Our Faculty

Dr. Anusha Ashokan earned her Bachelors (B. Tech) in Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering from Mohandas College of engineering and Technology (Kerala University), her Masters (M. Tech) and PhD in Nanomedical Sciences from Amrita Centre for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine (Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham). Her doctoral work focused on the development of multimodal contrast agents based on calcium phosphate nanoparticles and image guided therapeutics especially for MRI assisted radiofrequency ablation of liver tumor. After her PhD in 2014, she joined as a Research Scientist at Amrita Centre for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine, where she focused on the translational challenges of calcium phosphate nanoparticle based therapeutics. In 2016, she received the DST Inspire Faculty Award and joined as DST Inspire Faculty at the Department of Biotechnology in Cochin University of Science and Technology. She is currently associated with ACNSMM as an Adjunct Faculty. Her current research areas include engineering of nanoparticles for cancer immunotherapy applications with specific focus on lymph node delivery and activation of a particular subset of T cells called γδT cells. Her achievements include SERB Early Career Research Award from Department of Science and Technology (2016), Young Scientist Travel Grant, CICS, Indian National Science Academy (2015), Senior Research Fellowship, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR, 2012-2014), Travel Grant by Elsevier and A star Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (4th Nanotoday Conference, Dubai, 2015) and GATE Qualification (2007).

Research

Dr. Anusha’s lab focuses on the engineering of nanoparticles for different cancer immunotherapy applications. Lymph node targeted nanoparticles are being developed for effective activation of T cells against cancer by engineering its composition, size, charge and surface properties. In addition, we also focus on altering the biodistribution of immune modulating drugs for immunotherapy of cancer. Another major area of interest is the development of different strategies to activate a subset of T cells called γδ T cells against cancer. The lab is also involved in the translational work of calcium phosphate nanoparticle-based image guided therapeutics with a focus on MRI /CT assisted radiofrequency ablation of liver tumor.

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