Aditi Das’ research aims to discover anti-inflammatory molecules that can be used to reduce inflammation in brain, tumor, and cardiovascular diseases. Her research examines the metabolism of omega-3 fatty acids to produce novel lipid metabolites that exhibit diverse physiology in humans and animals. She has also collaborated with the CCIL’s Timothy Fan to elucidate the role of lipid metabolism in osteosarcoma, the most common bone cancer. In 2018, they published a paper in J. Med. Chem. that reports discovery of novel endocannabinoid epoxides in metastasized lung tissues. These metabolites exhibit anti-cancer properties. Additionally, she found that products of omega-3 fatty acid metabolism show anti-cancer properties in mice. In previous research, she found a class of oxidized endocannabinoids have anti-inflammatory effects. In collaboration with Emad Tajkhorshid, she developed a probe probe named CoxFluor which detects the activity of Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). This enzyme is known to play an important role in driving the progression of cancer and COX-1, which is present in all cells. Tajkorshid helped simulate CoxFluor’s interaction with COX-2 and Das provided enzymes to show the CoxFluor’s selectivity for COX-2.
Aditi Das, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in Comparative Biosciences at the Veterinary School. She received her PhD in Chemistry at Princeton University and did her postdoctoral fellowship with at Northwestern University. She is an affiliate faculty in the Department of Biochemistry, Department of Bioengineering, Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, Division of Nutritional Sciences, Neuroscience Program, and the Beckman Institute. Her research examines the metabolism of omega-3 fatty acids to produce novel lipid metabolites that exhibit diverse physiology in humans and animals.