The laboratory is involved in diverse projects on two distinct areas of Biochemistry: Plant Biochemistry and Mammalian Biochemistry.

Biofuels show great promise as substitutes for dwindling fossil fuel. Jatropha curcas, the crop of choice has some limitations. We are taking a multi pronged approach to increase oil yield from the plant by both biochemical as well as biotechnological approaches. Plant productivity is severely affected by soil salinity. By taking cues from saline tolerant microorganisms efforts are on to increase the saline tolerance of economically important crop – groundnut.

Biochemistry helps understand diseases and find cures for them. Infertility and cancer are two diseases whose incidences are on the rise. In the laboratory we are trying to link the increase incidences to pollutants causing hypothyroidism as cause of infertility. Both animal and human studies have been undertaken to understand this. Cancer the dreaded disease has lost its sting thanks to good therapy. The factor that has helped cancer keep its dreaded position is failure to detect it at an early stage. Various biochemical changes occur which predispose one to cancer. We are trying to identify such changes in blood. Knowledge of plant biochemistry gained through years of teaching is used in bio prospecting of medicinal plants.

ORCID ID

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9071-9005

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