Drexel University College of Medicine

Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Program B.S., Microbiology, Panjab University M.S., Microbiology, Panjab University Email: noshin.kathuria@drexel.edu Advisor: Dr. Michelle Kutzler

Background and Interests:

I hail from north India. I grew up in the architecture city, Chandigarh, also called The City Beautiful. My inclination towards biology of microorganisms encouraged me to earn a B.S. and M.S. in microbiology, both of which I completed from Panjab University. My years at Panjab University were a great learning and evolving experience. I developed a keen interest in subjects like immunology, especially immunology of human diseases and development of novel therapeutics. My interest in this field was furthered by the research project I took up for my M.S. where I extracted an antibiotic from a strain of Streptomyces against multi-drug resistant S. aureus, which has become a nuisance in hospital acquired infections. Besides piquing my academic interest, the school offered plenty of opportunities to develop socially in an environment where students come from all over India. My stint at advanced research at PGIMER, Chandigarh as research associate gave me an opportunity to work in the field of immunotherapy. Here I worked to develop an oral vaccine against Leishmania using attenuated S. typhimurium as a vector which further made me interested in learning and pursuing the research to find cures for infectious and debilitating diseases. I have been in the USA for two and a half years and worked in an HIV lab at Albany Medical College with Dr. Canki’s team. I worked to determine the efficacy of the purified extracts of the algae Sargassum fusiforme against HIV in T-cell lines and macrophages. I intend to continue my learning and build on my dream to be a successful researcher and help find cures for such ailments that have and continue to plague present day society. In my free time I like to travel, watch movies, read and shop!