معرفی
Sandhya Kortagere, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology at Drexel University College of Medicine. She earned her PhD in Molecular Pharmacology from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, India (2003). Her research focuses on developing small-molecule therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Parkinson’s disease (PD), targeting dopamine receptors and catecholamine transporters. Her work includes designing biased signaling agonists to mitigate Levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) and impulsive/compulsive behaviors, as well as allosteric modulators of monoamine transporters to block psychostimulant effects.
Her research also addresses PD-related non-motor symptoms like mild cognitive impairment, leveraging compounds like SK609. Additionally, she explores neuroinflammation and excitotoxicity pathways in PD, developing neuroprotective agents like KA592 and GT951. In infectious diseases, her lab designs antimalarials targeting Plasmodium falciparum protein interactions, with compounds licensed to Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV).
- Key Projects: Biased D3R agonists for LID, dopamine/norepinephrine modulators for cognitive deficits, and allosteric modulators of DAT/SERT.
- Commercialization: Founded PolyCore Therapeutics to advance PCT-3010 (SK609) into clinical trials for PD.
Awards include the Drexel Institutional Service Award (2024) and Provost Solutions Fellowship (2022-23). Her lab collaborates with researchers like Dr. Ole Mortensen and Dr. Jim Harris (PolyCore CEO), advancing translational drug development.
