Professor
Renu Vyas
Dean Faculty of Technology, Head School of Bioengineering Sciences & Research MIT Art, Design and Technology University, Pune 412201 India
Title of the talk: Gut Microorganisms to Induce Ferroptosis: An Approach for Suppressing Gastric Cancer
Abstract
Gastric cancer poses a significant health challenge, necessitating a need for the targeted suppression of disease progression. Ferroptosis, a distinctive iron-dependent form of necrotic cell death, characterized by iron surplus and the aggregation of lipid peroxides that depends on reactive oxygen species (ROS), is controlled by several intracellular metabolic processes like cysteine transport, lipid peroxidation, glutathione synthesis, iron homeostasis, and NADP. The gut microbiota plays a regulatory role in ferroptosis through its metabolites, biological roles, and microbial composition. Pathogenic bacteria, in particular, often contribute to the promotion of ferroptosis, thereby inducing or worsening various intestinal diseases. The research work focuses on the key aspects of ferroptosis processes and the gut microorganisms in inducing ferroptosis and their potential as therapeutic agents for suppressing gastric cancer, employing advanced molecular techniques. Network analysis reveals intricate microbial-host interactions influencing ferroptosis regulation, while molecular docking, molecular dynamics, and virtual screening identify small molecules or microbial metabolites with therapeutic potential in targeting ferroptosis and gastric cancer. These findings unveil new viable methods for targeted therapeutic strategies using the natural mechanisms of cell death to suppress gastric cancer.
Biography
Dr Vyas has obtained her PhD from CSIR NCL Pune and pursued her postdoc at University of Tennessee Knoxville USA. She possesses extensive experience in academia, research, and industry. She has successfully led multidisciplinary teams and implemented innovative educational initiatives. Her career achievements include mentoring students to excel on national and international stages, creating impactful research contributions, and forging strong industry academia partnerships. She has developed a unique curriculum and nurtured MIT Bioengineering institute since its inception in 2016, fostering an innovative culture that led to several awards/accolades such as iGEM, Smart India Hackathon, KPIT Sparkle, Wipro Climate Challenge by her students.
Held key positions in industry, research, and academia. Received several awards and fellowships for research contributions. She is a prolific author with 75 research papers, 12 book chapters, and 10 patents to her credit. Notable contributions in research include the development of aziridine ring systems for anti-cancer compounds. Also worked on network and Genetic Programming (GP)-based models for computational analysis of protein-protein interaction data. She has led teams in the design and development of software for Pharma R&D and global patent database analysis. Granted Indian and US patents for innovative products and processes. Co-authored the books ‘Practical – Chemoinformatics’ and edited ‘Advances in Bioengineering’ by Springer. Serves as an editorial board member of international journals in computational modeling, food chemistry, and cancer. Successfully led industry consultancy projects as well as sponsored research projects. Currently guiding several Ph.D. students in diverse research areas, including cancer biomarker identification, phytomedicine, sensor development, canceromics, and drug design.
Publications: Website Google Scholar Researchgate