Thrust Area of Research

The department is well-equipped research infrastructure. Apart from wet laboratories, the department has one specialized laboratory for computer aided drug design (CADD). The thrust area of the laboratory is the designing and molecular modelling studies. We have strong research culture in the department with an emphasis on research projects, high quality of publications and Ph.D. theses.

Our department has active collaborations with the aim of interdisciplinary research to carry out the biological screening of synthesized molecules with other departments of Jamia Hamdard like HIMSR, Department of Biotechnology, SCLS, Jamia Hamdard Institute of Molecular Medicine (JHIMM). We have also active collaborations with outside national laboratories, Universities and pharmaceutical industry e.g., CSIR-IGIB, CSIR-CDRI, Jamia Milia Islamia, Amity University, BITS, AIMST Malaysia, South Asian University etc. Some of the faculty members also working on the identification and screening of phytochemicals and their structure activity relationship studies for optimization of their synthetic derivatives.

Presently, the department has 14 faculty members with wide range of research interests in the following thrust areas:

1. Design and synthesis of heterocyclic drug like molecules: Design and synthesis of heterocyclic based new chemical entities e.g., pyrazolines, benzimidazoles, benzothiazoles, quinoline, cinnoline, quinazolinones, furanone, 1,4-dioxane etc and their hybrid analogues as anticonvulsants, antihypertensive, antihepatotoxic, anticancer, antitubercular agents, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and antibacterial against and antifungals.
2. Computer Aided Drug Design: Molecular docking and QSAR studies are being undertaken using the Schrodinger Software followed by bench work. We are exploring various drug target for designing of molecules e.g., PPAR gamma receptors, ?-glucosidase enzyme, xanthine oxidase, EGFR Kinase, COX, MAP kinase, GABA receptor etc.
3. Analytical Method Development: Development of analytical methods for drugs for pharmacokinetic and therapeutic drug monitoring purposes by using of hyphenated techniques e.g., HPLC, UPLC, LC-MS/MS and UV spectroscopy.  
4. Peptide Synthesis: Synthesis of peptide and peptidomimetics by using solution and solid- phase synthesis protocols. Incorporation of unnatural amino acids in the peptides of biological importance for increasing the therapeutic activity and pharmacokinetic properties of peptide drugs. We are also working on design and synthesis of self-assembling peptide-based nanoparticles and prodrugs.
5. Co-crystallization of drugs: Co-crystallization is used to develop novel solid forms of existing drug molecules such as cocrystals, co-amorphous, and eutectic mixtures to enhance their biopharmaceutical properties. Besides, landscape of crystal form using experimental and computational approaches are explored to improve physicochemical and mechanical properties.

Research activities within the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry are well-funded by various agencies such as DST, DBT, SERB, ICMR, UGC, AICTE and CCRUM. In the last 5 years, department has received research grants worth more than Rs 6 crores from various funding agencies in India. The Department has also received two Start-up Research Grant from UGC and one early career grant from Royal Society of Chemistry. The faculty members of the department are frequent authors of top journal of national and international repute e.g., Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Bioorganic Chemistry, RSC advances etc. and published >200 papers in the last 5 years.