ICMR grants Rs 65-lakh project to PU prof for breast cancer drug research

The three-year project would focus on designing and developing steroidal drug candidates to overcome resistance mechanisms, the spokesperson said. Bansal will work with co-investigators Dr Simran Preet and Dr A K Rengan. The compounds will be tested across multiple cancer cell lines, using established biological assays and validated in animal models to examine potency and efficacy.

Prof Bansal, a senior medicinal chemist at PU, has nearly three decades of experience in anti-cancer drug design and development. Her earlier work led to the discovery of potent steroidal and non-steroidal aromatase inhibitors with nanomolar activity, reported to be more potent than Exemestane, and secured through international patents in the United States, Europe and Japan.

She received advanced training in cell culture-based biological assays during her Commonwealth Fellowship at the University of Strathclyde. She is also leading another ICMR-funded project on the development of anti-Alzheimer steroidal molecules, and her team has completed several major projects.