Overview: The Lab for Therapeutic Target Discovery (LTTD) is dedicated to unraveling the molecular mechanisms driving cancer progression, with a special emphasis on breast cancer, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and the unfolded protein response (UPR). Our goal is to identify and validate novel molecular targets that can be harnessed for precise and effective therapeutic interventions.

Mission: To advance cancer research by discovering and validating key stress-responsive molecular targets, thereby contributing to the development of novel, mechanism-based cancer therapies.

Research Focus Areas:

• Therapeutic Target Discovery in Breast Cancer, particularly Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC)
• ER Stress and Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) Signaling in tumor cells and immune cells (e.g., macrophages)
• Molecular Mechanisms of Chemoresistance and tumor progression
• Lipid metabolism and its role in cancer stress pathways (e.g., palmitic acid-induced ER stress)
• Cross-talk between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment
• Evaluation of natural compounds and phytochemicals for anticancer potential

Ongoing and Recent Projects:

• Role of ER stress in promoting stemness and therapeutic resistance in TNBC
• Palmitic acid-induced ER stress and its impact on cell fate decisions in breast and intestinal cancer cells
• Investigating UPR signaling in tumor-associated macrophages

Techniques and Tools:

• Cell culture-based functional assays (MTT, colony formation, wound healing, etc.)
• ER stress detection (e.g., Thioflavin T staining, qPCR and Western blot of UPR markers)
• qRT-PCR for gene expression profiling
• ELISA and biochemical assays
• Collaborative development of diagnostic tools (e.g., ELISA kits for pathogen detection)

Collaborations:

• National collaborations with academic institutions and diagnostic companies
• Multidisciplinary partnerships including Ayurveda-based therapeutic validation
• Active participation in national symposia and research networks in cancer biology

Future Directions:

• Development of targeted therapeutics for stress-adapted tumors
• Biomarker identification for cancer diagnosis and prognosis
• Translational research bridging molecular insights to clinical applications