Since May 2025 to March 2026, I have been a research intern in Dr. Mayurika Lahiri’s lab at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, which studies Api5 (Apoptotic Inhibitor 5) and its role in tumorigenesis. 

I have worked on the role of Api5 in DNA damage repair pathways, particularly in UV-induced damage and hydroxyurea-mediated replication stress induced in cells. I assisted in primary research and have gained hands-on experience with SDS-PAGE and Western Blotting, image based protein quantification and cell culture techniques. 

Additionally, I completed an in-Silico analysis, finding correlations between Api5 and genes in the DNA damage repair and cell cycle pathways.

I am a co-author on a preprint from the laboratory – Api5 Regulates Genomic Stability and Chemotherapy Resistance in Cancer. bioRxiv (preprint), 2026.