Dr. Sneh Toprani is a distinguished Research Scientist at Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, United States, recognized for her pioneering contributions to genomics, radiation biology, and environmental health sciences. She earned her Ph.D. in Life Sciences from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), India, following her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in biotechnology from the University of Mumbai, and later completed her postdoctoral research at Harvard University, focusing on DNA damage, repair mechanisms, and cancer biology. Her work centers on identifying DNA repair biomarkers to evaluate human sensitivity to radiation, environmental mutagens, and nanoparticles, with applications in cancer risk assessment and occupational health. With 323 citations and an h-index of 12, Dr. Toprani has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and led multiple NIEHS-funded projects, including studies on DNA damage in flight attendants and firefighters. She has collaborated internationally, notably with Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and serves on editorial boards for several scientific journals. Her excellence in research has been recognized through numerous prestigious honors, including the 2025 Best Women Scientist of the Year by IIWA-CISR Foundation, Bharat Excellence Award, Rashtriya Vidya Gaurav Puraskar, and Leading Educationist of India Award by the Government of India. Beyond research, Dr. Toprani has demonstrated leadership as a Chief Learning Officer for Startup India USA and as a mentor to students and postdoctoral fellows at Harvard and MIT. Her interdisciplinary expertise, innovative methodologies, and impactful scholarship position her as a leading figure in molecular biology and environmental health research.
Featured Publications
Sun, T., Yang, W., Toprani, S. M., et al. (2020). Induction of immunogenic cell death in radiation-resistant breast cancer stem cells by repurposing anti-alcoholism drug disulfiram. Cell Communication and Signaling, 18(1), 36.
Saini, D., Shelke, S., Mani Vannan, A., Toprani, S., Jain, V., Das, B., & Seshadri, M. (2012). Transcription profile of DNA damage response genes at G0 lymphocytes exposed to gamma radiation. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 364(1), 271–281.
Toprani, S. M., & Das, B. (2015). Radio-adaptive response of base excision repair genes and proteins in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells exposed to gamma radiation. Mutagenesis, 30(5), 663–676.
Scheibler, C., Toprani, S. M., Mordukhovich, I., Schaefer, M., Staffa, S., Nagel, Z. D., & others. (2022). Cancer risks from cosmic radiation exposure in flight: A review. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 947068.
Toprani, S. M., & Das, B. (2015). Role of base excision repair genes and proteins in gamma-irradiated resting human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Mutagenesis, 30(2), 247–261.