New Delhi, Jan 7 (UNI) Bhushra Ateeq, whose research has reshaped the understanding of prostate and colorectal cancer, was awarded the G. D. Birla Award for Scientific Research for 2025 on Wednesday.
Leading a research team at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur’s Department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering, Professor Ateeq is the 35th recipient of the prestigious scientific award, instituted in 1991.
The G. D. Birla Award recognises high-calibre scientific research carried out by Indian scientists working in the country under the age of 50. Awardees are selected by a committee headed by the President of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, a citation, and a plaque.
In a statement, the K. K. Birla Foundation said Prof. Ateeq’s work has challenged established cancer treatment paradigms and opened up new therapeutic possibilities for patients worldwide, particularly those with prostate and colorectal cancers.
Her research focuses on developing next-generation diagnostics and personalised therapeutic strategies for cancer patients.
Among her key contributions, Prof. Ateeq demonstrated that widely used anti-androgen drugs can be harmful in advanced prostate cancer and identified Casein Kinase 1 inhibitors as an effective adjuvant therapy.
Her team also uncovered mechanisms responsible for elevated SPINK1 levels in a subset of prostate cancer patients, pointing to the potential of epigenetic drugs. In addition, her group repurposed the WHO-approved anti-malarial drug artemisinin to restore drug sensitivity in castration-resistant prostate cancer.
