Dharmaraja Allimuthu

Dr Dharmaraja Allimuthu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, where he leads an interdisciplinary chemical-biology laboratory established in 2018. His group integrates synthetic chemistry, chemical proteomics, and cell-biology approaches to investigate oxidative lipid metabolism and its therapeutic exploitation in cancer and neurodegeneration.

Education

• Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences (2015), IISER-Pune
• M.Sc. in Chemistry (2005), Bharathidasan University

Research Focus
Dr Allimuthu’s team pursues three interconnected themes:

• Ferroptosis Therapeutics: Designing first-in-class small-molecule inducers and inhibitors that reprogram iron-dependent cell death pathways.
• Chemical Probes: Engineering covalent modifiers for site-selective protein labeling and targeted protein degradation (PROTACs & molecular glues).
• Lipid Droplet Biology: Creating small molecules that promote endogenous lipid droplet accumulation as a means to modulate lysosomal autophagy (lysophagy).

Publication Highlights
Across 13 peer-reviewed articles (2012–2025), his work spans organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, and microbiology. Recent papers illuminate versatile scaffolds for GPX4 inhibition, isatoic anhydride bioconjugation platforms, and redox-modulating iron complexes that trigger apoptosis in cancer cells—demonstrating a trajectory from molecular design to mechanistic validation in cellular and organismal models.

Professional Experience

• Assistant Professor, IIT Kanpur (2018 – present)
• Post-doctoral Researcher, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio (2015 – 2018)
• Graduate Research Fellow, IISER-Pune (2010 – 2015)
• Scientist, Dow Chemical International Private Limited, Pune (2007 – 2009)

Laboratory & Facilities
The group operates from SL-206 Southern Laboratories, leveraging IIT Kanpur’s state-of-the-art facilities—including mass spectrometry, imaging, and chemical proteomics platforms—to translate chemical tools into next-generation therapeutics.