Our Team
Dr. Puja Sandbhor, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Puja Sandbhor is a biomedical engineer and translational nanomedicine researcher specializing in immunotherapy and precision oncology. She completed her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay under the mentorship of the late Prof. Rinti Banerjee, followed by postdoctoral research at the Institute for NanoBioTechnology , Johns Hopkins University, USA. She is a recipient of the Prime Minister's Early Career Research Fellowship.
Dr. Sandbhor's research integrates nanotechnology, immuno-engineering, and advanced disease models to develop next-generation cancer therapeutics. Her laboratory focuses on tumor microenvironment-driven therapeutic resistance and precision treatment strategies using 3D patient-derived organoids, organ-on-chip platforms, and translational nanomedicine approaches.
In addition to academic research, Dr. Sandbhor actively leads industry-sponsored translational research projects and conducts structured training programs (6 months to 1 year) aimed at developing the next generation of scientists in biomedical engineering, nanomedicine, and precision oncology. Her work bridges fundamental engineering with clinically relevant applications to accelerate bench-to-bedside translation
Pranoti Palkar
Pranoti Palkar pursued her Master's Degree in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology at DY. Patil University, India, in 2023. Her master's dissertation research focused on nanomaterial-based dual-drug targeted delivery for effective glioblastoma therapy. In addition to her work in nanotechnology, Pranoti has a keen interest in the field of radiation biology.
After completing her Master's, Pranoti joined ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre, as Research Fellow in the Department of Radiation Oncology. Driven by a desire to make a real-world impact, Pranoti's research interest evolved to encompass the field of immunology. In the research lab, she leads the in-vivo experiments on CAR-T cell therapy for treating multiple myeloma. Additionally, she is working on a project that focuses on Photo-dynamic therapy in combination with a synthetic compound for enhancing cytotoxicity against Glioblastoma.
Saptaparna
Saptaparna completed her M.Tech in Biotechnology from Vellore Institute of Technology, Her academic focus includes exploring tumor progression and therapy resistance in aggressive cancers such as breast cancer and gliomas. As a Research Trainee in the Translational Nanomedicine & Bioengineering Lab, at ACTREC, she is involved in mammalian cell culture and in vivo modelling to study tumor behaviour and treatment outcomes.
Bhumika
Bhumika holds a Master's degree in Microbiology from North Maharashtra University, Jalgaon, and brings a strong foundation in microbiology and nanotechnology. Currently, she is developing eco-friendly nanoparticles for therapeutic applications. Her focus lies in merging nanotechnology with sustainability to create impactful healthcare solutions.
Pragati
Pragati is pursuing her doctoral research at ACTREC, Tata Memorial Centre, under the joint supervision of Dr. Vikram Gota (CP), Dr. Jayant Goda (Radiology), and Dr. Puja Sandbhor (TNB). She earned her M.Sc. in Biotechnology from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, where she worked on nano-based delivery of calf thymus DNA and 5-fluorouracil in cancer cell lines.
After qualifying the Joint CSIR-UGC NET examination, Pragati joined ACTREC as a PhD student in the Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Dept of Radiation Oncology. Her doctoral research is centered on elucidating the dynamics of the tumor microenvironment in high-grade gliomas, with a particular focus on uncovering mechanisms of therapy resistance and identifying potential targets for precision therapeutics.
Sejal Mhatre
Sejal completed her Master's in Medicinal Chemistry from NIPER, Ahmedabad, where she worked on the synthesis and characterization of novel small molecules with potential anti-cancer properties. With a strong interest in the interplay of chemistry and biology, she is passionate about rational molecular design and its role in influencing disease pathways. She aspires to apply her interdisciplinary expertise to contribute to innovative therapeutic strategies in cancer research.
Tanmay
Tanmay holds a Master's in Biotechnology with expertise in nanotechnology, cancer research, and computational biology. His dissertation involved designing a CNT-based nano-biosensor for rapid mycotoxin detection. At IIT-Kanpur, he gained experience in industrial-scale production of bio-plastics, bio-keratin, and monoclonal antibodies, and also contributed to developing an early cancer detection tool using biomarker and gene expression studies. At TNB Lab, he is advancing personalized therapy through organoid development integrated with omics profiling.
Swapna Deopurkar
Swapna Deopurkar is a Junior Research Fellow at the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC). She holds an MSc in Biotechnology from Banasthali Vidyapith and a BSc in Biotechnology from the University of Mumbai. Her research at the Translational Nanomedicine Bioengineering (TNB) Laboratory focuses on understanding the role of the tumor microenvironment and immunological landscape in brain cancer, particularly their contribution to tumor progression, therapeutic resistance, and recurrence.
Using omics-guided approaches, her work aims to dissect the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive disease heterogeneity and treatment failure.
She is actively involved in developing and applying advanced patient-relevant experimental models to support functional drug evaluation and translational cancer research.
Her research integrates tumor biology with clinically relevant model systems to better capture interpatient variability and inform precision therapeutic strategies in glioblastoma.
Her broader research interests include tumor-immune interactions, cancer cell plasticity, and translational approaches for modeling aggressive brain tumors