Product Research
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MSCTR | Cancer Research |Translational Research
Product Research Program focuses on developing clinically applicable deliverables out of the work carried out in the Discovery group. In addition to knowledge, translational clinical research yields 4 types of products (i) Therapeutics (ii) diagnostics (iii) Platforms and (iv) Policies/Methods. For each type, specific deliberations are required to ascertain the 3S: stability, sustainability and scalability of the product before it can be taken to the users/patients through industry and/or approving agencies. In this newly formed group we concentrate on ‘productizing’ a concept which has already been proven of its application in any of the core research groups at MSMF. ‘Productizing’ chiefly involves validation in patient samples and checking the 3S of the products.
Product Research Group and Gynecologic Oncology division
Dr. Smitha P.K., Ph.D. leads the Product Research Group and Gynecologic Oncology division, bringing over 18+ years of experience in molecular diagnostics, immune theragnostics, and translational research. She received her doctoral training in molecular biology and immunology from Bharathiar University and has over 12+ years of biotechnology industry experience spanning research, product development, and clinical translation. She is an expert in the development and characterization of monoclonal hybridomas, recombinant antibodies, and therapeutic proteins, and has led the development of several diagnostic platforms. Her contributions are reflected in peer-reviewed publications, filed patents, and ongoing translational innovations.
Her current research integrates product development with gynecologic oncology, with a major focus on ovarian cancer, where she is developing patient-derived 3D organoid platforms for functional drug testing. These models enable cell-based assays to evaluate chemotherapy response, support personalized treatment strategies, and critically, investigate the molecular and functional mechanisms underlying drug resistance. In addition to functional screening, her work focuses on understanding how tumor heterogeneity, microenvironmental factors, and intercellular communication contribute to the emergence and propagation of chemoresistance, enabling the development of more effective therapeutic strategies.
In parallel, she is actively working on the early detection of cervical cancer, developing novel diagnostic approaches aimed at improving screening, early intervention, and patient outcomes.
Junior Research Fellow shruthi@ms-mf.org
1. Advancing Precision Medicine with Ovarian Organoids: Establishing and validating patient-derived 3D ovarian cancer organoid models to predict individual chemotherapy responses.
2. Developing co-culture organoid platforms using patient tissue samples to better replicate the tumor microenvironment for translational research.
3. Liquid Biopsy for Early Detection: Utilizing extracellular vesicle-based liquid biopsy approaches to enable early detection of chemoresistance and cancer recurrence in ovarian cancer patients.
Project Associate I raghuveer@ms-mf.org
1. Genomic Insights into Ovarian Cancer Leveraging next-generation sequencing (NGS) to identify key mutations associated with treatment resistance and sensitivity in ovarian cancer, enabling more informed therapeutic strategies.
2. Innovative Cervical Cancer Screening Approaches Developing alternative diagnostic methods by combining brush biopsy and UV-based cytology to distinguish pre-cancerous from cancerous cervical lesions, particularly suited for low-resource settings as an accessible alternative to traditional Pap smear testing.
Kunal Biswas
JRF, Researcher, Syngene International
Suprabuddha Dutta
JRF, Researcher, Syngene International
Aditi Hariharan
Research Assistant
Dr Pramila Mendonca
Consultan
Ram Kishore
Junior Research fellow
Nagapushpa
Junior Research fellow
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Year
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Application No.
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Particulars
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Status
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2019
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202021000274
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Compositions and Methods for Treating Coronavirus Infection with Different Levels of Disease Severity
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Filed
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2020
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PCT/IN2020/051068
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Filed
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2020
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202041036866
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Antibodies Against Lipocalin-2 and Uses Thereof
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Filed
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2021
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PCT/IB2021/057878
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Filed
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2021
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202141048345
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Tumor Microenvironment Platform Comprising Oral Carcinoma for Predicting Drug Sensitivity, Drug Resistance and Disease Progression
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Filed
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2022
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202241039126
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Device and Method for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV Antigens and its Variants-of-Interest
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Filed
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2026
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202641012259
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AI-Integrated System and Method for Profiling Drug-Response in Ovarian Cancer Models
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Filed
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