Mohua Das, Phd Email & Phone Number

Singapore

My post-doctoral research projects are focused on studying cancer evolution, especially colorectal cancer (CRC).In one of my projects, I am investigating how Wnt signaling helps to maintain an immune-tolerant tumour microenvironment (TME) in CRC. My post-doc lab (DasGupta lab) has identified a (hit) Wnt inhibitor that could prevent CRC tumour growth in xenograft mice models. My current goal is to improve the chemistry of the discovered Wnt inhibitor (lead development) so that it can be used to remodel the CRC TME. To achieve this, I am using immunocompetent syngeneic mouse models to check T cell infiltration in response to Wnt inhibition. This research is clinically significant because the development of these Wnt inhibitors could, in principle, enhance T cell antitumor immunity in cancers that are refractory to immunotherapy in clinics due to a lack of T cell infiltration in the TME.In another project, I am looking into how RNA methylation contributes to drug resistance in colorectal cancer using m6ACE, a single-base resolution m6A detection technology created by Sho Goh lab. I am using an m6ACE-based screening on drug-resistant CRC cell lines to look for candidate genes that drive resistance through differential methylation. This project is intriguing because it has the potential to uncover precise methylation-based interventional techniques to reverse drug resistance in CRC.

Singapore

My thesis work involves studying different approaches to develop small- molecule probes targeting the AlkB family of nucleic acid demethylases.In one such approach, we have published a 'Multiprotein Dynamic Combinatorial Chemistry' strategy, to selectively target two clinically important epigenetic enzymes FTO and ALKBH3 simultaneously from a complex, dynamic mixture. This new strategy couples the concept of conventional DCC with the concepts of zwitterionic “thermal tag” and differential scanning fluorimetry. This will further the applications of the conventional single-protein templated DCC in the field of drug design. This strategy is highly sensitive and could also be extended to differentiate the binding of ligands to other structurally related subfamilies of enzymes.

Kolkata Area, India

The Central Drugs Laboratory, Kolkata functions under the administrative control of the Director-General of Health Services in the Ministry of the Health and Family Welfare, India.My roles as a Chemist at the Central Drugs Laboratory, Kolkata were: 1) Physico-chemical testing and Quality Control of drug samples obtained from state, zonal, court, NABLPT, WHO and other sources. 2) Bacterial Endotoxin Testing of parenteral obtained from Centre and State Drug Controller Administrations.Other roles:1) NABL calibration and documentation.

India

My Master's thesis work was supervised by Dr. Nirup Bikash Mondal (Emeritus Scientist, CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology)In my Master's work, we found that Curcumin can be transformed into racemic curcuminoids via azomethine ylide cycloaddition reaction. This 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction was employed, for the first time, on Curcumin to produce bis-pyrrolizidine fused dispiro-oxindolo curcuminoids. Extensive 1D/2D NMR analysis, single-crystal X-ray crystallography, chiral HPLC, UV-CD studies were done to confirm the formation of the novel Curcumin analogues.

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Medicinal And Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Activities and Societies: Ex-Honorary General Secretary of 13th AAPS-NUS Student Chapter Executive Committee (2017-2018) Event Emcee.

M.S.Pharm, Natural Product Chemistry, Cgpa 9.96

Activities and Societies: Emcee at Institute events.Winner of three gold medals in the batch of M.S. Pharm 2013-2015.

Bachelor Of Pharmacy (B.Pharm), Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cgpa 9.17

Activities and Societies: Emcee at college events. Winner in poster-presentation at Prakriti’13 organized by IIT, Kharagpur (Topic.

Education record

Activities and Societies: Debate, elocution.