Research Interests

The mechanism of the heme aggregation process during the pathogenic blood stage of the Plasmodium parasite has eluded scientist for years, partly due to the constant evolution of the malaria parasite and its resistance to current treatment and prevention drugs. Hemozoin continues to remain a drug target by medicinal chemists. A better understanding of the heme aggregation process will help in the design of effective antimalarial drugs. Our group is interested in understanding the heme dimerization process to form hemozoin in the pathogenic blood stage of the plasmodium life cycle. We also study the role of antimalarials play in inhibiting the hemozoin formation. We use synthetic heme model compounds and related compounds to understand these processes.

We are interested in the binding of small molecules such as CO and the NOx's to metal-active sites such as metalloporphyrins and how the complexes activate the molecules for reactivity.

Fluorine-containing molecules are common in pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and industrial materials. The incorporation of fluorine into organic molecules influences the chemical and physical properties of the molecules. We are interested in developing methods for building larger fluorocarbons from small and readily available starting materials.