress of Parasitology, 2014.
Sundararaman SA, Liu W, Leichty A, Li Y, Seifert S, Malenke J, Brisson D, Bushman DF, Hahn BH. Selective genome amplification enables Plasmodium vivax genome resequencing from biologically precious whole blood field samples, Poster Presentation, Molecular Parasitology Meeting XXIV, 2013.
Sundararaman SA. Selective genome amplification enables genome wide characterization of great ape Plasmodium vivax-like parasites, Invited Talk, ASTMH Annual Meeting, 2013.
Sundararaman SA, Liu W, Learn GH, Bittinger K, Keele BF, Sherrill-Mix SA, Li Y, Rayner JC, Sharp PM, Peeters M, Bushman FD, Hahn BH. Great ape Plasmodium reservoirs and human zoonotic risk, Poster Presentation, Molecular Parasitology Meeting XXIII, 2012.
Sundararaman SA, Liu W, Keele BF, Sherrill-Mix SA, Li Y, Rayner JC, Sharp PM, Peeters M, Bushman FD, Hahn BH. The application of pyrosequencing to identify multispecies Plasmodium infections in humans and apes in West Central Africa, Oral Presentation, ASTMH Annual Meeting, 2011.
2017, Michael S Brown, MD Award, Perelman School of Medicine
2016, Richard K. Root Prize for Infectious Disease Research, Perelman School of Medicine
2015, Poster Award, Molecular Parasitology Meeting XXVI
2008, Magna Cum Laude, Williams College
2005, American Society of Plant Biologists Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
2004-2008, Dean’s List, Williams College
2014-present, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
2008-present, Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society
2008-present, Phi Beta Kappa Society
2015-present, Co-Captain, Penn Med Soccer
2009-2011, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Power Up Gambia
2007-2008, Co-President, South Asian Students Association, Williams College
2005-2008, Writing Tutor, Williams College
2006-2008, Chemistry Peer Tutor, Williams College