Monika Malik
Biography
Monika Malik is an accomplished organic and medicinal chemist currently pursuing her Ph.D. at Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, India, in collaboration with Purdue University, USA, under the mentorship of Prof. Dalip Kumar and Prof. Kavita Shah. Her research focuses on the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of novel indole-based heterocycles as potential anticancer agents.
She has extensive experience in multi-step organic synthesis, analytical techniques such as NMR, HPLC, and mass spectrometry, and has actively worked on kinase and FICD inhibitors. Dr. Malik has contributed to collaborative research with Sun Pharmaceuticals and has been awarded the prestigious SERB Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellowship (OVDF).
She has presented her work at numerous national and international conferences and has several publications in high-impact journals. Her strong academic foundation, leadership in mentoring students, and hands-on training in animal models highlight her dedication to translational cancer research and drug discovery.
Research Interest
Skilled in navigating chemical literature and databases for literature searches and research planning, Synthesis of a diverse library of indole amides, indolylsulfoximines, indolylquinazolines, benzo[a]carbazoles, ?-cyano bis(indolyl)chalcones, and indolyl-1,2,4-triazole as novel anticancer agents
Abstract
Novel N-aryl indolylsulfoximines: A study of design, synthesis and promising selective anticancer agents
The indole core continues to captivate researchers and remains a vibrant area of investigation due to its remarkable
pharmacological potential [1]. Both natural and synthetic indole-based compounds have garnered significant
attention owing to their diverse biological activities, including antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-HIV,
antioxidant, antitubercular, antidiabetic, and antimalarial properties [2]. This wide spectrum of bioactivity has
spurred intense interest in the synthesis of novel indole derivatives. Meanwhile, sulfoximine derivatives have
recently emerged as promising scaffolds in medicinal and synthetic chemistry, attracting growing interest from
researchers in these fields [3,4].The combination of these two important chemical moieties, indoles and
sulfoximines, offers a unique opportunity to develop novel compounds with potentially enhanced biological
activities and therapeutic applications. As part of our efforts to develop novel anticancer agents, in the present
work we have successfully synthesized and conducted cytotoxicity studies on indolylsulfoximines. A facile and
efficient approach utilizing copper-mediated cross-coupling reaction of N-boc-3-indolylsulfoximines with aryl
iodides was developed to synthesize a diverse range of N-arylated indolylsulfoximines in excellent yields (up to
91%). Indolylsulfoximines were readily prepared by the treatment of N-boc-3-methylthioindoles with a
combination of IBD and ammonium carbamate. The reaction is highly chemoselective and tolerant of a wide
range of functional groups. The prepared indolylsulfoximines are well characterized using NMR and Mass
spectrometry. The N-arylated indolylsulfoximines derivatives displayed a broad spectrum of activity (1.2-8.2 ?M)
against the tested prostrate and breast cancer cell lines. These compounds were found to be non-cytotoxic to
normal HEK293 cells, indicating their potential selectivity for cancer cells. Cellular assay shows that
indolylsulfoximine increases the endogenous level of ROS, leading to the increased level of p-53 and c-jun
inducing apoptosis. N-arylated indolylsulfoximines also induced mitochondrial dysfunction, further promoting
apoptotic pathways. As oxidative stress causing tubulin depolymerization [5]. Our data shows that N-aryl
indolylsulfoximines could serve as potent and selective anti-cancer agents. A comprehensive presentation of the
synthesis and the biological results of indolylsulfoximines will be delivered during the conference.
