Azhar Mehmood | Cancer Genetics | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Azhar Mehmood | Cancer Genetics
| Best Researcher Award

Rawalpindi Medical University | Pakistan

Dr. Azhar Mehmood is a biochemistry and molecular biology researcher whose work spans cancer genetics, DNA damage response pathways, exosomal biomarker discovery, and infectious disease molecular diagnostics. His research contributions include extensive investigation of breast, gastric, thyroid, and head and neck cancers, with a strong emphasis on genetic polymorphisms, pathway deregulation, epigenetic mechanisms, and survival-associated molecular markers. He has explored the prognostic significance of DDR pathway genes, including ATM, ATR, Chk1, and SIRT3/FOXO3a/SOD2 regulatory axes, and conducted SNP-based risk analyses for various malignancies. His work on exosomal microRNAs—such as miR-19a/b, miR-144-3p, miR-4262, and the miR-17-92a cluster—has advanced understanding of their diagnostic and therapeutic potential in breast and brain tumors. His research background also includes contributions to molecular profiling of HCV persistence, viral immunology, and transfusion-transmitted infections. He has applied molecular techniques such as qPCR, LORD-qPCR, IHC, ELISA, genotyping, exosome characterization, and multiple biochemical assays to uncover disease mechanisms and improve diagnostic precision. His publications collectively highlight a strong focus on cancer risk assessment, biomarker identification, and translational molecular research aimed at supporting early detection, targeted therapy development, and improved patient outcomes across multiple cancer types.

Featured Publications

Haris, M. S., Hussain, M. Z., Mehmood, A., Kayani, M. A., & Mahjabeen, I. (2025). hsa-miR-144-3p and hsa-miR-4262 are exosomal biomarkers and function as tumor suppressors in HCMV positive brain tumor. Future Oncology. https://doi.org/10.1080/14796694.2025.2569097

Mehmood, A., Mahjabeen, I., Reed, S., Errington, R. J., Umar, M., Pervaiz, F., & Kayani, M. A. (2025). Association of DDR pathway proteins and breast cancer risk in a Pakistani population. Future Oncology. https://doi.org/10.1080/14796694.2025.2581508

Soumi Chowdhury | Metagenomics | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Soumi Chowdhury | Metagenomics
| Best Researcher Award

Institute of Bioinformatics Bangalore | India

Dr. Soumi Chowdhury research centers on medical and environmental microbiology with a primary focus on melioidosis, host–pathogen interactions, and vector biology, integrating molecular, genomic, proteogenomic, immunological, and microbiome-based approaches. Major contributions include comprehensive analyses of the gut microbiome in melioidosis patients, elucidating composition, resistome shifts, and immune–microbial interactions from diagnosis to recovery, as well as identifying clinical predictors of mortality and evaluating diagnostic tools such as serum bilirubin-derived scores, machine-learning–assisted CXR scoring, and ALBI-based differentiation of infectious diseases. Genomic and phylogenomic investigations of Burkholderia pseudomallei strains from clinical and environmental samples have expanded understanding of virulence, epidemiology, and environmental reservoirs in India. Additional work includes retrospective cohort studies addressing antimicrobial resistance patterns, clinical outcomes, and biomarker-based stratification of high-risk cases. Research on sand fly microbiota, proteomes, and paratransgenic potential contributes to advancing knowledge of Leishmania transmission and vector–microbe interactions, while proteogenomic studies uncover novel protein-coding regions in Leishmania species, refining genome annotation and enhancing understanding of parasite biology. Methodological expertise spans microbiome sequencing, metagenomics, cytokine profiling, molecular diagnostics, mass-spectrometry-based proteomics, and immunological assays, supporting multidisciplinary investigations that bridge clinical microbiology, infectious disease epidemiology, and translational pathogen research.

Featured Publications

Sindhu Sree, B., Bhattacharya, R., Varshith, M. R., Shrilaxmi, M. S., Choudhary, S., Lal, P. B., Dastidar, R. G., Mukhopadhyay, C., & Ghosh Dastidar, S. (2025). Draft genome sequence data of Burkholderia pseudomallei CM000152: A strain isolated from pus sample of an Indian patient. Data in Brief, Article 111991. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2025.111991

Varshith, M. R., Ghosh Dastidar, R., Shrilaxmi, M. S., Bhattacharya, R., Jha, S., Choudhary, S., Varny, E., Carvalho, R. A., John, L., Sundaramoorthy, V., & others. (2024). Virulome and phylogenomic profiling of a novel Burkholderia pseudomallei strain from an Indian clinical isolate. Molecular Genetics and Genomics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-024-02188-5

Chowdhury, S., Kullberg, R. F. J., Haak, B. W., Duran, C., Earny, V. A., Eshwara, V. K., Lawley, T. D., Wiersinga, W. J., & Mukhopadhyay, C. (2024). Gut microbiome in human melioidosis: Composition and resistome dynamics from diagnosis to recovery. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, ofae654. https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofae654