Jayanta K. Das, PhD, is the recipient of the 2017 Society of Toxicology (SOT) Translational/Bridging Travel Award. With a strong cancer research background, Dr. Das’ research has focused on molecular signaling pathways of cancer stem cells, anti-cancerous drug development, signaling pathway detection for cancer treatment apoptosis, antioxidant, and free radical research. He has made many contributions to science, including research connected to ways to prevent and treat colon cancer and effective therapeutic strategies for breast cancer. His work on apoptosis is cited by many experts in the field and is important in the treatment of patients with leukemia in the United States.
Dr. Das plans to expand upon his previous research on using anticancer drugs against cancer stem cells by developing and using an in vitro 3D model instead of animal models. He will use the Translational/Bridging Travel Award to increase his knowledge base in translational cancer research by attending sessions on cutting-edge translational cancer research and in vitro studies at the SOT Annual Meeting.
He obtained his PhD in zoology from the University of Kalyani, India, in 2003 and served as a postdoctoral scholar in molecular cancer biology in 2007. He then took a postdoctoral position at Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute in India before coming to the United States, where he completed two additional postdoctoral positions at the Wayne State University John D. Dingell VA Medical Center and Florida International University (FIU). He currently is a research assistant professor in the FIU Department of Environmental and Occupational Health.
A member of the Society since 2013, Dr. Das was a recipient of the 2013 Stem Cells Specialty Section Postdoctoral Excellence in Research Award, and in 2015, he received an In Vitro and Alternative Methods Specialty Section Postdoctoral Award.