Rational 'Co-Design' of Targeted Anticancer Therapeutics

Dr. Y. Manojkumar is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Bishop Heber College, Tiruchirappalli, India. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Bharathidasan University, specializing in metal-based anticancer therapeutics, biomolecular interactions, and nanomaterials, and conducted postdoctoral research at Gebze Technical University, Turkey, supported by a TÜBİTAK Fellowship. His research spans metallodrug design, anticancer nanomaterials, computational modeling, and biomaterial-based drug delivery. He has published in renowned journals and contributed chapters and edited volumes with major publishers. His cobalt(III) Schiff base work has received notable recognition. He holds patents in India and the UK and has led funded research collaborations at national and international levels. He mentors students and contributes as a reviewer for leading journals. An Ambassador of the European Association for Cancer Research, he actively engages in science outreach, rural development, and interdisciplinary translational research.

Dr. Rajadurai Vijay Solomon is a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at Madras Christian College, where he teaches physical chemistry to undergraduate and postgraduate students. He joined MCC after postdoctoral research in the United States and Switzerland and earned a PhD in computational chemistry from Bharathidasan University. His research spans computational chemistry and its applications in chemical biology and materials. He has received recognitions including early career research awards, institutional and alumni publications awards, and a national-level outstanding professor award. He has been recognized as a Young Scientist by a regional academy for his research outputs. He has published extensively, contributed book chapters, edited volumes, and delivered numerous invited lectures. He serves as a reviewer for leading journals and sits on the editorial board of Scientific Reports. He currently mentors PhD students.

Dr. Sudarshan Singh is a Frontier Proactive Research scholar at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiang Mai University, Thailand. He holds five patents, is approved as a PhD guide by Pacific University, Rajasthan, and is a life member of bodies including the Society of Pharmacovigilance India. He has received research and travel grants from the governments of Gujarat, ICMR, and other institutions.

His current research focuses on 3D-printed implantable green composites with polymeric biomaterials to address dermal inflammation, alongside multifunctional biomaterial development for drug delivery. Previous work involved lipid vesicular curcuminoid analogues as biodegradable scaffolds for intracellular uptake and anti-inflammatory response studies. His postdoctoral work at Prince of Songkhla University centered on biodegradable antibacterial nanoparticle wound dressings tested across multiple cell lines.

Prof. Elif Damla Arısan is Vice Rector of Gebze Technical University, Türkiye, overseeing research, innovation, sustainability, science communication, and institutional impact. She leads the Women and Family Studies Centre, Sustainability Unit, and Science Communication Unit, and founded DapGENOMICS and Futuroscopic Kids, actively pursuing bioentrepreneurship and public engagement in science. She earned a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences and Bioengineering from Sabancı University and completed advanced cancer biology training at Harvard. Her research spans cancer cell biology, drug resistance, signaling, autophagy, personalized medicine, and nanotechnology-based drug delivery. She has published extensively in high-impact journals and authored or edited numerous books and chapters. She holds international patents in anticancer therapeutics and aptamer-based targeting. She leads multiple funded projects and collaborates across academia and industry. She mentors researchers, organizes international conferences, serves on editorial boards, and reviews for many journals. She contributes to policy-level science communication through national bodies.