Celebrating A Significant Breakthrough By Dr. Subabhrata Sen Of Shiv Nadar IoE

The Shiv Nadar Foundation has established several institutions and programs to improve education and art in underdeveloped areas of India, both rural and urban. This is how the Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, a philanthropic multi-disciplinary research institution, was established in 2011. With a student-centric model of education, it offers a range of undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs that inculcate an inter-disciplinary research approach to transform students into well-rounded professionals, primed to succeed in the careers of the 21st century.

The underlying endeavor behind the approach to education is to support, foster, encourage, and generate research so as to widen the horizons of knowledge. The focus at Shiv Nadar University Noida, now known as the Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence (deemed to be University) Delhi, NCR, is to provide an intellectually stimulating platform to create novel forms of knowledge and creative expression.

On this note, we are extremely proud to share that Dr. Subabhrata Sen, a professor at Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, has made a significant breakthrough in developing a new molecule to combat COVID-19. This achievement has been recognized by more than 19 top publications, such as The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Hindu, The Business Standard, The Print, and The Weekly. It is an immense honor to have this accomplishment acknowledged by such reputable media outlets.

Prof. Sen was investigating the antiviral properties of Melatonin, a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain, when the pandemic emerged. Based on his earlier research on the antiviral and anti-cancer features of Melatonin, he redirected his focus toward creating a possible preventive molecule using it. A team led by Professor Ralf Jockers from Institut Cochin (INSERM, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, France) provided support for this study.

Speaking about their approach to this research project, Prof. Sen explained, “We aimed to explore a multi-target strategy. We synthesized and focused on a compound library based on indolealkylamine (a type of neurotransmitter that modulates human mood and behavior) with the activity of three potential COVID-19-related proteins — melatonin receptors.” This way, if one receptor fails, there is a possibility that other targets will work. The aim is to stop the entry of the Sars-CoV-2 virus into host cells while decreasing the replication of the virus.

In March, the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry reported that the researchers had cause for optimism after successful initial trials in Paris. The team believes that the drug could increase the immunological response by 30–40 times.

There are many charity foundations in India, but the Shiv Nadar Foundation stands out for its commitment to improving the world. This unique and groundbreaking discovery is a milestone in the field of science, and encouragement from the foundation will lead to more such endeavors.