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Dr. Kuljit Singh
Scientist
Infectious Diseases Division
CSIR – Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine,Canal Road, Jammu – 180001
Email: singh.kuljit[at]iiim[dot]res[dot]in
Phone/ext.: 333
Bio Sketch
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a serious threat to human health and well-being worldwide. Our group explores comprehensive research on drug-resistant ESKAPE pathogens which cause nosocomial infections and are associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs.
Our prime focus is to investigate novel strategies to give an impetus to the drug discovery pipeline against these deadly infections. Our group aims to identify potent scaffolds and validate novel therapeutic targets to bolster and diversify the chemical space accessible for drug discovery. Our lab is very interested in understanding the phenomena of anti-microbial resistance and discovering the mechanism of pathogen survival in stressful and healthcare environments. We have developed various assays to decipher the mechanism of action of bioactive molecules using molecular biology and biochemical approaches.
Also, we explore the possibility of developing NCEs against Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) or Kala-azar, a neglected tropical disease that affects millions of poor people worldwide. VL has a high fatality rate and is ranked next to malaria as the deadliest protozoan disease. We study the systemic biology of leishmanial parasites and the development of therapeutic implications with a phytopharmaceutical/synthetic approach.
Education
| Degree | Subjects | University | Qualifying Year |
| Ph.D. | Biotechnology | NIPER-Hajipur | 2018 |
| M.S. (PHARM.) | Biotechnology | NIPER-S.A.S. Nagar | 2012 |
| B. PHARMACY | Pharmacy | PTU-Jalandhar | 2010 |
Position Held
| Position Held | Period | Organization |
| Scientist | 2020 – Present | CSIR-IIIM, JAMMU |
| Research Associate-I | 2019 – 2020 | CSIR-IMTECH, Chandigarh |
| Research Officer | 2018 – 2019 | THSTI-Faridabad |
Area of Expertise
- Bioactive Screening, Antimicrobial Resistance and Drug Discovery
- Biology of Healthcare-associated ESKAPE pathogens (Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumonia)
- Therapeutic targets approach through Molecular Biology and Clinical Microbiology
- Protein biochemistry, structure, and functional elucidation
Projects
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- CSPS24/IHP24/03: Development of tertiary amides of beddomeilactone as novel Anti-staphylococcal agents: A multi-disciplinary approach
- GAP-3114: Evaluation and mechanistic studies of N-glycosylated 3,3′-Diindolylmethane derivatives against Leishmania donovani
- MLP-21005: Assay establishment and screening of anti-infective compounds
- MLP-110014: Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov) testing in human clinical samples at CSIR-IIIM
Publications
| Authors | Title | Journal |
| Vishwani Jamwal, Tashi Palmo, Kuljit Singh* | Understanding the mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance and potential therapeutic approaches against the Gram-negative pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii | RSC Medicinal Chemistry (2024) doi.org/10.1039/D4MD00449C |
| Diksha Kumari, Dixhya Rani, Anil Bhushan, Vishwani Jamwal, Bashir Lone, Gunjan Lakhanpal, Amit Nargotra, Prasoon Gupta and Kuljit Singh* | Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of eugenol-isoxazoline hybrid derivatives as potential anti-leishmanial agents | Journal of Molecular Structure, 1308 (2024) 138105 |
| Diksha Kumari, Parampreet Kour, Chetan Paul Singh, Rinku Choudhary, Syed Mudassir Ali, Sagar Bhayye, Yogesh P. Bharitkar, Kuljit Singh* | Anhydroparthenin as a dual-target inhibitor against Sterol C-24 methyltransferase and Sterol 14-α demethylase of Leishmania donovani: A comprehensive in vitro and in silico study | International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 269 (2024) 132034 |
| Diksha Kumari, Vishwani Jamwal, Ajeet Singh, Shashank K. Singh, Somdutt Mujwar, Md. Yousuf Ansari, Kuljit Singh* | Repurposing FDA Approved Drugs against Sterol C-24 methyltransferase of Leishmania donovani: A Dual in silico and in vitro Approach | Acta Tropica, 258 (2024) 107338 |
| Diksha Kumari, Harjot Kaur, Tashi Palmo, Amit Nargotra, Kuljit Singh* | Exploring natural product library as potential target against Sterol C-24 methyltransferase protein of Leishmania donovani | Natural Product Research, 18 (2024) 1-7 |
| Parampreet Kour, Pallavi Saha, Deepak K. Sharma, Kuljit Singh* | IDNA topoisomerases as a drug target in Leishmaniasis: Structural and mechanistic insights | International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 256 (2024) 128401 |
| Parampreet Kour, Pallavi Saha , Srija Bhattacharya , Diksha Kumari, Abhipsa Debnath, Amit Roy, Deepak Sharma, Debaraj Mukherjee and Kuljit Singh* | Design, Synthesis, and biological evaluation of 3,3’-diindolylmethane N-linked glycoconjugate as Leishmanial Topoisomerase IB inhibitor with reduced cytotoxicity | RSC Medicinal Chemistry, 14 (2023) 2100-2114 |
| Boobalan Gopu, Parampreet Kour, Ramajayan Pandian, Kuljit Singh | Insights into the drug screening approaches in leishmaniasis | International Immunopharmacology, 114, 109591 (2023) |
| Diksha Kumari, Shavi Mahajan, Parampreet Kour and Kuljit Singh | Virulence factors of Leishmania parasite: Their paramount importance in unraveling novel vaccine candidates and therapeutic targets | Life Sciences
306, 120829 (2022) |
| Diksha Kumari, and Kuljit Singh | Exploring the paradox of defense between host and Leishmania parasite | International Immunopharmacology, 102, 108400 (2022) |
| Diksha Kumari, Summaya Perveen, Rashmi Sharma, Kuljit Singh | Advancement in leishmaniasis diagnosis and therapeutics: An update | European Journal of Pharmacology 910, 174436 (2021) |
| Gaurav Garg, Vahab Ali, Kuljit Singh, Parool Gupta, Ashish Ganguly, Amogh Sahasrabuddhe, and Pradeep Das | Quantitative secretome analysis unravels new secreted proteins in Amphotericin B resistant Leishmania donovani | Journal of Proteomics, 207, 103464 (2019) |
| Krishn Pratap Singh, Shadab Anwar, Amir Zaidi, Kuljit Singh and Vahab Ali | LdIscU is a [2Fe-2S] scaffold protein which interacts with LdIscS and its expression is modulated by Fe-S proteins in Leishmania donovani | International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 116, 1128-1145 (2018) |
| Kuljit Singh, Vahab Ali, Krishn Pratap Singh, Parool Gupta, Shashi S. Suman, Ayan K. Ghosh, Sanjiva Bimal, Krishna Pandey and Pradeep Das | Deciphering the interplay between cysteine synthase and thiol cascade proteins in modulating Amphotericin B resistance and survival of Leishmania donovani under oxidative stress | Redox Biology, 12, 350-366 (2017) |
| Kuljit Singh, Krishn Pratap Singh, Asif Equbal, Shashi S. Suman, Amir Zaidi, Gaurav Garg, Krishna Pandey, Pradeep Das and Vahab Ali | Interaction between cysteine synthase and serine O-acetyltransferase proteins and their stage specific expression in Leishmania donovani | Biochimie, 131, 29-44 (2016) |
Book Chapters
- Therapeutic Applications of Probiotics and its Regulatory Framework. Kuljit Singh, Tejinder Kaur and Alka Rao. Publisher: Elsevier (2022).
- Safety of Nanoparticles: Emphasis on Antimicrobial Properties. Kuljit Singh*, Shimona Ahlawat, Diksha Kumari, Uma Matlani and Alka Rao*. Publisher: Springer Nature (2023).
- Biomarker Studies of Glycoproteins and Mass Spectrometry. Muhammad Aquib, Tarnnum Quadri, Kuljit Singh*, and Alka Rao*. Publisher: Springer Nature (2024).
- Applications of various nanocomposites used for anti-microbial activity, tissue engineering, biosensors and dental. Diksha Kumari, Parampreet Kour, Vishwani Jamwal, Boobalan Gopu, Kuljit Singh*. Publisher: Taylor & Francis (2024).
Awards and Honours
-
- Gold Medalist in B. Pharmacy (Batch 2006-2010)
- Registered Pharmacist at Punjab State Pharmacy Council, India
- Qualified GPAT-2010 exam, conducted by M.S. University of Baroda (May, 2010).
- Award of a research fellowship from Ministry of Chemical and Fertilizers, Govt. of India for Ph.D. and M.S. (Pharm.) degree at NIPER
- Travel grant award for young investigators from India and South East Asia by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation at 17th International Congress on Infectious Diseases (ICID-2016)
- Scholarship and travel award from SciGenome Research Foundation (SGRF) at NextGen Genomics, Biology, Bioinformatics and Technologies conference (NGBT-2016)
- Awarded with third Best Poster Presentation Prize at 2nd National seminar on Current Trends in Life Science (CTLS-2017)
- Awarded with Start-up Research Grant (SRG), DST, Govt. of India (2022)
Students
| Photo | Name | Area of Interest | Position |
 |
Diksha Kumari | Preclinical development of potential molecules against Leishmaniasis | Ph.D. Scholar- (UGC-SRF)
M.Sc. Zoology (University of Jammu- J&K), qualified CSIR UGC-NET 2019 |
 |
Vishwani Jamwal | Identification and characterization of novel scaffolds against ESKAPE pathogens | Ph.D. Scholar- (UGC-JRF)
M.Sc. Zoology (Chandigarh University- Punjab), qualified CSIR UGC-NET 2022 and GATE 2022 |
 |
Tashi Palmo | Exploring natural product molecules as potential anti-bacterial agents | Ph.D. Scholar- (UGC-JRF)
M.Sc. Zoology (University of Delhi), Qualified CSIR UGC-NET 2023 |
Past Group Members:
Aman Kumar (Post-Graduate Trainee)
Milee (Graduate Trainee)
Sachin (Post-Graduate Trainee)
Wajhida Sayeed (Graduate Trainee)
Yawer Rehman (Post-Graduate Trainee)
Priyanka Thakur (Post-Graduate Trainee)
Akshi Sharma (Graduate Trainee)
Vimarishi Koul (Post-Graduate Trainee)