SMVDU: Ms. Mahima Sharma has been declared qualified for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Biotechnology award by Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University (SMVDU). Ms. Mahima worked on the topic, entitled “Studies on selected endophytes for sourcing novel bioactive compounds from Cordia dichotoma Forst”, under the supervision of Dr. Sharada M. Potukuchi, Associate Professor, School of Biotechnology, SMVDU, Katra. During the oral defense, Prof. Pragati Kumar, Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of the University; Dr. Sunil Wanchoo, Dean, Faculty of Sciences; Dr. Ratna Chandra, Head, School of Biotechnology and the External Examiner Prof. Saroj Arora, Department of Botanical & Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab appreciated the work done and congratulated the student for her successful Ph.D. Viva-Voce examination. Ms. Mahima, a GATE & CSIR-NET qualified scholar, has published her research findings in the SCI-E Journals of repute and presented her results at International and National Conferences. Ms. Mahima expressed her gratitude to the School of Biotechnology and SMVD University for providing all the facilities for carrying out the research work and financial assistance in terms of Scholarship and Contingency during her tenure at the University. Her study emphasizes the first-time isolation and identification of endophytic bacteria and fungi and their pharmacological activities from the medicinal plant Cordia dichotoma (Lasura), which is native to the Jammu region of India. It was also initiated to evaluate the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancerous activity of secondary metabolites extracted from parent plants and their endophytic inhabitants. The protocols developed during her research work can be used to maximize the biomass and metabolite content of the selected species for their commercial exploitation and prospective applications in the pharmaceutical sector for novel sources of drug molecules.
