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Dr Uthpala Buthpitiya Lekamlage Don

Research Associate

2019-2023: PhD in Microbial Ecology , The University of Melbourne, Australia

2013-2017: BSc (Hons) in Microbiology, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka


 

Medicine & Health
School of Clinical Medicine

Dr. Uthpala Pushpakumara, PhD, is a Research Fellow at the University of New South Wales School of Clinical Medicine and a member of the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network. She is a microbial ecologist and bioinformatician specializing in large-scale microbiome data analysis. Dr. Pushpakumara earned her PhD from the University of Melbourne, Australia, where her research focused on unraveling host-microbial interactions using omics and microbial network analysis techniques. Her work bridges computational approaches and clinical applications, advancing the understanding of microbiome dynamics in health and disease.
E-mail
u.buthpitiya_lekamlage_don@unsw.edu.au
Location
Level 3, UNSW Health Translation Hub 55 Botany St, Randwick NSW 2031
  • Book Chapters | 2025
    Buthpitiya Lekamlage Don U; Tandon K; Juntong H; Pasella MM; Verbruggen H, 2025, 'Coral Skeleton Dwelling Endolithic Algae: Ostreobium and Its Biology', in Coral Reef Microbiome, pp. 41 - 46, https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10592048#page=47
  • Journal articles | 2026
    van Dorst J; Uthpala Pushpakumara BLD; Katz T; Hudson J; Ting Z; McKay I; Tam RY; Chan C; Coffey M; Ooi CY, 2026, 'Children with cystic fibrosis have an early-life disparity in fecal short chain fatty acid concentrations', Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcf.2026.01.002
    Journal articles | 2023
    Pushpakumara BLDU; Tandon K; Willis A; Verbruggen H, 2023, 'The Bacterial Microbiome of the Coral Skeleton Algal Symbiont Ostreobium Shows Preferential Associations and Signatures of Phylosymbiosis', Microbial Ecology, 86, pp. 2032 - 2046, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00248-023-02209-7
    Journal articles | 2023
    Pushpakumara BLDU; Tandon K; Willis A; Verbruggen H, 2023, 'Unravelling microalgal-bacterial interactions in aquatic ecosystems through 16S rRNA gene-based co-occurrence networks', Scientific Reports, 13, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-27816-9
    Journal articles | 2018
    Pushpakumara BLDU; Gunawardana D, 2018, 'Preliminary data on the presence of an alternate vanadium nitrogenase in a culturable cyanobiont of Azolla pinnata R. Brown: Implications on Chronic Kidney Disease of an unknown etiology (CKDu)', Data in Brief, 21, pp. 2590 - 2597, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2018.11.073
  • Conference Abstracts | 2025
    Buthpitiya Lekamlage Don U; Becirovic R; van Dorst J; Coffey M; Halim J; Beheshti, B; Argha R; Alinejad-Rokny H; Ooi KC, 2025, 'Artificial intelligence integrating gut microbiome multi-omics to predict clinical outcomes in children with cystic fibrosis', in 16 Artificial intelligence integrating gut microbiome multi-omics to predict clinical outcomes in children with cystic fibrosis, presented at North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference
    Conference Abstracts | 2024
    van Dorst J; Coffey M; Halim J; Anderson D; Pushpakumara BLDU; Ooi CY, 2024, 'The cystic fibrosis metabolome across the first six years of life', in Respirology, Wiley, Vol. 29, pp. 35 - 35, presented at 15th Australasian Cystic Fibrosis Conference, https://doi.org/10.1111/resp.14771
    Preprints | 2023
    Pushpakumara BLDU; Gunawardana D, 2023, Molecular Characterization ofFischerella uthpalarensis, the first subsection V cyanobiont from a tropicalAzollaspecies containing dual nitrogenases, http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2023.03.07.531633
    Preprints | 2022
    Pushpakumara BLDU; Tandon K; Willis A; Verbruggen H, 2022, The bacterial microbiome of the coral skeleton algal symbiontOstreobiumshows preferential associations and signatures of phylosymbiosis, http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.13.520198
    Preprints | 2022
    Pushpakumara BLDU; Tandon K; Willis A; Verbruggen H, 2022, Unravelling microalgal-bacterial interactions in aquatic ecosystems through 16S rRNA gene-based co-occurrence networks, http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.05.475147

  • 2024 Gastrointestinal Manifestations of CF Program (Basic Science Projects) program (2025-2027): Malignancy pathways of colorectal cancer in cystic fibrosis
  • Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA) Paediatric Research Grant (2024-2025): Artificial Intelligence using Gut Microbiome Multi-omics to Predict Clinical Outcomes in Children with Cystic Fibrosis

 

Probiotics and the EARly Life Effects on Intestinal Bacteria and Inflammation in Children with Cystic Fibrosis
A double-blind, randomised controlled clinical trial investigating the effects of probiotics in children with cystic fibrosis. My role involves microbial data analysis, statistical modelling, and interpretation of microbiome outcomes.

Artificial Intelligence Using Gut Microbiome Multi-omics to Predict Clinical Outcomes in Children with Cystic Fibrosis
A collaborative project with the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering focused on developing a clinically supervised artificial intelligence framework to predict clinical and growth outcomes in cystic fibrosis. The study integrates inflammatory markers with metagenomic, metabolomic, and proteomic data. I am extensively involved in multivariate data analysis and feature generation to support AI model development.

Modulation of the Gut–Brain Axis in Prenatal Opioid Exposure
A collaborative research project with the School of Psychology, UNSW, investigating gut–brain axis modulation to improve long-term outcomes following prenatal opioid exposure. My role involves metagenomic data processing and analysis.

SCREEN-CF Study
A study evaluating whether cystic fibrosis patients with colorectal neoplasia exhibit distinct stool biomarker profiles compared to CF patients without neoplasia. My role includes microbial taxonomic and functional profiling.