Department of Biotechnology, Thapar University
Natural Products: Sources of new molecules and materials
© Copyright , Dr. Sanjai Saxena, Thapar University, Patiala / Updated: 10 February 2014
Natural products are an important source of new chemical structures which could be exploited as pharmacophore in all major disease areas. Natural Product resources especially from plant-associated microbes are largely under explored and could be exploited as sources of new biologically active novel compounds apart from putative phytochemicals. Broadly my research pertains to screening and isolation of biologically active compounds from plants, plant- microbe interaction by developing in vitro cell free and cell based assays. The idea is to explore new targets of drugs, understanding their mechanism of action at cellular and genomic levels and to express them in suitable systems for their commercial production.
Finding new habitats of fungi (endophytic fungi), bacteria or plants and identifying new living organisms has been a continuous challenge. Exploring novel biomolecules from biodiversity of microbes especially endophytes and plants to overcome the resistance posed by multi-drug resistant pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. How do these natural products evade the resistance mechanisms of these pathogenic superbugs? It is intriguing to explore the possibilities of identifying new bioactive compounds from endophytic fungi for the treatment of Gout, Cancer, Hypercholesterolemia, Obesity, Osteoporosis and wound healing. Other avenues which I explore include in vitro anti-microbial susceptibility testing systems, new sources of Active pharmaceutical ingredients, fungal biotransformations and volatile antibiotics. Another fascinating area is anti-metabolite screening for drug development.
My exploratory fields include antibacterial biomaterials, biocomposites with self-healing properties for product development applications and computer aided drug design. My skill sets include, Research (Collaborative/ Contract/ Sponsored), Technology Development, Technology transfer, Knowledge Management, Policy preparations and Consultancy.
Finding new habitats of fungi (endophytic fungi), bacteria or plants and identifying new living organisms has been a continuous challenge. Exploring novel biomolecules from biodiversity of microbes especially endophytes and plants to overcome the resistance posed by multi-
My exploratory fields include antibacterial biomaterials, biocomposites with self-
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