Prof. Sankar K. Guchhait, FRSC

Professor and Associate Editor of RSC Medicinal Chemistry Journal

Professional Experience

• 2017 - Present: Professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, NIPER, Mohali.

• 2012 - 2017: Associate Professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, NIPER, Mohali.

• 2007 - 2012: Assistant Professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, NIPER, Mohali

Post-doctoral and doctoral Research Experience, Education

• 2005-2006:, University of California, Riverside, USA; with Professor Michael C. Pirrung

•  2004-2005: University of Illinois at Chicago, USA; with Professor Gabriel Fenteany

•  2002-2004: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA; with Professor George W. Kabalka

•  1996-2001: Ph.D.; Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata; under supervision of Professor Brindaban C. Ranu

•  1994-1996: MSc in Chemistry (Specialization in Organic Chemistry), University of Calcutta

•  1991-1994: BSc in Chemistry, University of Calcutta

Current Research Area

Synthetic Organic Medicinal Chemistry

• Anticancer drug discovery: Design and synthesis of heterocyclic compounds as human DNA

topoisomerase IIα inhibitors, Microtubule-dynamics inhibitors, DNA polymerases inhibitors,

and their SAR studies

• Antileishmanial drug discovery: Design and synthesis of heterocyclic compounds as target-

specific antileishmanial agents

•  Natural product-inspired, Scaffold-hopping, and Choice-based change medicinal chemistry

strategies

• Creating new from clinical trial agents and drugs; Identification of target-specific unique

pharmacophore motifs; Exploration of patentable bioactive chemotypes

• Structural modulations linked to pharmacodynamics, drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic-

relevant physicochemical properties

• Synthesis of biologically relevant heterocyclic and natural product-based compounds

• Synthetic methodology development: Construction of heterocyclic molecular skeletons, C-H

bond functionalization, Ylide chemistry, Synthon-based approach, Green chemistry

Awards and Recognition

• Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC)

• Associate Editor, RSC Medicinal Chemistry Journal

•  RSC Medicinal Chemistry Editorial Board meeting at Burlington House, London, UK on 3rd June 2024.

• Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI) Bronze Medal - 2022

• Indian Chemical Society - Professor D. Nasipuri Memorial Award - 2015

• Expert Panel reviewer for CSIR-FIRST Scheme, CSIR-HRDG-EMR-II Scheme

• Expert Panel Member for DBT- Biotechnology Career Advancement and Re-Orientation

Programme (BioCARe), proposals submitted in the area of Compounds of Medicinal Utility

• Selected for ppt-presentation-evaluation stage for DST-SwarnaJayanti Fellowship, Year-2013.

• Work published in J. Med. Chem. 2011, 54, 5013-5030 was recognized as “highly cited article”

(The American Chemical Society appreciated with a certificate)

• Work published in ACS Med. Chem. Lett., 2015, 6, 481-485 was highlighted by featuring it as a

cover art image in one of the issues (April, 2015) of the ACS Med. Chem. Lett.

• Work (J. Org. Chem. 2017, 82, 2745−2752) was introduced in Synfacts as a highlight article.

• Senior Research Fellowship (CSIR), Govt. of India, 1998-2000

• Junior Research Fellowship (CSIR), Govt. of India, 1996-1998

• Qualified National Eligibility Test (NET), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for

Lectureship and Fellowship, Govt. of India, 1995

• Qualified Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) for Fellowship, Govt. of India, 1996

Membership to professional organization

• Life member, Chemical Research Society of India (CRSI)

Invited Lectures Delivered

1.  “Nature to New Molecular Therapeutics: Medicinal Chemistry Strategies and Investigations” in the CRIKC (Chandigarh      Region Innovation and Knowledge Cluster) National Symposium on Recent Advances in Bioorganic and Medicinal                  Chemistry (RABMC-2024) held in Panjab University, Chandigarh on 20th April 2024.

2. “Natural product-inspired scaffold hopping and strategic synthesis: Discovery of target-specific anticancer agents” – CRSI Bronze Medal Lecture in the 29th CRSI National Symposium in Chemistry (CRSI-NSC-29)-CRSI-ACS Symposium Series in Chemistry held in IISER, Mohali on July 07-09, 2022.

3. “Natural product-inspired scaffold hopping and strategic synthesis: Identification of unique analogs with anticancer profiles” in the Conference on Frontiers in Chemistry (CFC-2021) organized by Reva University, Bengaluru, 22nd October, 2021.

4.  “Sustainable development with strategic green chemical process and products: Energy efficiency, renewable chemicals and abundant C–H bond direct functionalization” in the International Conference on Green Science and Technology 2021 (ICGST2021), RIGST, Shizuoka University, Japan, 22nd September, 2021.

5. “Natural product-inspired scaffold hopping and strategic synthesis: A promising path to potent in-vivo active chemotypes” in the International Conference on Chemistry for Human Development (ICCHD-2020) organized by “Professor Asima Chatterjee Foundation, Kolkata” in collaboration with University of Calcutta and Heritage Institute of Technology in Kolkata on 9-11 January, 2020.

6.  “Creating new by natural product-inspired synthetic organic medicinal chemistry” in the CRIKC chemistry symposium (CCS-2019) organized together by Chandigarh-based five research organizations in IISER, Mohali, 2nd-3rd November, 2019.

7. “Unique chemistry-based molecular diversity-feasible synthesis integrated with Natural Product inspired and Scaffold hopping strategies: Discovery of target-based anticancer agents” in the national conference on Recent Advances in Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry (RAOBC), IISER Mohali, 22-24 March, 2019.

8. “Target-based natural product-inspired scaffold hopping strategy: SAR-feasible synthesis and discovery of Flavone and Combretastatin analogs with anticancer profiles” delivered as an invited talk in Aurigene Discovery Technologies Ltd, Hyderabad on 1st February, 2019.

9. “Natural product-inspired target-based drug discovery: Identification of unique analogs with anticancer profiles” delivered in the international conference, Drug Discovery India-2019, Breakthrough Research in Medicinal Chemistry, organized by Select Biosciences in Mumbai, 17-18th January, 2019.

10.  “Integration of Natural Product Inspired/Scaffold-Hopping Approach and SAR-Feasible Synthesis: Discovery of Target-based Anticancer Agents” delivered a seminar lecture in NCL, Pune on 20th April, 2018.

11. “Natural Product Scaffold-Hopping and C-H Functionalization/Synthon-based Synthesis of N-Heterocycles: Discovery of Target-based Anticancer Agents” in the national conference on "Symposium on Contemporary Facets in Organic Synthesis 2017 (CFOS-17)" held at IIT Roorkee on 22nd-24th December, 2017.

12. “Starting from Drug and Trekking the Topoisomerase and Tubulin-Tour: Discovery of Novel Anticancer Agents” in the national conference on “new frontiers in chemistry – from fundamentals to applications-II” held at BITS – Pilani, Goa Campus, on January 28-29, 2017.

13.  “Sustainable Organic–Medicinal Chemistry: Discovery of Topoisomerase II-Targeting Anticancer Agents” in the national conference on “Organic Chemistry in Sustainable Development: Recent Advances and Future Challenges (OCSD-2016)” held at BITS-Pilani, Rajasthan, on August 29-30, 2016.

14. “Starting from Drug and Scaffold Hopping in Target-based Medicinal Chemistry Research: Discovery of Novel Topoisomerase IIα–Inhibiting Anticancer Agents”, Professor D. Nasipuri Memorial Award Lecture 2014 in the 52nd Annual Convention of Chemists of the Indian Chemical Society held at JECRC University, Jaipur, on December 28 – 30, 2015.

15. “Trekking the Topoisomerase-Tour in Medicinal Chemistry Research: Discovery of Novel Topoisomerase IIα–Catalytic Inhibiting Anticancer Agents” in the International Conference in Chemistry held on December 16-18, 2014, organized by Jadavpur University, Kolkata.

16. “A rational approach in medicinal chemistry research: Discovery of novel topoisomerase IIα–targeting anticancer agents” in the 50th “Annual Convention of Chemists-2013” organized by Indian Chemical Society, held at the Department of Chemistry & Centre of Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Punjab University, Chandigarh-160 014, on December 04-07, 2013.

17. “Discovery of Topoisomerase IIα–targeting Novel Anticancer Agents” in the “MEDCHEM 2013” conference on “Advances in Anticancer Drug Discovery and Development”, organized by Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and AstraZeneca Bangalore, October 25-26, 2013.

18. “Green Chemistry in Medicinal Chemistry Research: Development of Novel Anticancer Agents”, Symposium on Green Chemistry and Nanotechnology, Agartala, 2012.