Current Research interest

• Design, synthesis of Cu(II) /Zn(II) complexes with hard-soft donor ligands with incorporation of additional heterocyclic-N donor adducts to enhance their biological properties.
• DNA binding studies with the synthesized metal complexes to determine their binding mode and propensity.
• DNA cleavage activity under hydrolytic and oxidative conditions to ascertain the cleavage pathway.
• Protein binding studies to gain insight of the interaction between the metal complexes and human serum albumin (HSA).
• Molecular docking studies to investigate the interaction of ligand with protein and find the preferential binding site.
• To conduct cytotoxicity studies to determine the antiproliferative effect of the synthesized metal complexes on cancerous and noncancerous cells.
• To analyze the apoptotic potential of the complexes using nuclear staining assays and study the cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry.
• ROS mediated cytotoxicty studies
• Antibacterial studies with synthesized Cu(II) and Zn(II) complexes

Collaborations outside BITS-Pilani Goa Campus

IIT Madras
NCCS Pune
CLRI Chennai
CDRI Lucknow
BITS-Pilani Hyderabad campus

Membership
Member of American Chemical Society (ACS)
Member of the Society of Biological Inorganic Chemistry (SBIC)
Member of the Society of Biological Chemists(SBC)
Member of Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers (IIChE)


Research Project
1. SERB DST Extra Mural Research Funding Individual Centric (EMR/2017/001562) as PI
Status: completed
Start date: 06/11/2018
Date of completion: 05/05/2022

Title :Synthesis of mononuclear as well as homo and hetero dinuclear complexes of Cu(II) and Zn(II) with hard-soft donor ligands and evaluation of their anticancer activities.

2. SERB Core Research Grant 2022 (CRG/2022/002146) as Co-PI
Status: submitted on 16-4-2022, we have been asked to submit in SERB POWER Research Grant.
Title: Spectroscopic insight, molecular docking, molecular kinetics, thermodynamic properties and structural evolution during interaction of Human Serum Albumin (HSA) with mixed ligand Cu(II) complexes of N,O/S donor Schiff base having the potential to serve as anticancer agents.

3. Expressed interest in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) as PI
Title: Reviving Antibiotics: Harnessing Cu(II) and Zn(II) Metal Complexes with Versatile Ligands to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance
Research Guidance

1. Ms. Sidhali Uday Parsekar joined on 20-1-2017 as PhD student under Institute fellowship and she has successfully completed her PhD in March 2022. Thesis title: “Synthesis, DNA/HSA interactions, cytotoxicity and anticancer activity of some Cu(II)/Zn(II) complexes with chelating ligands”

2. Ms Priyanka Velankanni joined as junior research fellow in SERB DST-EMR funded project and worked from 31-12-2018 to 7-3-2020. Project title: “Synthesis of mononuclear as well as homo and hetero dinuclear complexes of Cu(II) and Zn(II) with hard-soft donor ligands and evaluation of their anticancer activities”.
3. Ms. Kumudini Paliwal. joined as junior project fellow in SERB DST-EMR funded project on 1st Oct 2020, and she is currently doing PhD. (Proposed Thesis title: “Studies on DNA/Protein interactions and antiproliferative activity of some Cu (II) complexes containing hard-soft donor ligands”)