AREA OF RESEARCH - DR. SONAL MANOHAR

Areas of Specialization

Cancer Biology 

Academic/Research Experience

Dr. Sonal has been working with Sunandan Divatia School of Science from March 2019 and has over 17 years of research experience, which includes over 8 years of industrial experience in anticancer drug discovery. She obtained her Ph.D. in Applied Biology from Piramal Life Sciences Ltd., Mumbai, India, where she delineated molecular pharmacology of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitory drugs in colorectal cancer cells. Further, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at IIT Bombay, Mumbai, India wherein she developed a flow cytometry-based assay for studying cell-signaling events at single cell level in adherent cancer cell lines. This assay enables rapid, high-throughput analysis for understanding of cell-to-cell heterogeneity that is inherent in tumor populations.

Areas of Research

• To study efficacy and molecular pharmacology of targeted agents against common cancers in women viz. breast cancer and cervical cancer.
• To understand context-specificity of cell signaling pathways in cancer
• To delineate role of cell signaling pathways (Ras/ERK) in differentiation of embryonic stem cells into specific lineages 

Ph.D. Students

1. Ms. Sneha Pathak (CSIR- NET JRF)

Title of the project –

To investigate the efficacy and mechanism of action of ONC201 (TRAIL inducer and dual Akt/ERK inhibitor) in cervical carcinoma cell lines 

Selected Publications

Papers

• Pathak SO, Manohar SM. Molecular milieu of autophagy in cervical cancer and its therapeutic implications (in communication).
• Manohar SM. At the crossroads of TNFalpha signaling and cancer (in communication).
• Manohar SM, Joshi KS. Molecular Pharmacology of Multitarget Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitors in Human Colorectal Carcinoma Cells (in communication).
• Ramani S, Samant S, Manohar SM. The story of EGFR: from signaling pathways to a potent anticancer target. Future Medicinal Chemistry 2022; 14(17), 1267-1288 Impact factor 4.767.
• Manohar SM. Cyclin-dependent kinases as potential targets for colorectal cancer: past, present and future. Future Medicinal Chemistry 2022; 14(14), 1087-1105. Impact factor 4.767.
• Manohar SM, Joshi KS. Promising anticancer activity of multitarget cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors against human colorectal carcinoma cells. Current Molecular Pharmacology 2022; 15(7): 1024-1033. Impact factor 3.855.
• Manohar SM. A Review of the Botany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Mangrove Lumnitzera racemosa Wild. Pharmacognosy Reviews 2021;15(30):107-116.
• Nair A, Manohar SM. A flow cytometric journey into cell cycle analysis. Bioanalysis 2021; 13(21):1627-1644. Impact factor 2.695.
• Manohar SM*, Shah P, Nair A (2021). Flow Cytometry: Principles, Applications and Recent Advances. Bioanalysis https://doi.org/10.4155/bio-2020-0267. Impact factor 2.673.
• Manohar S, Shah P, Biswas S, Mukadam A, Joshi M, Viswanathan G. Combining fluorescent cell barcoding and flow cytometry-based phospho-ERK1/2 detection at short time-scales in adherent cells. Cytometry A 2019; 95(2): 192-200. Impact factor 4.355. (Editor’s pick as a featured article)
• Aware V, Gaikwad N, Chavan S, Manohar S, Bose J, Khanna S, et al. Cyclopentyl-pyrimidine based analogues as novel and potent IGF-1R inhibitor. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2015; 92: 246-256. Impact factor 6.51.
• Godse P, Kumar P, Yewalkar N, Deore V, Lohar M, Mundada R, Padgaonkar A, Manohar S, Joshi A, et al. Discovery of P3971 an orally efficacious novel anticancer agent targeting HIF-1alpha and STAT-3 pathways. Anticancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry 2013; 13: 1460. Impact factor 2.505.
• Rathos MJ, Khanwalkar H, Joshi K, Manohar SM, Joshi KS. Potentiation of in vitro and in vivo antitumor efficacy of doxorubicin by cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor P276-00 in human non-small cell lung cancer cells. BMC Cancer 2013; 13:29. Impact factor 4.4.
• Manohar SM, Padgaonkar AA, Jalota-Badhwar A, Rao SV, Joshi KS. Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, P276-00, inhibits HIF-1alpha and indues G2/M arrest under hypoxia in prostate cancer cells. Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases 2012; 15:15. Impact factor 5.554.
• Shirsath NP, Manohar SM, Joshi KS. P276-00, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, modulates cell cycle and induces apoptosis in vitro and in vivo in mantle cell lymphoma cell lines. Molecular Cancer 2012; 11:77. Impact factor 30.612.
• Rathos MJ, Joshi K, Khanwalkar H, Manohar SM, Joshi KS. Molecular evidence for increased antitumor activity of gemcitabine in combination with a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor P276-00 in pancreatic cancers. Journal of Translational Medicine 2012; 10: 161. Impact factor 8.44.
• Patil RC, Manohar SM, Katchi VI, Rao AJ, Moghe A. Ethanolic stem extract of Excoecaria agallocha induces G1 arrest or apoptosis in human lung cancer cells depending on their p53 status. Taiwania: International Journal of Life Sciences, 2012; 57: 89. Impact factor 0.421.
• Manohar SM, Padgaonkar AA, Jalota-Badhwar A, et al. A novel inhibitor of HIF-1alpha P3155 also modulates PI3K pathway and inhibits growth of prostate cancer cells. BMC Cancer 2011; 11:238. Impact factor 4.4.
• Manohar SM, Rathos MJ, Sonawane V, Rao S, Joshi KS. Cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor P276-00 induces apoptosis in multiple myeloma cells by inhibition of Cdk9 and RNA polymerase II-dependent transcription. Leukemia Research 2011; 35: 821. Impact factor 3.715.
• Wagh V, Chile S, Manohar SM, Sharma S, Joshi KS. NPB001-056 specifically inhibits BcrAbl expressing cells by inducing apoptosis and inhibits kinase activity of Bcr-Abl and with T315I mutation. Frontiers in Biosciences June 2011; E3 1273. Impact factor 2.747.
• Yewalkar N, Deore V, Padgaonkar A, Manohar SM, Sahu B, Kumar P, et al. Development of novel inhibitors targeting HIF-1alpha towards anticancer drug discovery. Bio-organic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2010; 20: 6426. Impact factor 2.843.

Book Chapter

• Manohar SM* (2020). Insights into the Molecular Drivers of Prostate Cancer. In: HS Watanabe (Ed.) Horizons in Cancer Research (Vol. 76). Nova Science Publishers, New York, USA.

* Corresponding author

Patents

• Substituted pyrimidine compounds and uses thereof. Publication number-WO 2013175415 A1. Publication date- November 28, 2013.
• A pharmaceutical combination for the treatment of breast cancer. Publication number - WO 2012069972 A1. Publication date- May 31, 2012.
• Oxadiazole compounds, their preparation and use. Publication number - WO2011104680 A1. Publication date - September 1, 2011.

For complete publications list go to:

https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=NI82jhMAAAAJ&hl=en