Natural extracellular vesicles: a new nanomedicine for cancer

Dr. KN Arul Jothi is an Assistant Professor (Sr.G) in the Department of Genetic Engineering at SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, India. His research focuses on cancer biology, extracellular vesicles, stem cell therapeutics, molecular signaling, and precision medicine. Notably, he explores nanovesicles and extracellular polymeric substances for heavy metal ion remediation, contributing to the understanding of their environmental and therapeutic roles. His work on single extracellular vesicle characterization has advanced knowledge of their molecular properties and applications in regenerative medicine, particularly in revascularization strategies for critical limb ischemia.

Dr. Arul Jothi has authored several articles in high-impact journals. He is actively involved in collaborative research and holds memberships in several prestigious organizations, including the Indian Science Congress and the European Association for Cancer Research. With a passion for scientific innovation, he excels in leadership and interdisciplinary collaboration in genetic engineering and cancer therapeutics.

Dr. Abhishek Guldhe is currently working as Associate Professor, Amity institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Maharashtra, Mumbai. He was awarded with prestigious Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship of Department of Biotechnology, Government of India in 2019. He has featured in the list of “World’s top 2% scientists” published by Stanford University, USA. His research focus area is microalgal biotechnology, bioactive compounds, and waste beneficiation. He has worked in many national and multinational funded projects with local governing bodies, industry, and international research groups. He has presented his work in international conferences and workshops in India, South Africa, Brazil, USA, and Canada.

Arun Kumar Singh completed his Master of Pharmacy (M. Pharm) in Pharmaceutics from Galgotias University, Greater Noida, India. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacy at Vivekanand Global University, where he is actively engaged in teaching and research.

His research interests encompass various emerging and interdisciplinary fields, including nano-formulation, blockchain technology, the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, cancer biology, artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and neuroscience. Demonstrating a strong commitment to academic excellence, Mr. Singh has made significant contributions to the scientific community.

Karuppusamy Arunachalam, PhD, is a Visiting Professor at the Center for Studies in Stem Cells, Cell Therapy, and Toxicological Genetics (CeTroGen) at the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Brazil. He was awarded the President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI) in 2020 by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, allowing him to conduct research at the Kunming Institute of Botany. Dr. Arunachalam completed a five-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT), Brazil. His research expertise encompasses phytochemistry, biotechnology, ethnopharmacology, and pre-clinical pharmacology, focusing on developing herbal-based therapies for colorectal cancer. He has published over 65 peer-reviewed articles, authored seven books, and contributed ten book chapters. Additionally, Dr. Arunachalam holds four registered international patents in Brazil and one national patent in India, underscoring his significant contributions to natural product-based drug development.

Dr. Thabiso Motaung Motaung worked as a postdoctoral scholar at the Agricultural Research Council and the South African Sugarcane Research Institute from 2016 to 2019 after earning his doctoral degree from the University of the Free State in 2015. In September 2019, he joined the University of Pretoria's academic staff, supervising postgraduate research projects across several departments, including Biochemistry, Genetics, and Microbiology. Dr. Motaung is also an active member of the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), contributing to programs such as the Grain Research Program and the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Plant Health Biotechnology. His research focuses on plant-fungal interactions at the molecular level, particularly on extracellular vesicles from plants and fungal pathogens. He studies biofilms in plant-pathogenic fungi, including Fusarium circinatum, Fusarium verticillioides, and Exserohilum turcicum. Additionally, he advocates for open science through collaborations with organizations like ASAPbio.

Dr. Anand Krishnan, Principal Investigator in Chemical Pathology, Office of the Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, South Africa. He leads the Precision Medicine Integrative Nano Diagnostics (P-MIND) laboratories, which focus on the biological functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in synthetic biology. His research encompasses cell surface protein modification, biomarker discovery through EVs derived from liquid biopsies, and the role of circulating biomarkers in disease development and stem cell biology. Dr. Krishnan has authored over 150 articles and edited eight books published by Elsevier, Springer, and Wiley. He received the National Research Foundation (NRF) rating for Next Generation Researchers in South Africa. In the latest list published by Stanford University, Dr. Krishnan was named among the Top 2% of the most influential scientists worldwide. He is an active member of the International Society of Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV), the African Organisation for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), and the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR). Recently, he has been serving as an editor for the eLife journal, focusing on the Africa region.