It is now evident that metal ions, especially iron, play a crucial role in progression of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD lesion-associated iron favours beta amyloid folding and plaque formation and also generates neurotoxic free radicals. Hence, design and development of an iron chelator that can selectively chelate redox active iron present in the brain to prevent further progression of AD would be beneficial. The influence of molecular properties (Log P, molecular weight, different functional group/s) of 3-hydroxypyridin-4-ones (Fe+3 chelators) on their efficiency to cross (influx) BBB is studied in the present work in order to aid the design of an efficient iron chelator for prophylaxis of AD.

I am working on a very fundamental understanding of the influnece of structural and phy-chemical properties of 3-hydroxypyridin-4-ones (iron chelators)that influence their blood-brain barrrier influx.
I design chelators and evaluate their BBB influx properties in a synthetic chemistry and a pharmacology lab, respectively.