PhD Scholars
Dhanashree Murugan
Ph.D. Research Scholar (19PHD0027)
Centre for Biomaterials, Cellular, and Molecular Theranostics (CBCMT)
Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore - 632014
Email: dhanashree.murugan2019@vitstudent.ac.in
Date of Joining: 21.09.2019
Dhanashree Murugan is a Ph.D. scholar at the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT). She had completed her Master’s and Bachelor’s in Biotechnology from SIES College of Arts, Science, and Commerce, Mumbai. She also has experience in working in areas like molecular biology and biophysical studies on proteins. She has been actively associated with the “Drug Discovery Unit (DDU)” since its birth in the Centre for Biomaterials, Cellular, and Molecular Theranostics (CBCMT) at VIT. Her area of research is based on “Designing and synthesizing Cancer stem cell-targeted drug for cancer”. Her long-term goal is to translate her research into a marketable product that could be helpful for the welfare of society. She is also passionate about focusing her research on the fabrication of cancer-on-chip, which could be a platform for synthesizing personalized medicine based on the patient’s cancer cells and immune status.
Harashkumar V T
Ph.D. Research Scholar (20PHD0444)
Centre for Biomaterials, Cellular, and Molecular Theranostics (CBCMT)
Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore - 632014
Email : harashkumar.vt2020@vitstudent.ac.in
Date of Joining: 09.09.2020
Harashkumar Vasanthakumari Thirumalaiswamy joined Drug Discovery Unit (DDU) as a Ph.D., scholar on 9th September 2020. He worked as an Assistant Professor (Junior), the Department of Chemistry, School of Advanced Sciences (SAS), Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India for a period of 3 years from April 2021 to March 2024. He has completed a master’s and bachelor’s in chemistry at Chikkanna government arts college (Affiliated to Bharathiar University, Coimbatore). During his post-graduation, he worked as a part-time technical analyst in the Chemical Section of the Azo textile testing laboratory, Tirupur. He also has expertise in the chemical analysis field. His current research focused on the synthesis of NIR fluorescent imaging agents for the diagnosis of cancer and the development of small molecule-based proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) for cancer therapy. Recently, he went on an internship at WML lab, Department of Chemistry, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taiwan under the International Internship Pilot Program (IIPP) as a scholar fellow for a period of 3 months from October 2023 to December 2023.
Unnikrishnan B
PhD Research Scholar (22PHD0475)
Centre for Biomaterials, Cellular, and Molecular Theranostics (CBCMT)
Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore - 632014
Email: unnikrishnan.b2022@vitstudent.ac.in
Date of Joining: 12-08-2022
Unnikrishnan B, completed his post-graduation in chemistry in 2019 Feb from the University of Kerala. After that, he worked as a radio chemist at Molecular Cyclotron Pvt Ltd, Vypin Kochin, Kerala. After that, he worked as a Junior Research fellow at IIT Bhilai. Then he joined Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) as a Junior Research Fellow (JRF) on the “BRNS Project Radiolabelled Fibroblast Activation Protein Inhibitors as Novel Radiopharmaceuticals Targeting CAFs”. Later he joined Ph.D. in VIT under the School of Advanced Sciences. His main hobbies include reading, writing short stories, watching movies, and traveling. He is passionate about translating science into products and ideas for human welfare.
Ph.D. Title: “Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel Receptor Targeted Photodynamic Therapeutics for Anti-Cancer Therapy”
Kalaiarasu L
PhD Research Scholar (22PHD0515)
Centre for Biomaterials, Cellular, and Molecular Theranostics (CBCMT)
Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), Vellore - 632014
Email: kalaiarasu.l2022@vitstudent.ac.in
Date of Joining: 11-01-2023
Kalaiarasu L. joined the Drug Discovery Unit (DDU), Centre for Biomaterials, Cellular and Molecular Theranostics (CBCMT), VIT, as a doctoral student with a Teaching cum Research Assistant (TRA) fellowship on 11th January 2023. He is currently working as Project Research Scientist I (Non-Medical) on the ICMR-funded project titled “Design and Development of Siderophore-Macrolide Antibiotic Conjugates to Combat Multidrug Resistance (MDR) Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections” at DDU, CBCMT. He graduated with his Master’s in Chemistry from the School of Chemistry, Bharathidasan University (BDU), Tiruchirappalli, India in 2021. For his Master’s dissertation, he worked on the project titled “Synthesis of 3-Arylquinoxaline from Aroylmethylidene
Malonate and Ortho-Phenylenediamine” under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Srinivasan K. Synthetic Organic Lab, School of Chemistry, Bharathidasan University (BDU), Tiruchirappalli, India. He obtained his second Master’s in Business Administration Finance (Twinning program) from Pondicherry University in 2021. He obtained his Bachelor’s in Chemistry from Bishop Heber College (Autonomous), Tiruchirappalli, India. For his Bachelor’s dissertation, he worked on the project “Multiresidue determination of pesticides in fruits and vegetables by Gas Chromatography – Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry”. During his bachelor’s, he has undergone internships at the National Referral Lab, ICAR-National Research Centre for Grapes (NRCG), Pune, India. Bio-Prospecting Division, Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore, India. Analytical Lab, The South India Textile Research Association (SITRA), Coimbatore, India. Before joining DDU, he worked as a Technical Assistant at the National Centre for Avian Ecotoxicology, Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India. His area of interest include Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), Drug Delivery, Biological and Medicinal Chemistry.
Short title of PhD work: Design of Targeted Therapeutic Agents for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Bacterial Infections.
Janarthanan Venkatesan
PhD Research Scholar (22PHD0389)
Centre for Biomaterials, Cellular, and Molecular Theranostics (CBCMT)
Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT)
Vellore-632014
Email ID : janarthanan.v@vit.ac.in
Date of Joining: 01.08.2022
Write-up: Janarthanan Venkatesan joined the Drug Discovery Unit (DDU), as a Teaching cum Research Assistant (TRA) on 1st August 2022. His area of interest includes medicinal chemistry and targeted protein degradation in cancer therapeutics. He is currently working under the guidance of Dr. Loganathan Rangasamy, at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), on the development of molecules for the proteasome-mediated degradation of oncogenic proteins. He has also undergone an International Internship Pilot Program (IIPP) and worked on 3D cell culture models for the study of cancer metabolism in PDAC tumours, under Dr. Ching-Feng Chiu, Taipei Medical University (TMU), sponsored by the National Science and Technology Council, Taiwan. His master’s thesis was on the development of bio-polymeric sorbents for the removal of heavy metals in the aquatic system, at J.K.K. Nataraja College of Arts and Science, under Dr. V. Gopalakannan, followed by a summer internship (2022) on electrochemical detection of heavy metal pollutants, at Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology (IMMT), Bhubaneshwar.
Title of the PhD work: “Design and development of Proteolysis Targeting Chimeras (PROTACs) for the degradation of oncogenic proteins”