Saloni Sood, MS

Affiliate Member

Research Program:

Cancer Therapeutics

Faculty Rank:

Graduate Assistant

Campus:

University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

College:

College of Pharmacy

Department:

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Cancer Research Interest

Disease Site Focus: Breast, GI, Melanoma
Research Focus Area: Treatment
Type of Research: Translational
Research Keywords: Cancer, Non-Apoptotic Cell Death, Resistance , Entosis, Ferroptosis
Research Interest Statement: Apoptosis resistance is a major driver of cancer treatment failure, and my research seeks to identify alternative ways to eliminate tumor cells by exploiting non-apoptotic cell death pathways, including entosis, ferroptosis, and autophagy. Using phenotypic screening integrated with advanced imaging, I discover and characterize novel small molecules that activate these pathways and investigate how they reprogram redox homeostasis, lipid peroxidation, vesicle trafficking, and lysosome-dependent degradation processes to induce selective tumor cell death. My current work centers on two mechanistic probes: CAST-D4, a first-in-class entosis inducer that couples entotic engulfment with ferroptotic membrane damage in colorectal cancer cells, and CAST-P2, a small molecule designed to modulate OFD1-linked autophagy and ciliogenesis signaling in ciliopathy-associated cancers. By combining phenotypic discovery, mechanistic pathway analysis, and target validation, my research aims to translate fundamental insights into innovative therapeutic strategies capable of overcoming canonical apoptosis resistance.

Khan JT, Sood S, Piedra V, [et al.]. The hidden hand of endoplasmic reticulum stress in anticancer drug resistance. Critical reviews in oncology/hematology. 2026 217:104998. PMID: 41197884.
Malla S, Neupane R, Sood S, [et al.]. Mitochondria as Regulators of Nonapoptotic Cell Death in Cancer. MedComm. 2025 6(8):e70244. PMID: 40703196.