Dr Anitha Sudheesh Kumar
Primary research interest
Nano drug delivery systems for therapeutic proteins and anticancer drugs
About me
I graduated with a Ph.D. in Nano-Biotechnology in 2014 from India and moved on to the University of Queensland as a UQ Post-Doctoral Fellow. In October 2016, I was awarded an NHMRC Early Career Research Fellowship (Peter Doherty Biomedical Fellowship) to work on the development of targeted nanoformulations for skeletal metastasised breast cancers.
Research focus and collaborations
As a member of Associate Professor Lisbeth Grondahl’s laboratory, my research interests are lying on the development of nanoparticles systems developed from biopolymers and synthetic polymers for drug delivery applications. The key therapeutic entities which are used in the nanoencapsulation include therapeutic proteins, chemotherapeutic agents as well as anticancer phytochemicals. Currently, I am working on the development of a targeted drug encapsulated nanoparticle systems (based on PLGA polymer and sulfated alginates) for the treatment of skeletal metastasised breast cancers.
Funded projects
- NHMRC Early Career Fellowships (2017–2020): “Rationally designed targeted core shell nano-construct for improved anticancer effects and enhanced bone fracture healing in breast cancers metastasised to bone”
- UQ Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (2015–2016): “Sequential growth factor delivery for bone regeneration”
Teaching interests
- Supervision of honours, master's and undergraduate students.
Featured publications
- Anitha, A., Sowmya, S., Sudheesh Kumar, P. T., Deepathi, S., Chennazhi, K. P., Ehrlich, H., Tsurkan, M. and Jayakumar, R. (2014) Chitin and chitosan in selected biomedical applications. Progress in Polymer Science, 39 9: 1644-1667. doi:10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2014.02.008
- Anitha, A., Sreeranganathan, Maya, Chennazhi, Krishna Prasad, Lakshmanan, Vinoth-Kumar and Jayakumar, R. (2014) In vitro combinatorial anticancer effects of 5-fluorouracil and curcumin loaded N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan nanoparticles toward colon cancer and in vivo pharmacokinetic studies. European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, 88 1: 238-251. doi:10.1016/j.ejpb.2014.04.017
- Narayanan, Deepa, Anitha, A., Jayakumar, R. and Chennazhi, K. P. (2014) PTH 1-34 Loaded Thiolated Chitosan Nanoparticles for Osteoporosis: Oral Bioavailability and Anabolic Effect on Primary Osteoblast Cells. Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology, 10 1: 166-178. doi:10.1166/jbn.2014.1700
- Narayanan, Deepa, Anitha, A., Jayakumar, R. and Chennazhi, K. P. (2013) In Vitro and in Vivo Evaluation of Osteoporosis Therapeutic Peptide PTH 1−34 Loaded PEGylated Chitosan Nanoparticles. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 10 11: 4159-4167. doi:10.1021/mp400184v
- Anitha, A., Chennazhi, K. P., Nair, S. V. and Jayakumar, R. (2012) 5-Flourouracil Loaded N,O-Carboxymethyl Chitosan Nanoparticles as an Anticancer Nanomedicine for Breast Cancer. Journal of Biomedical Nanotechnology, 8 1: 29-42. doi:10.1166/jbn.2012.1365