Dr. Shabna A is a biomedical scientist with a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences (BITS Pilani, Hyderabad; 2016), Master's (BITS Pilani; 2010), and a bachelor's (Govt. Medical College, TVM; 2007) in Medical Laboratory Technology. She has 14 years of research experience spanning cancer biology, stem cell research, and nutritional sciences across multiple research institutions. During her postdoctoral tenure (2018-2021) at the Cancer Institute, Adyar, Chennai, she worked extensively on ovarian cancer stem cells, molecular signaling pathways, and proteomic analysis, contributing to understanding cancer progression mechanisms. As a DST Women Scientists-A (WOS-A) Fellow, she led a research project focusing on cancer stem cell characterization and EPHA1 signalling. Before joining ICMR-NIN, Dr. Shabna worked as an assistant professor (Research) at SRIHER, Chennai (2021-2022), where she continued her cancer research investigations.
Dr. Shabna joined ICMR-NIN in March 2022 and has been coordinating research activities in the Department of Endocrinology. At ICMR-NIN, her research interests are obesity-cancer interactions, exploring the molecular mechanisms of Time-Restricted Eating (TRE) in ADMSCs, vitamin D deficiency, and anaemia.

1. Soumam Dutta, Athira Anilkumar Sudharma, Shabna Aboo, Surendar Jatavath, Sivaramakrishna Siginam, Pradeep B. Patil, Sai Santhosh Vadakattu, Mullapudi Venkata Surekha, G. Bhanuprakash Reddy, Ayesha Ismail*. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is more efficacious than Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) at regulating calcium absorption and bone quality in rats. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 2025; 254: 106837.
2. Athira Anilkumar, Soumam Dutta, Shabna Aboo*, Ayesha Ismail*. Vitamin D as a modulator of molecular pathways involved in CVDs: Evidence from preclinical studies. Lifesciences. 2024; 357: 123062.
3. A Shabna, S Bindhya, C Sidhanth, M Garg, TS Ganesan. Long non-coding RNAs: Fundamental regulators and emerging targets of cancer stem cells. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)- Reviews on Cancer. 2023; 1878: 188899.
4. C Sidhanth, S Bindhya, S Krishnapriya, P Manasa, A Shabna, et al. Phosphoproteome of signaling by ErbB2 in ovarian cancer cells. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Proteins and Proteomics. 2022; 1870: 140768.
5. Chirukandath Sidhanth, Sadhanandhan Bindhya, Aboo Shabna, et al. LASP-1 interacts with ErbB2 in ovarian cancer cells. Biochemical Journal. 2022; 479: 23-38.
6. Rohit P Nagare, Smarakan Sneha, Syama Krishnapriya, et al. ALDH1A1+ ovarian cancer stem cells co-expressing surface markers CD24, EPHA1 and CD9 form tumours in vivo. Experimental Cell Research. 2020; 392: 112009.
7. S Bindhya, C Sidhanth, A Shabna, S Krishnapriya, M Garg, TS Ganesan. Induced pluripotent stem cells: a new strategy to model human cancer. The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology. 2019; 107: 62-68.
8. Smarakan Sneha, Rohit P Nagare, Pacharia Manasa, et al. Analysis of human stem cell transcription factors. Journal of Cellular Reprogramming. 2019; 21: 171-180.
9. A Shabna, V Saranya, J Malathi, R Shenbagarathai, HN Madhavan. Indigenously produced polyhydroxyalkanoate based co-polymer as cellular supportive biomaterial. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A. 2014; 102(10): 3470-3476.
10. Narayanan Gomathy, Venil N Sumantran, A Shabna, KN Sulochana. Tolerance of ARPE 19 cells to organophosphorus pesticide chlorpyrifos is limited to concentration and time of exposure. Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology. 2015; 117: 24-30.