Noted international Cancer Scientist and Professor at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (USA), Prof Kapil Mehta would deliver the 3rd Basic Medical Science Colloquium at the Seminar Hall, Microbiology Department, Basic Medical Science Block-I, Sector-25, Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh on March 4, 2015 at 3 PM.

A PU Alumnus, Prof Mehta would speak on the topic of ‘Rethinking War on Cancer’. MD Anderson Cancer Center is considered the top cancer institute of the world.  

          With more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Kapil Mehta is an internationally recognized researcher for his scientific contributions. Prof Mehta an adjunct appointment at Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston, Houston, Texas.

Major area of research in Prof Mehta laboratory includes the use of liposomes as drug delivery system and understanding molecular mechanisms involved in inflammation-induced progression of cancer and other chronic diseases. He has pioneered the identification of a novel inflammatory signalling pathway that promotes metastatic competence in epithelial cancer cells. Central to this pathway is aberrant expression of a stress-response gene (TGM2), whose expression is epigenetically regulated in multiple drug-resistant and metastatic tumors and is associated with poor disease outcome in cancer patients.

Prof Mehta holds 12 patents for various discoveries. Some formulations that he invented or co-invented are currently being used in the clinics. Among these, Abelcet is currently being marketed for treatment of fungal infections and Atragen (for inducing long-term remissions in APL patients) and Lipo-Cur (for treating pancreatic cancer) are undergoing clinical trials. He is also serving on various Editorial Boards of several journals and has chaired or co-chaired many scientific meetings, including the prestigious Gordon Research Conference and FASEB Summer Conference.

Prof Mehta has published more than 170 scientific articles, reviews, editorials, and book chapters in the area of his research. He has authored three books, including the most recent on Chemoresistance in Cancer Cells.