In 30-50% women, the breast cancer metastasize to brain and breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) has currently no cure. For defeating this intractable brain cancer in women, we have developed radical nanoelectronics interventions which show in our preclinical studies that it can treat brain cancer which are even resistant to drugs and radiation. Our preclinical studies are done in human representative animal (rodent) models, we have established in our lab using patient derived biological samples from hospitals.

Females are also at greater (twice) risk of developing neurodegenerative diseases and diseases of aging such as Alzheimer’s disease. Our technology for the first time can treat early stages of neurodegenerative and aging diseases to modify the course of the disease going beyond symptomatic benefits, where other technologies are ineffective. Also, our work shows marked differences in pathology spread in female vs male for Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, our technologies have an immense positive impact on women’s health.

For our technologies, the National Institute of Health has awarded us the NIH Director's New Innovator Award with a perfect and rarely achieved impact score. We have also received the MIND Prize (Maximizing innovation in Neuroscience Discovery) for our work related to Alzheimer’s disease, which was featured by New York Times and Nature Neuroscience. Our work on radical treatment for refractory brain cancers where traditional therapies have failed, we received the Sontag Foundation Distinguished Scientist Award (one of the 3 awardees nationwide and only awardee from MIT within last decade).

Relevant talks

Deblina Sarkar, “Women's Health: Novel Treatment for Alzheimer's Disease to Breast Cancer Brain Metastases”, MIT Women’s health Innovation forum, October 2023

Deblina Sarkar presented the NCB group research overview at the MIT Media Lab Members' Week, October 2023

Deblina Sarkar, "Curing the Incurable: Radical Therapeutics for Neurodegenerative Diseases to Refractory Cancer", MIT Future Therapeutics Workshop, October 2023

Deblina Sarkar, "Seamless fusion: Transcending humans beyond biological limitations" TEDxBoston, May, 2023