Indian expatriate Harshita Shailesh recently received a PhD from Qatar University (QU), upon completion of her thesis entitled 'Role of Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) in WNT/β-CATENIN proliferative signaling in breast cancer', which was supervised by Prof Said Sif, from the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences.
Harshita hails from a small town, Karkala, in Karnataka state. She was a gold medallist during her bachelor degree in Biotechnology from Mangalore University. She completed her Master's degree in Biochemistry from the University of Mysore, before joining QU for her PhD.
Her PhD study was focused on understanding the role of a key epigenetic enzyme, PRMT5 in the proliferation and growth of aggressive breast cancer cells. Her systematic study showed that PRMT5 expression is elevated in aggressive breast cancer cells, that epigenetically activates WNT/β-CATENIN proliferative signaling in them. Her work also revealed that inhibition of PRMT5 reduces growth, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells and induces apoptosis. Findings from her study serve as a major foundation for developing a novel therapy for people suffering from aggressive breast cancers in Qatar as well as worldwide. Her study outcome is published in an international peer-reviewed journal.
As a young researcher, Harshita wants to continue her scientific investigations in the field of molecular biology and develop novel personalised therapy that could benefit patients in Qatar as well as worldwide.
Her PhD study was focused on understanding the role of a key epigenetic enzyme, PRMT5 in the proliferation and growth of aggressive breast cancer cells. Her systematic study showed that PRMT5 expression is elevated in aggressive breast cancer cells, that epigenetically activates WNT/β-CATENIN proliferative signaling in them. Her work also revealed that inhibition of PRMT5 reduces growth, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells and induces apoptosis. Findings from her study serve as a major foundation for developing a novel therapy for people suffering from aggressive breast cancers in Qatar as well as worldwide. Her study outcome is published in an international peer-reviewed journal.
As a young researcher, Harshita wants to continue her scientific investigations in the field of molecular biology and develop novel personalised therapy that could benefit patients in Qatar as well as worldwide.
