Our research at the interface of material chemistry and biology focuses on developing therapeutic nanomaterials for high-mortality diseases and resilient infections while addressing the need for innovative diagnostic tools.

The current research focus includes: (a) Tailoring bioinspired, stimuli-responsive nanomaterials to combat bacterial infections, including drug-resistant strains and biofilms. The aim is to design multifunctional nanomaterials that act as antibiotic carriers and standalone bactericidal agents. (b) Developing advanced nanomedicines for precise cancer targeting to minimize collateral damage to healthy cells. Our objective is to design nanomaterials that can modulate the tumor microenvironment alongside their ability to control various programmed cell death pathways, such as ferroptosis and apoptosis, to enhance the selectivity and effectiveness of cancer therapy.

Additionally, we aim to explore nanoparticle interactions with cells and tissues and collaborate across disciplines to advance the potential impact of our work. 

• Singh, G. R. Sherin, G. Mugesh, “Antioxidant and Prooxidant Nanozymes: From Cellular Redox Regulation to Next-Generation Therapeutics” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2023, 135, e202301232.

• Singh, S. K. Naveen Kumar, M. Geethika, G. Mugesh, “Cerium Vanadate Nanozyme with Specific Superoxide Dismutase Activity Regulates Mitochondrial Function and ATP Synthesis in Neuronal Cells” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2021, 60, 3121-3130.

• Singh, K. P. Raul, A. Poulose, G. Mugesh, V. Venkatesh, “Highly Stable Pyrimidine Based Luminescent Copper Nanoclusters with Superoxide Dismutase Mimetic and Nitric Oxide Releasing Activity” ACS Appl. Bio Mater., 2020, 3, 7454-7461.

• Singh, G. Mugesh, “CeVO₄ Nanozymes Catalyze the Reduction of Dioxygen to Water without Releasing Partially Reduced Oxygen Species” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2019, 58, 7797-7801.

• T. Prakash^†, N. Singh^†, V. Venkatesh, “Synthesis of Novel Luminescent Copper Nanoclusters with Substituents Driven Self-assembly and Aggregation Induced Emission (AIE)” Chem. Commun., 2019, 55, 322-325. (^†Equal 1^st author)

• Singh, M. Geethika, S. M. Eswarappa, G. Mugesh, “Manganese-Based Nanozymes: Multienzyme Redox Activity and Effect on the Nitric Oxide Produced by Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase” Chem. Eur. J., 2018, 24, 8393-8403.

• Singh, M. A. Savanur, S. Srivastava, P. D’Silva, G. Mugesh, “A Redox Modulatory Mn₃O₄ Nanozyme with Multi-enzyme Activity Provides Efficient Cytoprotection to Human Cells in a Parkinson's Disease Model” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2017, 56, 14267-14271.

• Assistant Professor, IIT Kanpur, Kanpur, India, 2024 onwards

• Scientist, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India, 2023-2024

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, 2022-2023

• Postdoctoral Fellow, Imperial College London, London, UK, 2020-2022

• Research Associate, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, 2018-2019

• Karolinska Institute Research Foundation Grant 2023.

• MSCA Vinnova Postdoctoral Fellowship 2022, Swedish Innovation Agency Vinnova.

• IUPAC-Solvay International Award for Young Chemists 2020.

• Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship 2020 (Not availed).

• ETH Zürich Postdoctoral Fellowship 2020 (Not availed).

• Metrohm Young Chemist Award 2019, Metrohm India and IIT-Bombay.

• Indian Academy of Sciences, IASc-INSA-NASI Summer Research Fellowship 2011.

Office

FB 437, Faculty Building,
Department of Chemistry
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur,
Kanpur 208016

Office Phone: 0512-259-2527 (O)

Email: namrata[AT]iitk.ac.in