I joined Ashoka University in 2021 as a Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry. I have done my master’s in chemistry with a specialization in organic chemistry from the University of Kashmir, I have always been interested in therapeutic research – research that focuses on various genetic and infectious diseases. I work with Prof. Sourav Pal and Dr. Basudeb Maji and am a part of his Chemogenetics lab. I am in particular interested in working on the synthesis of organic molecules by tweaking them at the atomic level. I aspire to develop novel chemical entities that will have therapeutic interventions like chemo preventives in genetic and infectious diseases or controlling complex biological pathways through CRISPR-based gene therapy.
Currently, my research revolves around developing bifunctional molecules capable of inducing Protein-protein interactions in non-interactive proteins, enabling post-translational modifications within cells using small molecules. Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is an emerging therapeutic approach, and I have synthesized PROTACs, heterobifunctional Protein degraders that specifically eliminate targeted proteins by utilizing the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). PROTACs have gained attention for their potential to address “undruggable” proteins. Biologists in our lab prepare target proteins, and we conduct degradation assay studies in-house. This approach allows us to comprehensively understand how our synthesized bifunctional molecules impact the target proteins, offering potential solutions for addressing biological problems. Cancer-causing proteins, misfolded proteins, or various disease-causing proteins, in general, are a few issues that can be addressed with the help of this technology.
