α -Functionalised nitroalkenes

■ Small multi-functional molecules with high potential in synthesis and biology

■ Synthesised through one-pot, multi-component reactions at room temperature

■ Inhibit HeLa cell proliferation by binding to tubulins and depolymerising microtubules at low micromolar concentrations

■ Bind to tubulin at a site distinct from the vinblastine and colchicine binding sites and induce conformational changes in the tubulin

■ Promising lead compounds for cancer therapy

(1) Chemically modified functional nucleic acids (siRNAs, DNA enzymes and aptamers)

Subscribing to the view of building ‘molecules with purpose’, we design and develop transition metal complexes for utility as initiators in homogeneous catalysis. We specialise in synthesising well-defined molecular catalysts for academically challenging and industrially relevant transformations through enhanced mechanistic understanding.

In a mammalian system, not all the cells are continuously growing and dividing but many of them remain in a quiescent state even though they reside in a rich growth factor medium. Similarly, in a malignant tumor the population of cell had been found to be extremely heterogeneous. Usually the tumor contains cells ranging from highly proliferative to quiescent category, and thus these cells respond quite differently under chemotherapy treatment. Most often the aggressive cells die, but the quiescent cells somehow survive the chemotherapy.

Cell cycle in eukaryotes is a sequence of molecular events that ultimately leads to precise duplication of cells. Most cells of a multi-cellular eukaryotic organism proliferate only when they sense that they are stimulated by specific growth factors above a certain threshold. In cancerous cells, this growth factor sensing mechanism gets perturbed for more than one reason and the cells start to proliferate even when the appropriate signal is absent.

The study of human cognition includes aspects of thinking, memory, decision-making, learning, problem-solving, as well as other basic and executive functions. Such research can include experiments with the general population, to understand how such cognitive functions operate, as well as with clinical samples, to understand how disruptions in normal cognition can facilitate our understanding of the same.

Children with developmental disabilities including Cerebral Palsy and Autism Spectrum Disorder frequently have speech impairments. Based on the 2011 census, there are around 1.9 million individuals with speech disability in India, of which around 80% completely lack speech or have unintelligible speech. Lack of a functional mode of communication can impede children’s overall social communication, emotional, and cognitive development.

Cortical visual impairment (CVI) is defined as visual impairment due to damage to either the visual pathways or the visual centers of the brain. CVI is commonly associated with prematurity as well as insult to the developing brain at the time of birth or even thereafter. It is in fact an emerging cause of visual impairment among children in developed and developing countries.

The Jaipur Foot, developed by R.C. Sharma and Dr. P.K. Sethiat Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahayata Samiti, Jaipur in 1968, has benefitted over half million lower-limb amputees around the world. The process relies on low-cost materials and manual skills, and has remained relatively unchanged over the last five decades.

Heart and lung diseases have become the top causes of death in India, and require effective auscultation (listening to chest sounds) for correct diagnosis. Conventional stethoscopes used by doctors require considerable training and concentration to identify the relevant sound patterns, especially in noisy environment.

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) have developed a new life-saving device that can detect heart attacks early on using a smartphone. The innovative sensor, conceptualised by students Debasmita Mondal and Sourabh Agrawal, and guided by Prof. Soumyo Mukherji, won the recently presented 2018 Gandhian Young Technological Innovation award recently.

The fact that Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes the deadly tuberculosis, has developed resistance to most of the antibiotics we have today, is not news anymore. Many bacteria are developing resistance to common antibiotics faster than the number of effective drugs being discovered to fight them. The need of the hour is not just a “new” drug, but possibly a new method of treatment that can fight drug resistant bacteria. Now, a study by Prof.

IITB has developed a potentially minimally invasive cartilage regeneration technique which could be a painless, inexpensive, and non-toxic method to cure osteoarthritis.

“Can we get a 3D model from 2D X-ray images of a bone from a patient’s body?” asked a top surgeon from Hinduja hospital, who wanted an alternative to the current practice. The OrthoCAD lab’s software can do this within a minute, with atmost two X-ray images.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a transparent sunscreen lotion and yet protect your skin from harmful UV ? Engineered nanoparticles can now provide the right kind of mask.

How safe are gold nanostructures for treating cancer patients?  Quite safe now says a research team at IITB. The team has engineered a new gold nanoparticle called Lipos Au NPs that has unprecedented potential to cure cancer in a biologically safe and noninvasive way.

Ten robots are working independently to push a cargo. Can they produce a net force equivalent to that of eleven robots working independently? The answer is, YES, it is possible in the nano-bio world — each robot has to switch between two “states”, based on a set of rules!

Almost 70 years after independence nearly 600 million Indians do not have access to proper sanitation. A recent technology development brings clean, eco-friendly, and affordable sanitation to the masses.

Pathological examination of blood requires the plasma to be separated from the red blood cells and the white blood cells.  Usually this is done by centrifugation (high speed rotation) of the blood. The disadvantage with this is that it requires a significant amount of blood and a centrifuge cannot be integrated with a microdevice for point-of-care applications. Researchers at IIT Bombay have now designed a microfluidic chip for blood separation, that can function with a very little blood. Importantly, the microfluidic chip offers almost 100% efficiency in the separation.

Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive of all grades of a type of brain tumour known as glioma, with less than one year of life expectancy. Detection of brain tumors at the early stages of the disease is a challenge and may improve treatment outcomes. A recent research finds that it is possible to detect GBM by analysis of proteins in the blood serum.