Email:
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Office Phone: 0512-259-4077
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences & Bioengineering (BSBE)
Research Interest
Peptide design and protein aggregation mechanism, Amyloid diseases, Drug Discovery My lab is working on structural and biophysical basis of protein aggregation involved in amyloid diseases, with an aim for therapeutic development. We are currently looking polyglutamine aggregation in Huntington's disease, chronic inflammation induced systemic amyloidosis, phenylalanine aggregation in Phenylketonuria. In parallel, we are developing nanoparticle based technologies to deliver therapeutic lead molecules to brain.
Education
Ph.D., Institute of Microbial Technology & Panjab Univ., 2002
Singh V, Rai RK, Arora A, Sinha N and Thakur AK (2014) Therapeutic implication of L-phenylalanine aggregation mechanism and its modulation by D-phenylalanine in phenylketonuria. Scientific Reports; 4:3875.
Thakur AK, Jayaraman M, Mishra R, Thakur M, Chellgran VM, Byon IJ, Conway JF, Gronenborn AM and Wetzel R (2009), Polyglutamine disruption of the huntingtin exon 1 N-terminus triggers a complex aggregation mechanism. Nature Structural & Molecular Biology; 16(4), 380-9.
Thakur AK, Yang W, Wetzel R (2004) Inhibition of polyglutamine aggregate toxicity by a structure-based elongation inhibitor. FASEB J; 18(7):923-925
Thakur AK, Wetzel R. (2002) Mutational analysis of the structural organization of polyglutamine aggregrates. Prot Natl Acad Sci (USA); 99(26):17014-17019
Thakur AK, Kishore R (1999) Novel hydrogen bonding ring motifs in a model peptide: crystal and molecular conformation. Chemical Communications; 1643-1644.