Rate My Professor Sunali Mehta

Dr Sunali Mehta serves as a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine at the University of Otago's Dunedin School of Medicine, within the Faculty of Medicine. Her research program centers on cancer biology, specifically exploring how dysregulation of the cell cycle contributes to cancer development. Key areas of investigation include the roles of the tumour suppressor gene p53 and the oncogene YB-1 in cancer progression. Mehta utilizes bioinformatic analyses of large-scale databases to deepen biological insights into cancer, incorporating RNA expression data from next-generation sequencing and microarrays. Her efforts focus on identifying molecular markers with potential for translation into clinical applications, advancing precision medicine in oncology.

Mehta maintains a robust publication portfolio in leading journals. Notable works encompass Bhandarkar et al. (2025), 'TP53 splice mutations have tumour-independent effects on genomic stability and prognosis: An in silico study,' published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences; Polwatta Lekamlage et al. (2025), 'Δ133p53 isoform enhances TLR4 function to promote tumour growth,' in Carcinogenesis; Nezbedová et al. (2025), 'Using the orchard-to-fork approach in designing nutritional trials: The apple phenolics case,' in Analytical Methods; Mehta (2021), 'Adaptive homeostasis and the p53 isoform network,' in EMBO Reports; Slatter et al. (2021), 'Δ133p53β isoform pro-invasive activity is regulated through an IL-6/AR feedback loop,' in Nature Communications; and Mehta et al. (2018), '∆133p53 isoform promotes tumour invasion and metastasis via CID1-mediated polyadenylation of α-actinin mRNA,' in Oncogene. She has secured major funding, including the Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship valued at $600,000 in 2020 for her project on tumour adaptation to chromosomal instability. Additional support includes grants from the Otago Medical Research Foundation in 2025 and the Cancer Research Trust New Zealand Professional Development Award in 2024. Mehta supervises postgraduate students on projects addressing TP53 mutations in cancer, tumour evolution under chromosomal instability, and in vitro inhibition of ovarian cancer cells.