Professor, Department of Chemical Sciences · Bose Institute
Speaking the language of sugars — mild, one-pot strategies for orthogonal protection–deprotection and stereoselective bond formation in carbohydrate chemistry, applied to nucleosides, glycomimetics and life-saving APIs.
Building complex, bioactive sugars from simple chiral-pool precursors — the unifying focus of the group.
One-pot glycosylation, directing-group–assisted glycosylation and stereoselective C-disaccharide synthesis.
Tandem site-selective protection, C–H activation and domino sequences that do two orthogonal jobs in one flask.
Photoredox and metal-catalysed routes to C-nucleosides, 2-iodo nucleosides and aza-pseudouridine analogues.
Design and evaluation of glycoconjugates, semi-synthetic natural products and heterocyclic scaffolds as anticancer, anti-infective and anti-inflammatory leads.
Affordable, non-infringing syntheses of FDA-approved active pharmaceutical ingredients — carbohydrate-derived routes to Molnupiravir (COVID-19 therapy) and Dapagliflozin (antidiabetic), designed to avoid existing process patents.
Development of non-infringing routes for life-saving drugs — a mild orthogonally protected ribose donor gives N4-hydroxycytidine en route to Molnupiravir (overall 38%), and a stereoselective oxidative Mizoroki–Heck / syn-hydroboration sequence delivers aryl-β-glucopyranosides toward Dapagliflozin. Benzannulated macrocycles and medium rings assembled on sugar-derived chiral templates.
Transforming sugar enol ethers into chiral aromatic, heteroaromatic and fused bicyclic cores.
Photocatalyst-free and Ir/Pd photoredox strategies for glycal elimination and C-glycosylation.
Each inexpensive, often non-metal reagent performs two orthogonal jobs in the same flask.
Remove one group → free one OH → glycosylate that site → iterate toward branched, bioactive oligosaccharides.
Beyond methodology, the group designs and evaluates bioactive small molecules — glycoconjugates, semi-synthetic natural products and heterocyclic scaffolds — against cancer, infection and inflammation.
Semi-synthetic steroidal lactones acting through Par-4 and inducing premature senescence (p21); IC₅₀ 0.7–1.25 µM.
IKM5 modulates the GRP78 / Par-4 axis to suppress tumour growth, invasion and metastasis.
N-linked 3,3′-diindolylmethane glycoconjugates inhibit leishmanial topoisomerase IB with reduced cytotoxicity.
Montmorillonite-K10 route to trisindolines with strong anti-MRSA efficacy, membrane targeting and in-vivo activity.
Propargylated-tacrine glycoconjugates (A-1 to A-14) as mixed AChE inhibitors with reduced hepatotoxicity; A-1 IC₅₀ 0.4 µM.
AG-13 lowers neutrophil infiltration, MDA/GSH and IL-6/TNF-α in SARS-COVID-induced lung injury.
Tetrahydroanthracene antibiotics from a new Streptomyces curacoi source, active in a 4T1 mammary-carcinoma model.
N,N′-glycoside diindolylmethanes and dihydropyran macrolides selectively engaging PAR4 and PI3K-α.
Total synthesis of dihydropyran-based medium-ring macrolides related to the aspergillides from carbohydrate templates, designed and evaluated as selective PI3K inhibitors.
Bioassay: the lead macrolide selectively inhibits the p110α subunit of PI3K and pAKT (not ERK), triggering PARP-1 / caspase-3 cleavage, G0/G1 cell-cycle arrest and mitochondrial apoptosis in HL-60 cells (IC₅₀ 1.10 µM).
C-glycosylation, C–H activation, radical and photoredox methods, and ring-conversion strategies, published across leading synthesis journals.
Two of the group's latest methodology advances (2025–26) in mild, sustainable carbohydrate protection and functionalisation.
A visible-light, photocatalyst-free 1,2-vic elimination converts 3-azido-glycosides directly into 4,6-O-protected glycals. An electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complex between triethylamine and the azido sugar absorbs blue light, undergoes single-electron transfer to a radical-ion pair, and fragments irreversibly — no metal, no photocatalyst. Fifteen examples in 90–95% yield, with the mechanism supported by control experiments, UV-vis and DFT.
This Organic Letters study reframes a routine protecting-group problem as an opportunity. Conventionally, unmasking the primary hydroxyl of a 4,6-O-benzylidene sugar and then acylating it is a multi-step, often low-selectivity sequence. Here a single operation does both: a catalytic solid acid (H₂SO₄–SiO₂) opens the benzylidene (or isopropylidene) acetal while a simple ester — ethyl acetate, ethyl propionate, and the like — acts simultaneously as the acyl donor and the reaction solvent. The net result is a 6-O-acyl-4-O-H building block delivered directly from the acetal.
The method tolerates a broad range of anomeric groups and protecting patterns — 15 acceptors (4a–4o) in 70–90% yield — and extends cleanly to 2-amino sugars: primary-esterified D-glucosamine acceptors (6a–6e, 80–86%).
Crucially, the free C-4 hydroxyl left behind is a competent glycosyl acceptor: coupling with thioglycoside donor 16 (NIS/TfOH, −40 °C) furnishes β-(1→4) disaccharides 17a–17b, closing the loop from acetal to elaborated oligosaccharide.
A research family spanning faculty, industry scientists and postdoctoral fellows across India, Taiwan and Canada.
Two funded JRF positions for candidates with CSIR-UGC NET / GATE qualification, to work on synthetic carbohydrate chemistry, methodology and medicinal-chemistry lead generation.
One NPDF opening for a postdoctoral researcher (SERB-NPDF eligible) in glycochemistry, photoredox methods or carbohydrate-based drug discovery.
Core synthetic-chemistry infrastructure supporting the group's work — from low-temperature glycosylations to inert-atmosphere reactions.
Moments from the lab, conferences and group life.
