معرفی
Professor A. Ganesan is Chair of Chemical Biology at the University of East Anglia's School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology, where he serves as Director of Postgraduate Research and Head of the Healthy Ageing research theme. He co-founded Karus Therapeutics and chairs the EU COST Action 'Epigenetic Chemical Biology', while holding key roles in IUPAC and the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Education
- BSc (Hons) in Chemistry, National University of Singapore (1986)
- PhD in Synthetic Methodology and Total Synthesis, University of California-Berkeley (1992)
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Harvard University (1992-1993)
His research focuses on chemical biology and medicinal chemistry, specializing in biologically active natural products and epigenetic mechanisms. Current work emphasizes drug discovery for cancer and age-related diseases, particularly through HDAC and LSD1 inhibition, with strong translation potential via industry partnerships like Karus Therapeutics. His group combines synthetic organic chemistry with computational approaches to develop novel therapeutics targeting epigenetic pathways.
Recent publications (2023-2025) show a shift toward computational drug design for epigenetic targets, especially HDAC6 inhibitors for cancer therapy, while earlier work centered on natural product synthesis and calcium signaling mechanisms. This evolution reflects growing integration of AI-driven docking studies with traditional synthetic approaches.
Research Leadership
- Director of Postgraduate Research at UEA School of Pharmacy
- Head of Healthy Ageing Research Theme
- Chair of EU COST Action CM1406 'Epigenetic Chemical Biology'
- Member of IUPAC Subcommittee for Medicinal Chemistry
He actively supervises PhD students with current projects on marine-derived antibiotics, plant bioactives from Malaysian/Middle Eastern botanicals, and fungal metabolites. Major grants include Cancer Research UK (£91k, 2007-2011) for histone methylation inhibitors and BBSRC funding (£351k, 2009-2012) for NAADP receptor antagonists, plus ongoing Saudi/Kuwaiti-funded initiatives in natural product discovery.
