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Potential opening in my group: 

We are always looking for good students who are passionate about research and can contribute to driving the projects forward. If you think you are one of such students, then do not hesitate to write about your interest and properly formatted CV via email.

 

–Research interests: 

We are a research group interested in the application of organic chemistry in various areas. A brief description of our endeavours is as given below:

 

–Medicinal Chemistry/Drug discovery:

 

Cancer, a leading cause of mortality around the globe, is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of cells that spread to various parts of the body. In normal cells, the process of cell division is tightly controlled by the various control mechanisms. These control mechanisms detect any anomalies and attempt to repair them or cause programmed cell death (apoptosis) if those anomalies are not repairable. The cancer cells, one the other hand, learn to evade these controls, modulate various pathways and related proteins and attain the ability to keep dividing in a limitless manner. We have been interested in targeting these pathways and develop the next generations cancer therapeutics. Focus of our research lies in targeting microtubules, supernumerary centrosomes, FLT3, aurora kinases to mention few. Recent highlights include:

 

Neurodegenerative diseases:

Proteins must be folded into a pre-defined three-dimensional structure to perform physiological functions. However, based on the aging or triggered by environmental factors, the homeostasis network that regulates the physiological packing of proteins and clearance of misfolded protein-aggregates gets disturbed and results in the pathogenesis of amyloid diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and arthritis. Misfolding and fibrillar aggregation of amyloid-β (Aβ) is a characteristic hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease and primarily participates in neurodegenerative pathologies. The patients afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) present clinical manifestations of a gradual decline in cognitive and non-cognitive functions. Histopathological examinations reveal the accumulation of Aβ plaques in the intra-neuronal spaces and intracellular aggregation of tau.

The current therapeutic strategies against Aβ are targeting the proteolytic machinery like cholinesterase inhibitors (ChEI), β and γ secretase inhibitors, breaking Aβ fibrils and subsequent clearance. However, the evidence suggests that there is a need to develop therapeutic strategies against AD to target the Aβ fibrillization process instead of clearing Aβ from the system. In this context, we have been interested in demonstrating the role of various small organic molecules as potential leads in drug discovery and their role in modulating the fibrillation dynamics.

  • Umme Kalsoom, Meshari Alazmi, Syed Usama Bin Farrukh, Nawaf Alshammari, Ghayoor Abbas Chotana, Ibrahim Javed,* Thomas Paul Davis,* Rahman Shah Zaib Saleem* “Structure Dependent Differential Modulation of Aβ Fibrillization by Selenadiazole-Based Inhibitors” ACS Chemical Neuroscience Article ASAP (doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.1c00478)
  • Syed Usama Bin Farrukh, Ibrahim Javed, Abdul Qayyum Ather, Abdul-Hamid Emwas, Meshari Alazmi, Xin Gao, Ghayoor Abbas Chotana, Thomas P. Davis, Pu Chun Ke, Rahman S.Z. Saleem* “Synthesis and identification of novel pryidazinylpyrazolone based diazo compounds as inhibitors of human islet amyloid polypeptide aggregation” Bioorg Chem 2019, 84, 339-346 (doi: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2018.11.039)

 

–Synthesis of novel organic dyes with interesting photophysical properties:

The organic functional materials have a wide range of uses due to their simplicity of fabrication, repeatability, and ability to tune properties by simple yet diverse chemical modifications. The insertion of functional groups to organic scaffolds has resulted in the development of molecular materials with unique and intriguing optoelectronic capabilities and applications in devices, such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), light harvesting arrays, organic field effect transistors (OFETs), light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs), LCD color filters, fluorescence probes, photovoltaic cells, photothermal therapy, and bio-imaging. We are preparing and analyzing novel organic compounds including the ones that conform to D-π-A architecture as potential candidate for subsequent optimization and utilization in optoelectronic applications such as electroluminescent devices, field-effect transistors, photovoltaic devices, electro-optic modulators, and solid-state lasers.

 

–Isolation, identification, and characterization of secondary metabolites:

We perform isolation of the active components of local flora of medicinal importance, often through assay-guided isolation.

 

–Application of organic chemistry in Materials (Nanochemistry/MOFs/COFs):

We have been working with our collaborative partners in providing our synthetic chemistry skills in prepared specific ligands or drug modifications for the preparation of nanoparticles and MOFs and have also worked on the delivery of APIs via nanoliposomal formations.

  1.  Salma Batool, Muhammad Javaid Asad, Muhammad Arshad, Warda Ahmed, Muhammad Farhan Sohail, Sumra Wajis Abbasi, Sajjad Ahmed, Rahman S. Z. Saleem, Muhammad Sheeraz Ahmed “In Silico Validation, Fabrication and Evaluation of Nano-Liposomes of Bistorta amplexicaulis Extract for Improved Anticancer Activity Against Hepatoma Cell Line (HepG2)” Current Drug Delivery  2021, accepted (doi: 10.2174/1567201818666210316113640)
  2. Salma Batool, Shahid Ullah, Shahzadi Tabassum, Aishah Bilal, Amir Faisal, Rahman S. Z. Saleem, M. Sheeraz Ahmad “Effect of Extraction Methodologies on Antioxidant Potential and Synergistic Anticancer Behavior of Leaf Extract of Polygonum amplexicaule Against HCT-116 Cells” Iran. J. Sci. Technol. Trans. Sci. 2019, 43, 709-714 (doi: 10.1007/s40995-018-0532-x)
  3. Sohail, M. F.; Javed, I.; Hussain, S. Z.; Sarwar, S.; Akhtar, S.; Nadhman, A.; Batool, S.; Irfan Bukhari, N.; Saleem, R. S. Z.; Hussain*, I.; Shahnaz, G. “Folate grafted thiolated chitosan enveloped nanoliposomes with enhanced oral bioavailability and anticancer activity of docetaxel” J. Mater. Chem. B 2016, 4, 6240 (DOI: 10.1039/C6TB01348A)

 

–Food and toxicology:

We are interested in the evaluation of the active components, drug residues & potential toxins in various foods to develop a better understanding of the food and its relation to the health/disease in the area.

–Synthesis of the compounds of interest to the industry:

We keep exploring the avenues for the local synthesis of the compounds of interest of industry.

 

Active Collaborations:

Dr. Amir Faisal (Dept. of Biology, SBASSE, LUMS)

Prof. Claus Jacob (University of Saarland)

Dr. Samina Mehnaz (FCC University, Lahore)

Prof. Xin Gao/Dr. Abul Hamid Emwas (KAUST)

Prof. Mishari Alazmi (University of Hail)

Dr. Ibrahim Javed & Thomas Paul Davis (University of Queensland)

Prof. Stephan Knapp (University of Frankfurt)

Dr. Salma Batool (University of Central Punjab)