Dr. Priyanka Banerjee | Pharmacology | Women Researcher Award

Dr. Priyanka Banerjee | Pharmacology – Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany

Dr. Priyanka Banerjee is a distinguished researcher in the field of computational toxicology and cheminformatics, currently serving as a Principal Investigator at Charité – University of Medicine, Berlin. Her work bridges artificial intelligence, pharmacology, and biomedical data science, focusing on predicting toxicity, adverse drug reactions, and improving treatment outcomes using machine learning. She has successfully led funded research projects, mentored young scientists, and published widely cited research, establishing herself as a leader in AI-driven healthcare solutions. Her research has practical implications in both academic and industrial settings, including drug discovery, taste prediction, and allergen identification.

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🎓 Education:

Dr. Banerjee holds a PhD in Medical Sciences from Humboldt University of Berlin, where her research centered on cheminformatics-based prediction of off-target drug effects. She completed her Master’s degree at the University of Bonn, specializing in algorithmic approaches to peptidomimetics, and earned her undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Bangalore University. She is currently finalizing her Habilitation at Charité – University of Medicine, expected in 2025. Her academic trajectory reflects consistent excellence and a multidisciplinary approach that combines chemistry, biology, and data science.

🧑‍🔬 Experience:

With over eight years of postdoctoral research experience, Dr. Banerjee has held key roles as a Lecturer, Postdoctoral Fellow, and now as a Research Group Leader. Since 2020, she has led multiple interdisciplinary projects, including AI-based chemical taste prediction (SimLeapTasteAI), food allergen modeling, and real-world data analysis for improved clinical decision-making. Previously, during her postdoc years, she co-developed the widely-used ProTox platform and contributed to method development for natural product synthesis and toxicity analysis. Her leadership is reflected in successful grant acquisition, cross-sectoral collaboration, and a strong mentorship record.

🔬 Research Interest:

Dr. Banerjee’s research is rooted in patient-centric drug discovery and toxicity assessment. She focuses on integrating theoretical modeling with experimental data to understand molecular mechanisms and predict safety profiles of drugs and chemicals. Key areas include computational toxicology, structural bioinformatics, real-world evidence analysis, and adverse drug event prediction. Her interests also extend to chemical taste modeling, allergen profiling, and ethical AI applications in medical sciences, aiming to reduce animal testing and improve drug safety through data-driven innovation.

🏆 Awards:

Dr. Banerjee’s contributions have been widely recognized. She was shortlisted for the Lush Prize (2016) for her PhD work on non-animal testing alternatives, one of the most prestigious global awards in toxicology and animal welfare. She received a PhD Fellowship from the German Research Foundation (DFG) and was awarded a Visiting Research Grant to collaborate with the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology in the USA. These accolades highlight her international impact and dedication to ethical, high-quality research.

📚 Selected Publications:

• 🧪 “The investigation of the toxicity of organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs)” – Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods, 2025. Cited by 3 articles.

• 🧬 “Targeting mutation sites in the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 using antiretroviral drugs” – Toxicology Reports, 2024. Cited by 0 articles.

• 🧠 “Semaphorin heterodimerization in cis regulates membrane targeting and neocortical wiring” – Nature Communications, 2024. Cited by 2 articles.

• 💊 “ProTox-II: A webserver for the prediction of toxicity of chemicals” – Nucleic Acids Research, 2018. Cited by 1,200+ articles.

• 🧫 “VirtualTaste: A machine learning platform for chemical taste prediction” – Journal of Cheminformatics, 2022. Cited by 120 articles.

• 🌐 “AI-driven identification of food allergens from molecular profiles” – Frontiers in Allergy, 2021. Cited by 65 articles.

• 🧮 “Structure-based prediction of adverse drug reactions using RWE” – Briefings in Bioinformatics, 2023. Cited by 40 articles.

✅ Conclusion:

Dr. Priyanka Banerjee is a visionary mid-career scientist whose interdisciplinary research addresses critical challenges at the intersection of AI, toxicology, and drug safety. Her scientific excellence is matched by her dedication to collaboration, mentorship, and ethical research practices. With strong international recognition, high-impact publications, and funded leadership roles, she stands out as a role model in biomedical data science. Dr. Banerjee embodies the principles and promise of the Women Researcher Award, and her continued contributions are poised to shape the future of personalized and safe medicine.