Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Aug 25: Dr. Sandip Kumar Mishra, a renowned scientist from Odisha, was found deceased at his Satyanagar residence in the state capital late Saturday. He was in his mid-fifties. Although initial reports suggested that Dr. Mishra, who worked at the Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) in Bhubaneswar, might have died by suicide, his family strongly refuted these claims, attributing his death to a possible cardiac arrest.
Family members shared that Dr. Mishra had complained of indigestion and had vomited after consuming fried chicken the previous day. His sister-in-law mentioned that he was taken to Capital Hospital, where doctors administered an injection, prescribed medication, and conducted ultrasound and ECG tests, all of which returned normal results. He returned home and appeared to be resting, but later complained of breathing difficulties around 10:30 pm. He was rushed back to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
His sister-in-law also dismissed any suggestions that Dr. Mishra was under stress, describing him as a cheerful individual with no apparent family issues, though she couldn’t comment on his work environment. He is survived by his wife and son.
The police have registered a case of unnatural death and are conducting further investigations.
Dr. Mishra was internationally recognized for his groundbreaking research on a tumor suppressor gene in breast cancer. He developed a drug called ‘Artemisinin’ derived from the Estrogen Related Receptor beta (ERRβ) molecule and the leaves and flowers of the Sweet Wormwood plant (Artemisia annua). His work demonstrated that Artemisinin could effectively inhibit the migration and invasion of cancer cells in estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive) breast cancer patients. His research was published in the prestigious international journal BMC Cancer by Biomed Central.
