Our Research 

combines the knowledge of organic chemistry, biophysical chemistry, and chemical biology

We are a young and highly motivated research group at the BITS-Pilani, Hyderabad campus. Our lab is focused on exploring and understanding 'THE ART OF INTRACELLULAR CHEMICAL DELIVERY (AICD)'.

For the intracellular delivery of chemical and biological substances (ions, small molecules, supramolecules, peptides, proteins, antibodies, nucleic acids, vaccines, polymers, bioconjugates, etc.), we plan to design and develop various ORGANIC CARRIERS, which tailored for assisting molecules to cross the biological membrane and unveil therapeutic applications. In addition to contributing to the advancement of targeted and effective therapeutic interventions, we aim to reveal the complex chemistry and biology underlying these processes. Also, by asking fundamental biological questions, our work seeks to bridge gaps in knowledge and foster innovative solutions in the realm of intracellular chemical delivery to further rigorous exploration, thereby making significant contributions in the fields of medicine.

Current Research Interests-

• Synthesis of novel lipid, protein, & peptide-based drug carriers
• Synthesis of novel anionophores for Ion Therapy
• Synthesis of unique cell-penetrating peptides
• Unique strategies for bioactive cyclic peptides delivery
• Intracellular delivery of PROTACs and other bifunctional molecules
• Artificial intelligence in chemical delivery
• Artificial cell construction
• Biomaterials and drug delivery
• Bioelectronics and drug delivery

We set/setting up the following working facility 

• Synthetic organic chemistry and solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS): Mass/MALDI-TOF, NMR spectrometer, FT-IR spectrometer, UV-Vis spectrometer, and others.
• Preparation of micelles, liposomes (SUVs, LUVs, and GUVs), and self-assemble organic carriers. 
• Various imaging techniques like fluorescence microscopes (optical/digital), electron microscopes (TEM, SEM, and FESEM), force microscope (AFM), and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM).
• Various biophysical and analytical techniques like TRPL, zetasizer, DSC, lyophilization, centrifugation, pH-meter, ion-selective electrode, dialysis, size exclusion chromatography, extrusion, circular dichroism, etc.
• Bacterial cell culture, protein extraction, affinity chromatography, SDS-PAGE, agarose gel electrophoresis, RT-PCR cloning, etc.
• Mammalian cell culture, immunofluorescence, western blotting, co-immunoprecipitation, flow cytometry, and fusion imaging.
• Isothermal titration calorimeter (ITC) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR).
• Mass-proteomics.