Manasmita Das

Assistant Professor

Welcome to Nanomedicine and Molecular Imaging Laboratory Let me introduce myself as an interdisciplinary researcher, who aspires to apply her cross-disciplinary skill-sets for developing potential solutions to human health issues. I have just joined the Institute of Health Science as an Assistant Professor. Originally trained as a synthetic organic chemist, I have spent more than a decade in the field of cancer nanomedicine and biomedical imaging. My doctoral and early postdoctoral research at IIT Kharagpur, and NIPER Mohali, primarily focused on the formulation, characterization and in vivo evaluation of a variety of novel drug delivery systems based on biopolymers, lipids, carbon nanotubes and magnetic nanoparticles.In 2013, I joined the Shih Lab at University of North Carolina (UNC), Chapel Hill to gain specialized training in preclinical imaging, which is crucial for new drug development especially for the identification of new druggable targets, evaluation of biodistribution and appropriate dosing strategies, assessment of efficacy and off-target effects, and selection of appropriate patient cohorts for initial testing. In 2014, I received the NIH-sponsored Multimodal Neuroimaging Training Program (MNTP) award by University of Pittsburgh, which allowed me to spend 6 week at CMU and UPMC learning various neuroimaging modalities including fMRI, DTI, MEG, EEG, PET and optical imaging. During this time, I also mastered various pharmacokinetic modeling techniques to interpret clinical PET data from glioma patients. Initially, my research at UNC focused on dissecting the neuronal and glial components of BOLD-fMRI signal using optogenetic and chemogenetic fMRI. Later, I combined chemogenetics with pharmacological fMRI and 18F-FDG PET to decipher the functional projections of genetically distinct subpopulations of central norepinephrine neurons regulating complex behavioral and physiological processes in vivo. I had also integrated my formulation skills with current imaging experience to build a dedicated Contrast agent and Molecular MRI core facility at CAMRI that provided cost-effective solutions and consultancy to preclinical researchers worldwide using nanoparticles for several diagnostic applications including cerebral blood volume (CBV)-fMRI, micro-MR angiography, simultaneous fMRI-fiber photometry, magnetomotive ultrasound imaging and in vitro cell labeling. As the focus of modern medicine is gradually shifting towards a "smart drug" or personalized medicine paradigm, there is an increased demand for amalgamating diagnosis and therapy on the same platform. In such a scientific panorama, I would like to direct my future research toward building a highly translational research program on molecular theranostics, emphasizing on cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and infectious disease management.

Address

Presidency University,
86/1 College Street, Kolkata - 700073,
West Bengal, India

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Email: manasmita.ihs at presiuniv.ac.in
alternate E-mail: dmanasmi at gmail.com

How to Find Us

Presidency University
(Main Campus)

86/1 College Street
Kolkata 700073

Presidency University
(2nd Campus)

Plot No. DG/02/02,
Premises No. 14-0358, Action Area-ID
New Town
(Near Biswa Bangla Convention Centre)
Kolkata-700156
Contact details Presidency University Students Corner

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