Chanda Bhandari

OVERVIEW

Chanda Bhandari, a third-year Ph.D. candidate in the Obaid Lab for Molecular Imaging and Optical Nanotherapeutics, is a recipient of the Convergence grant.

Chanda is currently working on targeting the dynamic molecular changes in tumor microenvironments for tumor detection, image-guided surgery, and molecular-targeted photodynamic therapy. Bhandari is proud to contribute to the development of tumor-specific photodynamic-based strategies for cancer therapy, given that cancer affects nearly 20 million people worldwide every year.

“I am very thankful to the Department of Bioengineering for appreciating my research work and ideas.” Chanda says, “This grant is indeed special to me as this is the very first research grant in my Ph.D. journey.” The Convergence grant will help Chanda get more resources to test their novel anti-cancer drug in mice.

“My biggest motivation has been my supervisor, Dr. Girgis Obaid – I certainly could not ask for a better mentor. His continuous support and guidance have encouraged me to grow as a better scientist every day!” Chanda says, “Also, I really appreciate my whole team for their help and support, which escalated my willpower manifold.”

Congratulations, Chanda! We wish you all the best in your future endeavors and look forward to seeing the results of your research. Your contributions to the field of photodynamic-based strategies for cancer therapy are sure to be invaluable, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for you.