Four doctoral graduates at UKZN had a common purpose – to find new medicines for humanity.
Dr Suhas Shintre of India, Dr Saba Alapour of Iran, Dr Samuel Aremu of Nigeria and Dr Kaalin Gopaul of South Africa all undertook their PhD studies under the auspices of UKZN’s Organic Chemistry Research Group. Although from different countries, their united aim was to find new medicines for humanity.
The four were supervised by Professor Neil Koorbanally of the School of Chemistry and Physics. Shintre and Alapour also worked under the auspices of the Fluorine Expansion Initiative and were co-supervised by Professor Deresh Ramjugernath.
Hailing from a small village in Kolhapur in India, Shintre worked in the research and development division of a pharmaceutical company before realising that his knowledge and experience were insufficient for him to grow in his career. He then enrolled for a PhD at UKZN, with his main focus being Medicinal Chemistry.
In his thesis titled: Synthesis, Characterisation and Bioactivity of Quinoxaline and Benzimidazole Derivatives, Shintre developed a range of active pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates which were tested for their antimicrobial, anti-diabetic and antioxidant properties. A computational study of the synthesized molecules was also carried out. Shintre concluded that these synthesized compounds showed prominent antimicrobial and antidiabetic activity. The compounds synthesized are lead compounds for the pharmaceutical industry.
Shintre is currently working as a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Chemistry and Physics, UKZN, under the supervision of Koorbanally and Ramjugernath. He is investigating the derivatives of the anti-HIV drug, dolutegravir. ‘Suhas was an amazing PhD student,’ said Koorbanally. ‘We had many fruitful scientific discussions and thought of many scientific ideas together. He is one of the future scientific minds.’
Iranian national Alapour comes from a family that has always motivated her to help other people and this support encouraged Alapour to undertake her PhD. ‘Studying in a foreign country can be difficult, but in South Africa I felt at home as people are kind and friendly,’ she said.
Alapour’s doctoral research involved working on the synthesis of novel pharmaceuticals such as anti-bacterial and anti HIV-drugs, using inexpensive and greener methods. The main aim of the research was to ensure that people across the world could have easy access to medicines. Currently, Alapour is working to combat the threat of drug-resistant diseases.
In following her goal to design a strategy to synthesize more inexpensive pharmaceuticals, Alapour said that the beauty of South Africa further motivated her to develop greener processes in industries to produce more efficient pharmaceuticals with inexpensive procedures.
‘Saba was a hard working student, always thinking about and trying new ideas,’ said Koorbanally. ‘She always had an idea in mind. This makes a true scientist.’
Nigerian-born Aremu said it was inevitable he would pursue a career involved in imparting knowledge, as both his parents were teachers. After graduating with his Bachelor of Technology degree in Pure and Applied Chemistry and Master of Science in Organic Chemistry from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, Aremu started lecturing at the Bowen University in Nigeria.
Coming from this background and the influence of his microbiologist wife, Aremu pursued his doctoral studies at UKZN. His research synthesized pyrimidine derivatives via a one-pot reaction. He tested these for anti-cancer activity where several of the compounds were very active in the anti-cancer assays studied.
‘The results will add an additional small library of organic compounds to the range of anti-cancer compounds available as leads for anti-cancer drugs,’ said Koorbanally. ‘Samuel was a real tiger in the laboratory. He persevered with his synthesis and made sure he synthesized the compounds he set out to make. I admire him for his tenacity and never-say-die attitude.’
Aremu said: ‘The research endeavour was a success. Working with medicinal compounds, there was never a dull moment. The work was always interesting and each day brought with it new challenges and new hopes.’ Aremu is engaged in postdoctoral work at North-West University, looking at medicinal compounds. He hopes to become an academic and researcher.
Gopaul undertook her undergraduate studies at UKZN. Whilst working as a research assistant under Dr Phillip Coombes, Gopaul was inspired by research conducted by postgraduate students. This sparked her interest in the field of organic synthesis and drug development.
Gopaul’s research entailed the optimised synthesis of quinoline-2-hybrid compounds, namely quinoline-2-chalcones, quinoline-2-carboxamides and quinoline-2-thiosemicarbazones. The primary motivation for this was to develop new pharmacological agents for drug development. ‘A postgraduate career in the sciences is challenging but ultimately rewarding,’ said Gopaul. ‘My studies have taught me a great level of independence and helped me find leadership qualities within myself.’
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