Biochemistry & Pharmacology: Open Access
Open Access

Purushottamachar p. Puranik

Biography

Dr. Purushottamachar Puranik received his PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 2003 from the UICT Mumbai, India. He worked as process chemist in industry (USV Ltd., India) from 2003 to 2004. He undergone postdoctoral training at University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and Thomas Jeffreson University, Philadelphia (2005 - 2010). In 2011 he was promoted to Research instructor position and he subsequently (2012) returned to UMB/CBT as a research associate. Dr. Puranik′s research spans the disciplines of pharmaceutical and biomolecular chemistry. Areas of interest are computer aided drug design, organic synthesis, and biological evaluation. His research is focused on design, synthesis and evaluation of Androgen Receptor Down-regulating agents (ARDAs) and Retinoic acid Metabolism Blocking agents (RAMBAs) for Prostate and Breast cancer. Dr. Puranik has a track record of publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presenation at various conferences. He is an Editorial Board Member and reviwer of a number of international journals.

Research Interest

The focus of the Dr. Puranik′s research is on the rational design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel patentable small molecules with potentials to prevent and/or treat prostate and breast cancers. He is also interested in understanding mechanisms of anti-cancer actions of the novel agents. His research is at the interface of medicinal chemistry and pharmacology/oncology to understand the mechanism(s) of action of novel androgen receptor down-regulating agents(ARDAs) androgen synthesis inhibitors and also novel retinoic acid metabolism blocking agents (RAMBAs). These two targets are validated drug targets for the discovery and development of prostate and breast cancer to date and remain an important focus point in modern drug discovery. In his research he uses modern drug discovery tools like structure based drug design (SBDD) and analog based drug design (Pharmacophore modeling, 3D-QSAR) for the rational design of novel agents and lead optimization. He also carry organic synthesis of small molecules and their biological evaluation to achieve his Medicinal Chemistry/Pharmacology goals.