Biography

Academic qualifications

Positions held

Research Interests: Chemical Genomics, Chemical Biology, and Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry.

Current Research: The Bag Group is a place where Chemistry meets Biology. We use a multidisciplinary approach to meet the challenges posed by biomedical science associated with human health.

Research at the interface of chemistry and biology provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of complex biological and chemical systems. Understanding the physicochemical aspects of natural biomolecular recognition at the molecular level, together with the aspiration to cure disease at the genetic level, drives research between molecular biology and chemical synthesis. Unnatural biomolecular building blocks within genetic materials and proteins, and synthetic molecules that bind sequence-specifically to DNA, RNA and proteins, are targets for enlarging their functional and informational potential, gene therapeutics and antisense technology. This multidisciplinary approach helps us understand biomolecular recognition: a place where Chemistry meets Biology.

Our major interfacial research focuses on expansion of the genetic alphabets and genetic codes, genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms, β-lactam and enediyne anticancer antibiotics, nanobiocomposites and synthetic methodologies. Click Chemistry and Sonogashira coupling are key synthetic methodologies for generating the biomolecular building blocks used in these research activities.

We are engaged in enlarging the functional and informational potentials of genetic materials and proteins so that a semisynthetic life form can perform a predefined task. We probe molecular mechanisms and biomolecular interactions in living organisms and develop methodologies for biochemical investigations and biomedical applications. Our work includes fluorimetric sensing of β-lactam antibiotic cleavage and selective labeling and visualization of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs), toward rapid protocols for β-lactamase detection and prediction of antibiotic activity. Radical-generating enediyne–nucleoside and enediyne–amino-acid hybrids form part of our anticancer drug development programme. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we also undertook the development of nucleoside and peptidomimetic inhibitor drugs targeting the RdRp enzyme and SARS-CoV-2 Mpro protease, respectively.