Dr. Ramneet Kaur knows about trial and error.
Ever since she conducted her postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School in Boston and Emory University in Atlanta, Kaur has examined ways to treat prostate cancer and breast cancer cells.
"Cancer cells are very smart," said the lecturer of biology at the University of North Georgia (UNG). "You can target one pathway to kill them, and they activate another pathway."
Once she arrived at UNG in 2017, Kaur has developed a few undergraduate research projects that combat drug-resistant cancer cells. The research has landed her internal grants.
Kaur received a Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (CURCA) mini-grant in 2017 to explore the use of natural products to treat triple-negative breast cancer cells. A year later, she received a professional development grant to check the effects of natural products on cancer cells that were resistant to the chemotherapy drug docetaxel. Then in 2020, she received Presidential Incentive Award to test the same natural products on prostate cancer cells.
"If we find an answer, it will be great," Kaur said
Her research also has led to many publications. In April 2019, Kaur and UNG research student Sidhika Sharma published a manuscript about their breast cancer research in the journal Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry.
She has also contributed to three books. She wrote a chapter in "Experimental Psychology" and a chapter in "Basic Psychological Processes." In 2021, she co-authored "Psychological Skills Training for Human Wellness."
With all the research and writing, Kaur maintains her focus on her students.
"My life revolves around education and research," she said. "I love teaching students in the classroom as well as being their mentor in the lab."
As a mentor, she prepares them to deal with failures that come with research.
"We should not be afraid of failing," Kaur said. "We need to learn from our mistakes and keep moving forward. Every failure gives us experience and makes us better."
