Research Areas

Cancer has become a key threat for mankind globally. Despite the advancement in treatment and screening programs to detect the disease earlier, the cancer burden has been increasing worldwide. More than 60% of the world's total cases occur in Africa, Asia and Central and South America and these regions account for about 70% of the world's cancer deaths - a situation that is made worse by the lack of early detection and access to treatment.

Gujarat has become the capital for Oral Cancer in the country, accounting 11.28% of all cancers in India amongst men. It has been reported as fifth most cancer among women with 4.3% of all cancers and the third most cancer among both men and women in the national scenario. As per Globocan data (2012), total 77,003 new cases and 52,067 deaths have been registered in India. Reports indicate highest incidence of Oral cancer in the country from Ahmedabad, designating it as a hub of oral cancer in India. Tobacco, a most important risk factor for causing oral cancer, is responsible for nearly 22% cancer related deaths worldwide. Approximately 2,500 persons die due to tobacco-related diseases every day. In India, around 80% of oral cancers are associated with tobacco use.

Meanwhile, other reports have revealed that 6.45% women are at higher risk of breast cancer followed by cervical cancer. As per WHO (2015) reports, it accounts of 571,000 out of 8.8 million deaths globally, while in India the count has reached to 27% of all cancers in women. As per Globocan data (2012), total 144,937 new cases and 70,218 deaths have been registered in India.

Delayed diagnosis, heterogeneity and paucity of successful therapies are some of the reasons for cancer mortality. Combining existing approaches with novel ones could help in tackling this challenging health problem, enabling the development of therapeutics to stop disease progression and prolong patient lives. Promising anti-cancer approaches, such as the emerging field of immunotherapies, may prove more effective during earlier stages of the disease, before a patient's immune system is battered by advanced stage of the disease and by prior therapeutics.

Recently, a special class of non-coding RNAs (microRNAs) has been identified and validated to be actively involved in regulation of gene expression in tumor microenvironment. An altered expression profile and aberrant dysregulation of microRNAs in cancer defines the potential role of these microRNAs as a viable therapeutic approach. With the elucidation of their ability to regulate multiple protein-coding genes involved in cancer and their associated pathways, microRNAs has emerged as a valuable therapeutic agent exerting cumulative effect on complex gene interactions and pathways involved in cancer progression.

The current therapeutic evolution of cancer research demands combinatorial therapeutics, wherein microRNAs regulating the cells of immunomodulatory pathways are targeted. microRNAs are known to control the immune system responses in cancer development, T cells, natural killer cells and dendritic cells etc. are few to name. Those miRNAs that affect the immune system could be interesting targets for immunomodulation and immunosuppression against cancer. Recent studies on alternative natural sources of microRNAs acting as immuno-modulators have generated significant excitement in the scientific community to battle against cancer.

Our team at GBRC is working towards development of potential microRNA based immune-modulators from alternative natural sources via advanced multi-omic approaches combined with systems biology studies. The team is involved in studies focusing on the immune pathways and strengthening the system for tackling this deadly disease. The concept of developing novel formulation of therapeutic microRNAs has significant potential in translational and clinical implications against tumor tissues as a chemo-preventive strategy with lesser side effects and provides a cost-effective alternative to currently available conventional therapeutic methods.