On Monday, October 9th, 2023, the College of Pharmacy invited Dr. Pooja Narain Adtani, Head of the Department of Basic Medical and Dental Sciences and Assistant Professor of Oral Histopathology at the College of Dentistry to present a faculty research seminar, titled: “Unlocking the Potential of Phytomedicine in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treatment”.
The seminar drew an audience from both the College of Pharmacy and the College of Dentistry, along with candidates of the Masters in Drug Discovery and Development program.
During the session, Dr. Pooja shed light on the pressing issue of oral cancer, which stands as one of the most formidable forms of cancer worldwide, with a 5-year survival rate of approximately 50%. She elucidated how her research team rigorously tested the anticancer activity of Asiatic acid (AA) using the in vitro bone-invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma (BHY) cell line. Dr. Pooja further explained how AA demonstrated the ability to induce apoptosis via the mitochondrial-dependent pathway and effectively arrested the cell cycle at the G2/M phase in the BHY cell line.
The seminar prompted insightful discussions about the critical importance of discovering novel treatment modalities for targeting oral cancer. The event underscored the potential for collaborative efforts between various counterparts in the medical and pharmaceutical fields.