Member Biography

Since 2010, my group has been exploring various fundamental structural properties in order to enhance the LSPR properties of noble metal NPs, mainly gold triangular nanoprisms (Au TNPs) to design and fabricate ultrasensitive, LSPR- and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based sensors to advance the field of analytical chemistry. We have initiated a multi-faceted research strategy in order to transform clinical disease diagnosis through the development of an adaptable nanoplasmonic biosensor, which can detect and quantify a diverse class of biomolecules (proteins, ctDNAs, microRNA, and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs)) using an identical device construct. Moreover, the entire technology can be transferred to a multi-well plate set-up allowing: (1) analyzing, multiple sets of biomarkers for a particular class of biomolecules, for example several microRNAs, proteins, ctDNAs for a particular disease, (2) detection and quantification of different biomolecule classes, multiple classes in a single instrument run (“multiplex”), and (3) assaying at least 30 distinct biomarkers from biofluids of 10 patients simultaneously (“high-throughput”). Several ongoing projects are discussed under “contribution to collaborative works” My interest for developing unique biosensors continued to grow once my group published two high impact journals in collaboration with Dr. Murray Korc for early detection of pancreatic cancer (Joshi et al. Nano Lett 2024 and Joshi et al. ACS Nano 2015). We were the first to differentiate between patient with pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis using a label-free technique. In collaboration with Professor Hristos Kaimakliotis (IUSM), we have published three peer-reviewed articles. One of the important discoveries we have made is that we are the first to demonstrate that tumor suppressor microRNAs are more specific biomarkers than oncogenic microRNAs by analyzing both metastatic and non-metastatic bladder cancer patient plasma. Professor Kaimakliotis’s research emphasis is to identify biomarkers from non-invasive liquid biopsies such as simple urine test. This is because the current FDA-approved bladder cancer test is highly non-specific. Therefore, we started analyzing urine samples of cancer patients. Here our aim is to identify protein biomarkers because they are more stable than microRNAs in urine. We are specifically interested in understanding how plasma-derived microRNA and urine-based protein biomarker levels vary as cancer progresses, and determining precise clinical tests. The acquisition of highly specific cancer biomarker data that we provide to Professor Kaimakliotis is critical for clinical diagnostic. We are now developing technology that can detect circulating tumor DNAs (ctDNAs) from urine. This approach will improve the non-invasive screening of patients with potential bladder problem and improve the current bottle neck of FDA-approved biomarkers for the detection of bladder cancer. To continue developing a multidisciplinary research program, very recently I teamed up with Professor Melissa Fishel and C. Max Schmidt (IUSM) to develop an early stage diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer thorough highly specific and ultrasensitive detection of selected microRNAs, ctDNAs, and proteins from a large set of patients. This LSPR-based diagnostic test will have the ability to differentiate between pancreatic cancer, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic duct/cysts, and diabetes. Utilizing the LSPR-based adaptable biosensor that we have already designed, our goal is to measure the concentration of 30 biomarkers (10 different microRNA sequences, five different ctDNA sequences and 15 proteins) in patient biofluids at every disease stage. The measurements include those patients that underwent surgery and/or chemotherapy, have a history of diabetes, pancreatic cysts, and hereditary pancreatic cancer. Professor Fishel’s expertise are tumor cell biology and molecular biology. She has the capability to provide molecular biology expertise in the qRT-PCR and ELISA assays for method validation, and will participate in the design of biomarker studies and related cellular and molecular evaluations. Therefore, identifying the most specific biomarkers for early pancreatic cancer detection will be very important for her research in her bio-mechanistic studies involving cell lines and mouse models, along with pancreatic cancer patient samples. Together, identifying highly specific cancer biomarkers will lead to the development of early diagnostic strategies and novel therapies for pancreatic cancer patients. We are preparing a DOD proposal, which has been selected based on our pre-application of “idea development award”, under the pancreatic cancer research program, in which I will serve as a PI, emphasizing early detection research. We recently submitted an NCI R01 grant proposal in which I serve as a Co-PI (Drs. Schmidt and J. Zhang are the other Co-PIs) to develop a research project on early cancer detection, specifically captured circulating exosomes and assay their cargo biomolecules as potential biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. We published part of this ongoing research work in ACS Sensors 2023 which was also highlighted in WTHR news article. Finally, In collaboration with Drs. Fishel, Rhodes, and Angus, we will be studying whether exosomal microRNAs can serve as efficient and selective biomarkers in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NSF) derived malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, which is an aggressive tumor. We will be examining the role of microRNAs in cancer progression in NF1-derived MPNST cell lines by transiently modulating microRNA levels. Together, I have published 7 peer-reviewed articles on bladder/pancreatic cancer detection, and my research has been supported by multiple, National Science Foundation (NSF) fundings.

Ph.D. - The Graduate Center, CUNY, NY 05/2006

M.Sc. - Indian Institute of Technology, India 05/2001