Dr. Bushra Ateeq joined BSBE department at the IIT Kanpur in February 2013. She was trained as a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Arul Chinnaiyan’s group at Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, University of Michigan. She also served there as a Research Investigator (Junior Faculty) before joining IIT Kanpur. Prior to this, she was a postdoctoral trainee in Dr. Shafaat Rabbani’s group at McGill University, Montreal. She served a brief stint as a Research Associate at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi. She received her Ph.D. from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.

Dr. Ateeq’s group is primarily interested in exploring the genetic and epigenetic changes that initiate cancer and its progression by employing novel strategies and approaches. Her overarching goal is to explore the molecular events that drive cancer and facilitate the process of acquiring resistance towards chemotherapeutic drugs, in hopes that these discoveries can lead to the development of more effective therapies against specific causative pathways or alterations. Since cancer is a heterogenous disease, which is known to evolve from diverse genetic alterations such as mutations, gene fusions/rearrangements, amplifications/deletions, and other aberrations that perturb gene expression. Therefore, her group is putting efforts in exploring the comprehensive mutational landscape of Indian prostate cancer patients representing the entire disease spectrum (indolent localized to aggressive metastatic disease), understanding the functional significance of the newly identified mutation(s) and in identification of actionable alterations.

Considering racial disparities and clinical-treatment options available in India, exploring mutational profiles of these patient is critical for understanding the disease pathobiology and in redefining therapeutic targets. Thus, the major focus of Molecular Oncology Laboratory is:

• Integrative sequencing for comprehensive identification of clinically significant alterations in Indian prostate cancer patients.
• Genome wide screen of frequently mutated and hotspot regions associated with prostate cancer risk.
• Characterize functional relevance of the genetic or epigenetic alterations by employing molecular and cellular approaches.
• Understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the emergence of aggressive prostate cancer subtype to overcome anti-androgen or drug resistance.
• Develop prostate cancer patient-derived organoids from biopsies and utilize them for genomic characterization and potential drug screen.
• Develop tumor cell-free DNA or exosome-based diagnostics panel for clinically-relevant aberrations for screening advanced stage prostate cancer patients.