About
Dr. Ankita Behl is working as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Life Sciences, School of Bio-science and Technology at Sharda University, Greater Noida, India. She is a molecular parasitologist whose research focuses on understanding stress adaptation and drug resistance mechanisms in Plasmodium falciparum, the causative agent of malaria. Her work explores how parasite proteins enable survival under hostile host environments and drug pressure, with the ultimate goal of identifying novel therapeutic targets.
Dr. Behl earned her Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar in July 2019 and has an extensive postdoctoral research experience at Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She was awarded with prestigious DST-SERB National Post-doctoral Fellowship (N-PDF) in 2019 and DBT-Research Associateship in 2023.
Her contributions to malaria biology are particularly notable for the discovery and characterization of parasite stress-related proteins, including Cold Shock Proteins (Csps), Heat Shock Proteins (Hsps), Prefoldins (PFDs), and Prohibitins (PHBs). These protein families form an interconnected network essential for parasite stress resilience and represent promising vulnerabilities for therapeutic intervention. Her research achievements were acknowledged twice in India today for discovering transmission blocking compounds and new vaccine approach against fatal malaria. (https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/jnu-researchers-find-novel-way-to-stop-fatal-malaria-transmission-2361044-2023-04-17);(https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/jnu-scientists-develop-new-vaccine-candidate-to-battle-malaria-2542374-2024-05-22).
Dr. Behls technical expertise integrates molecular biology, parasite cell biology, and advanced bioinformatics. This multidisciplinary approach provides a comprehensive framework to uncover parasite vulnerabilities and supports the design of next-generation antimalarial strategies. By combining parasite stress biology, computational analyses, and protein biochemistry, her research is paving the way toward innovative therapeutic avenues with profound implications for malaria control and global health.
She has published 19 research articles in internationally reputed journals including iScience, Journal of Biological Chemistry, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Biochemical Pharmacology etc.