Dr Kalana Maduwage

Senior Lecturer - School of Science and Technology

Phone: +61 6773 5466

Mobile: 0412 097 421

Biography

Dr Kalana Maduwage is an academic with interests in medical teaching, biomedical research, research training and biomedical inventions. He obtained his medical degree (MBBS) at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, and after working briefly as a junior clinician, went on to complete his MPhil in Biochemistry and Clinical Medicine (University of Peradeniya) and PhD at the University of Newcastle, Australia tutelage of Professor Geoff Isbister and Professor Wayne Hodgson. Within two years after completing his PhD, he was promoted from Senior Lecturer to Professor in Biochemistry at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, in 2018 (at the age of 38). He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, Sri Lanka, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health (UK) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh).

In 2022, Dr Kalana joined the University of New England and is currently a tenured Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science. Dr Kalana's research has been focused on investigating the coagulopathy of snake envenomation and the efficacy of antivenom treatment in snakebite envenomation. His research is focused on developing laboratory and rapid snake venom detection tests and clinical trials in snake envenomation. As a naturalist, he has contributed to the discovery of 14 species of freshwater fish, three species of snakes and one lizard species from Sri Lanka.

Dr. Kalana has co-authored over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and tfour book chapters, delivered over 50 conference presentations and invited seminars. He is the author of three textbooks and the founder of the web-based snake identification service. There are three patents under his name for the invention of health-related inventions.

Qualifications

MBBS: University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

MPhil: (Biochemistry/Medicine), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka:

PhD (Clinical Pharmacology) Newcastle, Australia

Awards

2016. Finalist of Aspirin Social Innovation Award, Bayer Foundations, Berlin, Germany.

2014 Informa Health Care Award for the Best Platform Presentation paper presented at North American Conference of Clinical Toxicology (NACCT 2014), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. “Diagnosis of snake envenoming using simple phospholipase A2 assay”.

2014 John Morris Scientific Award for the Best Overall Scientific Poster Presentation at the Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) Satellite Scientific Meeting, Newcastle, Australia for “Diagnosis of snake envenoming using simple phospholipase A2 assay”.

2014 ASMR Award for the Best Overall Scientific Poster Presentation at the Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) Meeting, Sydney, Australia for “Diagnosis of snake envenoming using simple phospholipase A2 assay”.

2021. Tire 4. Research Award (The highest), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

2016. CVCD (Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Directors) Excellence Award for the most outstanding young researcher in the field of medicine, dental, veterinary and allied sciences field in Sri Lanka offered by the HE president of Sri Lanka. I was the youngest awardee of this award who received it at the age of 36 years.

2018. Award of the Best Pre-Clinical Teacher, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

2017. KSM (Kandy Society of Medicine) Health Research Prize of the year 2017.

2017 Three President’s Award for Scientific Publications. National Research Council (Awarded by the H.E. President of Sri Lanka).

2016 President’s Award for Scientific Publications. National Research Council (Awarded by the H.E. President of Sri Lanka).

2015 President’s Award for Scientific Publications. National Research Council (Awarded by the H.E. President of Sri Lanka).

2014 President’s Award for Scientific Publications. National Research Council (Awarded by the H.E. President of Sri Lanka).

2013 President’s Award for Scientific Publications. National Research Council (Awarded by the H.E. President of Sri Lanka).

2008 President’s Award for Scientific Publications. National Research Council (Awarded by the H.E. President of Sri Lanka).

2005 President’s Award for Scientific Publications. National Research Council (Awarded by the H.E. President of Sri Lanka).

2005 Presidential Award for the best invention of 2004: Invention of a Microscopic Slide Projector (Patent No: 12460).

2014. Award for the Best publication by the Physician at 48th Annual Academic Sessions, Colombo, for the publication titled “Revisiting Russell’s Viper (Daboia russelii) Bite in Sri Lanka: Is Abdominal Pain an Early Feature of Systemic Envenoming?”

2005 National Science Foundation Award for Young Scientists, 2005 (Undergraduate Category): Invention of a Microscopic Slide Projector (Patent No: 12460).

2012. National Research Council Merit Award for Scientific Publications, Sri Lanka.

2011. National Research Council Merit Award for Scientific Publications, Sri Lanka.

2010. National Research Council Merit Award for Scientific Publications, Sri Lanka.

2014. Research Publications Award, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

2015. Research Publications Award, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

2016. Research Publications Award, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

2017. Research Publications Award, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

2019. Research Publications Award, Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka

2007 Ministry of Social Services and Social Welfare Award for outstanding performance as a young scientist, Sri Lanka.

2007 Awarded the B. H. Aluvihare Prize in Surgery for Final MBBS.

Teaching Areas

Physiology

Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology

Clinical Biochemistry

Clinical Medicine

Clinical and Laboratory Skills

Clinical Reasoning

Primary Research Area/s

Experimental Pharmacology/Toxinology; Snakebite envenomation; Antivenom treatment; Randomized controlled clinical trials; Diagnosis of envenomation; Fish and snake taxonomy

Research Interests

Clinical and experimental pharmacology/Toxicology

Grants

University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka – Research Grant. LKR. 1,000,000.

Development of Rapid Snake Venom Detection Kit – Mediequipment Limited Grant LKR. 10,000,000.

Research Supervision Experience

Ongoing MPhil supervisions

Mrs. Sujeewa Jayasinghe (MPhil)

Miss. Jithmi Dinurangana (MPhil)

Publications

K Maduwage, SK Gamage, JM Gutiérrez. 2024 First aid and pre-hospital practices in snakebite victims: The persistent use of harmful interventions. Toxicon 238, 107582
BMC Rathnayake, RP Illeperuma, S Jayasinghe, TN Fawcett, Kalana Maduwage. 2023. The Role of Serum NT-proBNP for Predicting Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction in Hospitalized Patients in Sri Lanka. EJIFCC 34 (4), 287
Silva A, Scorgie FE, Lincz LF, Maduwage K, Siribaddana S and Isbister GK (2022) Indian Polyvalent Antivenom Accelerates Recovery From Venom-Induced Consumption Coagulopathy (VICC) in Sri Lankan Russell’s Viper (Daboia russelii) Envenoming. Front. Med. 9:852651. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.852651.
K Maduwage, P Karunathilake, JM Gutiérrez 2021. Web-based snake identification service: A successful model of snake identification in Sri Lanka - Toxicon, 2021.11.11 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.11.007.
J Le Geyt, S Pach, JM Gutiérrez, AG Habib, KP Maduwage Paediatric snakebite envenoming: recognition and management of cases. Archives of disease in childhood, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2020-319428.
José MaríaGutiérrez, Kalana Maduwage, Garba Iliyasu, Abdulrazaq Habib. (2021). Snakebite envenoming in different national contexts: Costa Rica, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria. Toxicon X. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxcx.2021.100066.
Subhankar Sarkar, Rajiv Sinha, Arpita Ray Chaudhury, Kalana Maduwage, Asiri Abeyagunawarde- na, Niladri Bose, Subal Pradhan, Nilzete Liberato Bresolin, Blenda Avelino Garcia, Mignon McCul- loch (2021) Snake bite associated with acute kidney injury Pediatr. Nephrol. 2021 Feb 9. doi: 10.1007/s00467-020-04911-x.
Maduwage KP, Gawarammana IB, Gutiérrez JM, Kottege C, Dayaratne R, Premawardena NP, et al. (2020) Enzyme immunoassays for detection and quantification of venoms of Sri Lankan snakes: Application in the clinical setting. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 14(10): e0008668. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal. pntd.0008668.
Maduwage K, Buddika H, Ranasinghe J, Wijesooriya K. (2020). Second case report of slender coral snake (Calliophis melanurus sinhaleyus) envenomation of Sri Lanka. Toxicon. 2021 Jan 15;189:7-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2020.10.023
Sophie Pach, Jacqueline Le Geyt, José María Gutiérrez, David Williams, Kalana Prasad Maduwage, Abdulrazaq Garba Habib, Rafael Gustin, María Luisa Avila-Agüero, Kyaw Thu Ya, Jay Halbert (2020). Paediatric snakebite envenoming: recognition and management of cases. Arch Dis Child 2020-319417. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2020-319417.
Jacqueline Le Geyt, Sophie Pach, José María Gutiérrez, Abdulrazaq Garba Habib, Kalana Prasad Maduwage, Timothy Craig Hardcastle, Roger Hernández Diaz, María Luisa Avila-Aguero, Kyaw Thu Ya, David Williams, Jay Halbert. (2020). Paediatric snakebite envenoming: recognition and man- agement of cases. Arch Dis Child 2020-319428. DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2020-319428.
Ratnayake I, Mohamed F, Buckley NA, Gawarammana IB, Dissanayake DM, Chathuranga U, Munasinghe M, Maduwage K, Jayamanne S, Endre ZH, Isbister GK. (2019). Early identification of acute kidney injury in Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) envenoming using renal biomarkers. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2019 Jul 1;13(7):e0007486. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0007486.
Villalta M, Sampaio TL, de Menezes RRPPB, Lima DB, Jorge ARC, Alves RS, Monteiro HSA, Gawarammana I, Maduwage K, Malleappah R, León G, Martins AMC, Gutiérrez JM. (2019). Nephrotoxicity induced by the venom of Hypnale hypnale from Sri Lanka: Studies on isolated perfused rat kidney and renal tubular cell lines. Toxicon. 2019 Jul;165:40-46. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2019.04.014.
Ratnayake I, Shihana F, Dissanayake DM, Buckley NA, Maduwage K, Isbister GK. (2017). Performance of the 20-minute whole blood clotting test in detecting venom induced consumption coagulopathy from Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) bites. Thromb Haemost. 2017 Feb 28;117(3):500-507. doi: 10.1160/TH16-10-0769.
Isbister GK, Jayamanne S, Mohamed F, Dawson AH, Maduwage K, Gawarammana I, Lalloo DG, de Silva HJ, Scorgie FE, Lincz LF, Buckley NA. (2017). A randomized controlled trial of fresh frozen plasma for coagulopathy in Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) envenoming. J Thromb Haemost. 2017 Apr;15(4):645-654. doi: 10.1111/jth.13628.
Maduwage, K. O’Leary, M. Silva, A. Isbister, GK. (2016). Detection of Snake Venom in Post-Antivenom Samples by Dissociation Treatment Followed by Enzyme Immunoassay. Toxins: 28: 8(5), E130. doi: 10.3390/toxins8050130.
Kalana Maduwage, Anjana Silva, Margaret A O’Leary, Wayne C Hodgson, Geoffrey K. Isbister. (2016). Efficacy of Indian polyvalent snake antivenom against Sri Lankan snake venoms: lethality studies or clinically focussed in vitro studies. Nature Scientific Reports. 6.26778. doi: 10.1038/srep26778 (2016).
Maduwage K, Scorgie F, Lincz, O’Leary, M. Isbister, GK. (2015). Procoagulant snake venoms have differential effects in animal plasmas: Implications for antivenom testing in animal models, Thrombosis Research, 137, 174-177. DOI: 10.1016/j.thromres.2015.12.002
Maduwage. K. Buckley, NA. de Silva, HJ. Lalloo, DG. Isbister, GK. (2015). Snake antivenom for snake venom induced consumption coagulopathy. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Issue. 6 Art.No.:CD011428.DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD011428.pub2.
Maduwage, K. O’Leary, MA. Scorgie, FE. Shahmy, S. Mohamed, F. Abeysinghe, C. Karunathilake, H. Lincz, L. Gnanathasan, CA. Isbister, GK. (2014). Detection of Venom after Antivenom Is Not Associated with Persistent Coagulopathy in a Prospective Cohort of Russell’s Viper (Daboia russelii) Envenomings. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 8(12): e3304. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0003304.
Maduwage, K. Isbister, GK. (2014). Current Treatment for Venom-Induced Consumption Coagulopathy Resulting from Snakebite. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 8 (10): e3220. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0003220.
Maduwage K, O’Leary M, Isbister GK. (2014). Diagnosis of snake envenomation using a simple Phospholipase A2 assay. Nature Scientific Reports 4 (4827): DOI:10.1038/srep04827 (2014).
Kalana Maduwage, Fiona E. Scorgie, Seyed Shahmy, Fahim Mohamed, Chandana Abeysinghe, Harendra Karunathilake, Lisa F. Lincz, Christeine A. Gnanathasan, Geoffrey K. Isbister. (2013). Factor deficiencies in Hump-nosed pit viper (Hypnale hypnale) envenoming. Clinical Toxicology 51: 527-31.

Featured Articles

A Fanged Crisis. By Cassandra Willyard. Nature S40 Vol 621 September 2023. The information provided is based on my research contribution on snake venom. (https://media.nature.com/original/magazine-assets/d41586-023-02617-2/d41586-023-02617-2.pdf)

Is the snake that just bit you deadly? Venom ‘pregnancy test’ could tell. A simple, rapid snakebite test could save lives. But how close is it to reality? Science. 2024. Christie Wilcox

(https://www.science.org/content/article/snake-just-bit-you-deadly-venom-pregnancy-test-could-tell)

Clinical Skills and Experience

MBBS (Peradeniya, Sri Lanka)

SLMC Registration as a general practitioner

10 years of experience working as a general practitioner

Internship in Pediatrics and Gynecology & Obstetrics

Memberships

Fellow of Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) Edinburgh

Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC)

Fellow of Royal Society of Public Health FRSPH (UK)

Follow of the National Academy of Sciences, Sri Lanka

Member of Snakebite Expert Committee, Sri Lanka Medical Association, SLMA, Sri Lanka

Viper Specialist Taxonomy Committee, IUCN

Consultancy Interests

Commercial production of snake antivenom