Sona’s business development manager Anindita Gupta is now a named author on a scientific research paper.
During her Master’s Degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Delaware, as part of her Master’s thesis work, Anu studied the role of retinoic acid (RA) signaling molecules in colorectal cancer progression.
Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly occurring cancer in men and the second most commonly occurring cancer in women. There were over 1.8 million new cases in 2018.
A team of researchers led by Dr. Bruce Boman, carried forward the research after Anu’s graduation to further the study of RA signaling in normal and malignant colonic stem cells.
It was found that treatment of colorectal cancer cell lines with RA derivatives decreased cancer cell proliferation and population size.
The team’s findings may provide clues as to how RA agents in combination with other stem cell-targeting therapies may be developed into new more effective approaches to the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer.
Anu, who has always had an interest in cancer research, spent over 80 hours per week on the work during her full-time studies. She achieved her Master’s degree in 2011, but the research paper was only published in late 2018.
Anu said: “It was a great experience to be part of such an important study and to work alongside such an inspiring group of people. It was a lot of hard work and a very long process and it is an amazing feeling to finally see the research published. This is a relatively small piece of research but when it comes to cancer research every paper counts. This is an area that has to be studied more but the potential is there for RA signaling to be used to treat colorectal cancer.”
Sona CEO Darren Rowles said: “To have your name in a published research paper is a goal of every scientist. This is an important study into one of the most commonly occurring cancers and the findings will go some way to developing a treatment. We are very proud of Anu’s achievement and even more proud that she is part of Team Sona.”
To read the research, click here.