Animesh Barua

Biography

Two main attributes characterize my research: the pursuit of excellence and seeking new experiences. In my childhood, I witnessed a friend’s mother die prematurely after suffering for approximately six months in excruciating pain. I found out later that she was suffering from a disease called cancer of the ovary for which neither an early detection test nor a curative drug is available. Later, I came to know that malnutrition, including lack of adequate protein, is a global cause of premature death. Thus, I was attracted to research and started studying genetics and breeding using chickens to improve breeds or strains of chickens for egg and protein production to increase protein supply. However, during my doctoral study, I serendipitously observed that a group of hens developed ovarian cancer. After a thorough search, published literature suggested that the case to death ratio due to ovarian cancer is very high. Moreover, the lack of a spontaneous animal model of ovarian cancer is a significant barrier to study the disease. Thus, I became interested to pursue my research career in ovarian cancer using the laying hen model of spontaneous ovarian cancer. For teaching, I believe that given a congenial and supportive environment and passionate teaching, students can develop knowledge that will serve them well as they progress to their future career path.

Research Interest

Research Areas are: Ovarian cancer: molecular pathogeneis, early detection and development of molecular targeted ultrasound imaging agents, immunotherapy development Uterine leiomyoma (fibroids): factors associated with fibroid development, prevention and its transformation to uterine cancer (leiomyosarcoma)