Roorkee, Dec 28: Pranita P Sarangi, a professor of Biotechnology at IIT, Roorkee, has bagged the 2017 Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award (IYBA) for her scientific achievements and proposed work in the field of cancer immunology. She was chosen by the department of biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh per year during the project period. It also covers a research award up to Rs 50 lakh.
“This is a highly prestigious scheme from the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology to identify and nurture outstanding young scientists with innovative ideas to pursue research in frontier areas of biotechnology,” Sarangi said about her achievement.
She added that her proposed work would help in the development of novel targeted therapeutics that would help in managing cancer patients by restoring the functions of the immune system. Her work will discover new molecular interactions in a cancer environment that will re-educate our immune cells not to fight against the cancerous cells- responsible for anti-cancer immunity.