Sindhuja Sidharan

Veena S. Rao, PhD

Current institute: Thrombosis Research Institute, India

Jeremiah S. Joseph, PhD

Current institute: The SCRIPPS Reseach Institute, USA

Selvanayagam Nirthanan, PhD

Current institute: Griffith university, Australia

Rajamani Lakshminarayanan, PhD

Project: I studied the effect of proteins from egg shells on biomineralization.

Current Institute: Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore

Huang Minzhou, PhD

Current institute: University of Pennsylvania, USA

Gong Jianping, PhD

Zhang Wen Sheng, PhD

Pung Yuh Fen, PhD

Project: I have isolated two novel proteins from king cobra venom and deciphered their physiological role and mechanism.

Pawlak Joanna, PhD

Project: My project focussed on the structural and functional characterization of novel toxins - potential novel research tools and therapeutic agents.

Current institute: The SCRIPPS Reseach Institute, USA

Syed Rehana, PhD

Project: My research involved the purification and characterization of a novel protein from the venom of snakes.

Dileep Gangadharan N R A, PhD

Project: I studied the structure and structure-function relationships of two proteins from a novel family of snake venom proteins called waprins

Md Abu Reza, PhD

Project: I determined the structural differences of venom proteins with their counterpart in the plasma at cDNA level; Characterized the respective genes; Identified and characterized the promoters of the genes to understand their regulation of expression.

Current institute: Rajshahi University, Bangladesh

Kang Tse Siang, PhD

Project: α-conotoxins and χ /λ-conotoxins are short peptides with the same four conserved cysteines, but with distinct disulfide pairing (C1-3, C2-4 and C1-3, C2-4 respectively) resulting in globular and ribbon conformations. Through sequence alignment and subsequent studies using synthetic analogues, we have identified the importance of proline in the first intercysteine loop and C-terminal amide for the differential folding of these peptides. The folding propensities, as determined by coelution with regiospecifically synthesized conformers and NMR spectroscopy, indicate that these structural features act as conformations switches. Consequent conformation changes substantially impact the binding affinity of ImI conotoxin analogues to Aplysia Acetylcholine binding protein. The compact framework of these conotoxins present as attractive mini-protein scaffolds for presenting bioactive segments. As such, we have introduced RGD and KTS tripeptide sequences to design inhibitors of αIIbβ3 and α1β1 integrin receptors in this scaffold.

Current institute: The SCRIPPS Reseach Institute, USA

Teo Chung Pin - Graduate student

Project: My work involved the identification of binding partner for ohanin in the central nervous system.

Project: Isolation and characterization of anticoagulant proteins from salivary gland extracts of ticks.This involves purification and structure-function studies of the novel proteins.

Ritu Chandna

Project: Characterization of novel three-finger toxins (3FTxs) identified from the snake Dysdalia coronoides venom gland.

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Bidhan Nayak

Project: Sructure-activity relationship of a phospholipase A2 enzyme from S. violaceoruber, with the aim to design a small active scaffold of the enzyme.

Summer Han Xia

Project: Transcriptional regulation of Trocarin D from Tropidechis carinatus.

Varuna H.P.

Project: Structure-function relationships of a class of three-finger neurotoxins isolated from snake venom.

Iyer Janaki Krishnamoorthy

Project: Identification and characterization of anticoagulants from tick salivary gland extracts.

Norrapat Shih

Project: Pre-clinical studies of variegin, a very potent anticoagulant peptide isolated from the tick salivary gland.