Dr. Yedukondalu Nalli is a Scientist in Natural Products Chemistry at the CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu an esteemed national institute under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Nalli’s research integrates traditional medicinal knowledge with cutting-edge natural product chemistry, making significant contributions to national and institutional efforts to address urgent public health challenges including cancer, antimicrobial resistance, and neurodegenerative disorders.

Dr. Nalli holds an M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry from Andhra University (2009) and has since led multidisciplinary efforts in natural product-based drug discovery. His core expertise spans phytochemistry including extraction, purification, structure elucidation, and semi-synthetic derivatization of secondary metabolites from plants, endophytes, and microbes. He is highly proficient in a suite of sophisticated analytical techniques, including multidimensional NMR, High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS), Single-Crystal X-ray Diffraction, and advanced chromatographic methods (Flash, HPLC), which he utilizes to isolate and characterize structurally novel and biologically potent molecules.

At CSIR-IIIM, a major focus of Dr. Nalli’s research is the chemical and pharmacological exploration of Cannabis sativa. His work has resulted in the discovery of structurally unique and pharmacologically significant molecules including four novel spiroindanes, cytotoxic stilbenes (Canniprene A & B), and glycosylated cannabinoids with anti-metastatic and neuroprotective activities. One of his key achievements is the identification of Cannabispirenone A, a compound that modulates CB1 receptor signaling and oxidative stress pathways, showing promise against neurodegenerative diseases.

To overcome the limitations of natural cannabinoid abundance and diversity, Dr. Nalli has pioneered an extract engineering approach to synthesize a diverse library of rare and novel cannabinoids with enhanced pharmacological profiles. This strategy led to the discovery of novel cannabinoid C- and O-glycosides with strong anti-invasive effects on breast and pancreatic cancer cells. He also developed oxidized cannabinoids with potent anti-MRSA activity, contributing to global antibiotic discovery efforts.

Beyond his focus on cannabis, Dr. Nalli’s research has yielded a wealth of bioactive molecules from diverse natural sources. His investigations have led to the discovery and structural characterization of over 200 new or rarely occurring bioactive compounds from diverse sources including plants, microbes, and marine organisms. This systematic effort has uncovered molecules with potent antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects, directly fueling the drug discovery pipeline. His work significantly enriches the prestigious Col. Sir R. N. Chopra Natural Products Repository at CSIR-IIIM, one of India’s largest repositories of bioactive natural molecules.

Dr. Nalli has published over 50 peer-reviewed research articles, many in high-impact journals, and is an inventor on multiple international patent applications filed in Canada, Europe, the U.S., Australia, and Ireland. His work has been recognized through institutional awards and global acknowledgement of his patent contributions.

Beyond research, Dr. Nalli is passionate about cultivating the next generation of natural product chemists. He plays a vital role in training and mentoring early-career scientists, postdoctoral fellows, PhD students, junior researchers, project fellows, and postgraduates, providing them with rigorous, hands-on experience in cutting-edge chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. This contributes to India’s growing capacity in natural product-based drug discovery. The researchers who train in his laboratory emerge with a comprehensive skill set, ready to contribute to academia, industry, and the regulatory sector.

Through his sustained research, innovation, and mentorship, Dr. Yedukondalu Nalli continues to strengthen India’s scientific leadership in natural product-based drug discovery and contribute meaningfully to global health innovation.