Research
Research Projects
1. Synthesis of New Heterocyclic Compounds with enhanced Antitubercular Activity
Tuberculosis is a major health problem of the world which severely affects a large number of people anually. Our group is making new heterocyclic compounds with conventional and unconventional heterocyclic cores including fused pharmacophores containing heterocyclic units. With an aim to synthesize new heterocyclic platforms with designed peripheral moieties, we are trying to enhance activities of some of the identified leads. In collaboration with the expert laboratories for antitubercular activity evaluation, we are also trying to understand the structure activity relationship of some of these compounds.
2. Development of New Biosensing and Chemosensing Agents
Another focus of the group is to develop new biosensing and chemosensing agents across the visible spectrum. For this research, we make new fluorescent compounds that are emissive between blue to red region of the spectrum and try to identify its ion sensing abilities. Using a variety of spectroscopic tools, we also try to understanding the mechanism of such sensing particularly those which are reactive probes. Our screening currently involves human physiology relevant cations and anions and we are now extending our research to sensing biomolecules such as amino acids and peptides as well.
3. Discovery of G-quadruplex and Duplex DNA targeting compounds
With an aim to expand the current set of G-quadruplex binding agents with high degree of selectivity over duplex DNAs, we are making a series of heterocyclic compound bridged through the styryl unit. These compounds are usually highly fluorescent in the presence of nucleic acids and we use their fluorescence response to screen and study the binding of these compounds to specific G-quadruplexes in detail. In addition to spectroscopic tools, we also utilize calorimetry studies to understand nucleic acid recognition process through detailed evaluation of thermodynamic parameters.
4. Structure Assignment using NMR Spectroscopy
In this project, we solve the chemical structures of new chemical entities and existing molecules of biological importance. Using one and two-dimensional NMR experiments, we try to assign every single atom of these molecules and provide unambiguous resonance assignments. These studies include the exploration of aggregating small molecules whose signals are usually difficult to resolve.
5. The 'Cooking' Project
This is a curiosity driven project in which we simply cook different electrophiles and nucleophiles together that have a potential to form heterocyclic compounds. Without any pre-thought of what would come, we just let these reagents approach each other either on their own or under forced conditions such as high temperatures with the only goal to let them interact. Such forced interactions usually involve more than two reagents and sometimes the conditions are also acidic or basic ( in most cases we try reactions at neutral pH). Once a reaction takes place, the newly formed products are isolated through recrystallization or column chromatography and characterized through conventional analysis techniques.