BHUBANESWAR: Three scientists of Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) are among the world’s most influential scientific minds’ in 2022, as per a report published by Stanford University. The report that classified scientists in 22 scientific fields and 176 sub-fields has enlisted in-charge Director of ILS Prof Pulok Kumar Mukherjee, scientists Sanjeeb Sahoo and Amaresh Panda for their outstanding research in the field of drug discovery, biochemistry and molecular biology.
Prof Mukherjee is working on traditional medicine-inspired drug discovery and development from Indian medicinal plants with major emphasis on their validation, formulation, and standardisation. Sahoo focuses on nano-technology-based targeted drug delivery to tumour tissues whereby using the techniques, one can kill cancer cells in a lower dose with less toxicity to the normal tissue.
Similarly, Panda’s research group has been working on the role of poorly characterised circular RNAs in muscle regeneration and insulin bio-synthesis. The new molecular mechanisms identified during his work contribute valuable knowledge of the post-transcriptional processes that influence human health and disease.