Born: 09 November 1992, India

Room: 321B, building A2

Phone: +48 713204080

e-mail: manish.kumar@pwr.edu.pl

Hobby: reading, cooking, travelling, beer/wine, and playing sport game

ORCID: 0000-0002-9859-3793

Current Research

• de novodesign of cavity-incorporating mini-proteins
• synthesis of mini-proteins and peptides
• application of miniproteins in catalysis

Previous Research

My previous research interest includes the design and synthesis of novel low molecular weight organoselenium compounds which can act as in multifunctional way i.e.  radical-trapping as well as glutathione peroxidase (GPx)-like antioxidants. The designing is usually based on that organoselenium antioxidants will protect the lipid membranes and mtDNA against “oxidative stress” caused by overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) in cells. They would also be potentially useful for stabilization of organic materials such as polymers, oils, fluids and pulp products but also for treatment of diseases with a component of “oxidative stress”.

In this regards, ebslenamines and ebselenols are developed as novel organoselenium Se─N heterocyclic compounds carrying aminic and phenolic group in a very close proximity to the Se atom. The 77Se{1H} NMR spectroscopy traditional technique has been used to perform control redox reactions to investigate mechanistic/catalytic study and isolate important intermediate of organoselenium compounds. All developed organoselenium compounds inhibited the lipid peroxidation much more efficiently than α-tocopherol in two-phase lipid peroxidation model system and showed excellent GPx-like activities than parent ebselen. The single electron transfer (SET), hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), and proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanisms for the antioxidant properties of all developed catalysts have been supported by Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. Also, N-methylated ebselenamines were found to scavenge the ROS produced at low concentration (10 μM) with low toxicity effects and would have the therapeutic potential against autoxidation. It is anticipated that these compounds would have the potential to be used in several diseases caused by autoxidation, and thus, providing protection for mammalians from cell death.

Education and Research Positions

2023 – Present: Postdoc Fellow (Visiting Researcher) at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Poland in the Prof. Lukasz Berlicki Group

2023 -  Ph.D. in Chemistry from Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.

Thesis Title: “Multifunctional Amino-Substituted Organoselenium Radical-Trapping Antioxidants: Syntheses and Biological Evaluations”

2015 - M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry, Deenbandhu Chhotu Ram University of Science and Technology, Murthal, Sonepat, Haryana, India

Professional Awards

2022 - International travel support from SERB (India govt.) to attend the ICCST-15 conference in Brazil

2019 - Senior Research Fellowship (SRF), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India

2018 - GATE qualified in Chemistry

2016 - Junior Research Fellowship (JRF), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India

Achievements

• Discipline Secretary Head of Chemical Society, Panjab University 2019-20
• Sports Secretary Head of Chemical Society, Panjab University 2021-22

Conference and Workshop Attended (Selected)

1. Presented a poster in “15 th International Conference on the Chemistry of Selenium
   and tellurium (ICCST-15) in Brazil 28 th November to 2 nd December, 2022.
2. Presented a poster in “RCPNS National Symposium on Emerging Chemical
   Sciences with Modern World” organized by Department of Chemistry, Panjab
   University, Chandigarh, India, 11 th March, 2022
3. Presented a poster in “International Conference on Strategies and Challenges in
   Computational Chemistry: From Molecular Simulation to Quantum
   Crystallography” under the aegis of CRICK, 5 th -6 th March 2019.
4. Participated in National Workshop on “Single Crystal Structure Determination of
   Small Molecules” organized by Panjab University, Chandigarh In association with
   Rigaku Corporation, Japan, 20 th -21 st November, 2018.
5. Presented a poster in “International Conference on Translational Research in Life
   Sciences (TRLS-2018)” under the aegis of CRIC & DST-CPR In association with
   Prof. S. V. Malhotra from Stanford University, School of Medicine, USA, 5 th -7 thJuly, 2018.

Publications

1. Vinutha, K. V.; Kumar, M.; Singh, V. P.; Rao, M. R. “ESIPT-Active Pyrene-imidazole Fluorophores: GSIPT, Dual Solid- and Solution-State Emission plus Counter-Intuitive Crystal Packing” ChemPhotoChem 2023, https://doi.org/10.1002/cptc.202300115. 
2. Kumar, M.; Chhillar, B.; Verma, D.; Nain, S.; Singh, V. P. “Introduction of Methyl Group in Substituted Isoselenazolones: Catalytic and Mechanistic Study” J. Org. Chem. 2023, 88, 4273–4285.
3. Yadav, M.; Kumar, M.; Chahal, A.; Sodhi, N.; Chhillar, B.; Alajangi, H. K.; Barnwal, R. P.; Singh, V. P. “Synthesis, Reactions and Antioxidant Properties of Bis(3-amino-1- hydroxybenzyl)diselenide” J. Org. Chem. 2023, 88, 3509-3522.
4. Kumar, M.; Sharma, D.; Singh, V. P. “Modulation of Chain-Breaking Antioxidant Activity of Phenolic Organochalcogens with Various Co-antioxidants at Various pH Values” Org. Biomol. Chem. 2023, 21, 1316-1327.
5. Kumar, M.; Singh, V. P. “Synthesis and antioxidant activities of N-thiophenyl ebselenamines: A 77Se{1H} NMR mechanistic study” New J. Chem. 2022, 46, 12010-12022.
6. Kumar, M.; Yadav, M.; Chhillar, B.; Singh, V. P. “Regenerable radical-trapping and preventive selenazolonamine antioxidants” Asian J. Org. Chem. 2021, 10, 1492-1499.
7. Kumar, M.; Chhillar, B.; Yadav, M.; Sagar, P.; Singhal, N. K.; Gates, P. J.; Butcher, R. J.; Singh, V. P. “Catalytic and highly regenerable aminic organoselenium antioxidants with cytoprotective effects” Org. Biomol. Chem. 2021, 19, 2015-2022.