Next-Generation Food Bioactives

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.

Sreeja PS completed her undergraduate studies at Calicut University, Kerala, and earned her M.Sc., M.Phil and PhD from Bharathiar University, Tamil Nadu, India. Dr. Sreeja's current research focuses on the bioprospection of medicinal plants, with an emphasis on phytochemical and pharmacological studies. She has published 15 research articles, which have been cited 330 times according to Google Scholar, as well as six book chapters in renowned international journals and publishers. Additionally, she has authored two books published by Springer Nature International. With 4 years of teaching experience and 5 years of research experience, Dr. Sreeja's has made significant contributions to the field of plant-based pharmacology and bioprospecting.

Dr Parimelazhagan Thangaraj is currently working as a professor and head of the Department of Botany, Bharathiar University, Tamil Nadu. He also serves as the director of the Centre for Research and Technology Development at Bharathiar University, overseeing research initiatives and fostering technological advancements. Additionally, he plays a key role as the Deputy Coordinator for RUSA, contributing to the academic development of his host institution. He is known for his expertise in phytomedicine and bioprospecting of medicinal plants.^[1] He has committed his research to analysing and isolating various phytocompounds and evaluating the valuable properties of traditional medicinal plants. Parimelazhagan completed his graduation (1990–1993) from St. Joseph's College (Autonomous), Trichy and PhD from Bharathiar University under the guidance of Prof. K. Francis, a well known plant physiologist. After, he joined as a Scientist at Defence Research & Development Organization, Ministry of Defence, Ladakh. He has also worked as a Scientist at Rubber Research Institute of India, Ministry of Commerce, Meghalaya. In 2008, he joined Bharathiar University as a Reader to fulfilling his dream of becoming a teacher. He was awarded the prestigious Raman Fellowship for Post-Doctoral Research in 2014 for Indian scholars in the Dept. of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy University of Hawaii by University Grand Commission, Govt. of India. He was recently awarded a Doctor of Science degree in botany from Periyar University, reflecting his distinguished achievements and expertise in the field. Added to the credits, he had authored quite a few books and book chapters in his field of specialisation. His innovative research outcomes were converted into patents, and three patents were granted to him. He has more than 110 research publications in international and national peer-reviewed journals.

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.