microRNA Modulation: A Promising Combination Therapy for Cancer

Dr. Shikha Tiwari is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the Department of biotechnology and bioengineering, Institute of Advance Research, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. Her major interests include exploring the role of microRNA in head and neck cancer diagnosis and therapeutics. Mainly, her focus is on identification and validation of miRNA as biomarker signature for the early diagnosis of oral cancer, and establishment of miRNA as predictive and prognostic biomarker of conventional cancer therapies. She is also actively involved in targeted combination therapy of oral cancer with surface modified exosomes. She received her Bachelor's degree from NACS College, University of Pune, India and her Master's degree from KIMSDU, Karad, Maharashtra. She earned her Ph.D. degree from Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), Bhopal following which she worked as post-doctoral researcher in All India Institute of Medical Sciences Bhopal. She has several International publications, and book chapters. She has also received awards and research grants from the Government of India for her research.

Dr Dhiraj Bhatia obtained his PhD in DNA nanotechnology from NCBS-TIFR in Bangalore, India. Post PhD he went to the Curie Institute in Paris to join the team of Ludger Johannes, initially as a Curie fellow and later as a HFSP long-term fellow, where he learnt the cellular and biological applications of DNA nanodevices. In 2018, he moved to India to start his own laboratory at the Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar where he is an assistant professor and Ramanujan fellow. Currently, he is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Engineering, IIT Gandhinagar. His lab focuses on the translational aspects of DNA nanotechnology to develop tools to program biological systems for biomedical applications. His research interests include Structural DNA nanotechnology for advanced biological and biomedical applications, Stem cell engineering and regenerative medicine, Advanced Chemical Biology tools, etc.

Dr. Amit K. Yadav is currently working as an Early Career Fellow at the Department of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN), Gandhinagar, Palaj, Gujarat. Dr. Yadav obtained his Ph.D. degree (2024) from Special Centre for Nanoscience, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His research is focused on designing and applying cutting-edge nanotechnology and nanoscience-based biosensors with an interest in diagnostics. These nanobiosensors are based on integrating biological molecules such as aptamers, antibodies, and other (bio)receptors with micro-and nanostructures and are applied in cancer diagnostics, environmental monitoring, safety, and security. He received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Biotechnology from St. Columba’s College and Vinoba Bhave University, Jharkhand, India, in 2014 and 2016, respectively. Dr. Yadav was the recipient of the 4 Best Oral Presentation Award, Best Young Scientist Prize, Young Researcher Award 2023 and InSc Research Excellence Award 2020 by Institute of Scholars (InSc), Govt. of India. Additionally, Mr. Yadav holds memberships with prestigious organizations, including the BioBank India Foundation (BBIF) as a Student Member, the Electrochemical Society (ECS) as a Student Member, and InSc lifetime Membership. He has demonstrated leadership by previously serving as President and Secretary of the ECS-Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Chapter in New Delhi.