DR. EKTA KHATTAR

Academic Background

B.Sc: Microbiology, Delhi University, Delhi, 2003

MSc: Microbiology, Delhi University, Delhi, 2005

Ph.D: International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology India, 2010

Professional Experience

• Associate Professor: NMIMS Deemed to be University, 2018-Present.
• DBT Ramalingaswami Fellow, ICMR-NIRRCH, Mumbai, 2017- 2018.
• Postdoctoral Fellow: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore, 2012-2017

Research Interest

Telomere Biology in human health

Telomeres play essential  function in maintaining genome stability and tumor suppression. Cancer cells essentially explore telomeres to enable proliferation.

Our lab explores the mechanisms by which cancer cells overcome this tumor suppression and how we can use this information towards achieving potential cure for cancer.

Development of telomere length as a biomarker of aging and associated diseases.

Recent Publications

• Dsouza R, Jain M, Khattar E. 2025. p53-deficient cancer cells hyperactivate DNA double-strand break repair pathways to overcome chemotherapeutic damage and augment survival. Mol Biol Rep 52:333. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-025-10434-1.
• Gala K, Jain M, Shah P, Pandey A, Garg M, Khattar E. 2024. Role of p53 transcription factor in determining the efficacy of telomerase inhibitors in cancer treatment. Life Sci 339:122416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2024.122416.
• Fernandes SG, Gala K, Khattar E. 2023. Telomerase inhibitor MST-312 and quercetin synergistically inhibit cancer cell proliferation by promoting DNA damage. Transl Oncol 27:101569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranon.2022.101569.
• Jain M, Madeka S, Khattar E. 2023. Optimization of performance parameters of the TAGGG telomere length assay. J Vis Exp (194). https://doi.org/10.3791/65288.
• Apte MM, Khattar E, Tupe RS. 2024. Mechanistic role of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels in glycation induced diabetic nephropathy via RAGE-NF-κB pathway and extracellular proteins modifications: a molecular approach. J Ethnopharmacol 322:117573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2023.117573.

Awards/Honor

• Ramalingaswami fellowship 2015-2016: Awarded by Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India.
• Gold Medallist BSc and MSc Microbiology.

Teaching

• Molecular Biology
• Virology
• Developmental Biology
• Medical Microbiology