Drug Discovery Research Assistant

Resume_ Bharath Kumar Gajjela

Bharath Kumar Gajjela, PhD

Elmhurst, NY • 917-***-**** • *******@*****.***

Professional Summary

Highly experienced and driven medicinal chemist with over 15 years in drug discovery, structure-based design, and analytical method development. Expertise in small molecule synthesis, chiral separation, pharmacokinetics, and development of therapeutics targeting cancer, Alzheimer’s, and autoimmune disorders. Core Competencies

v Structure-based drug design (docking, PyMOL)

v Synthesis of small molecule inhibitors (HDAC, BRD4, PROTACs) v In vivo pharmacokinetic studies

v Advanced analytical techniques: Chiral/Prep-HPLC, LCMS, NMR, Flash Chromatography v Mentorship and team leadership

v Scientific leadership: mentorship, writing, and instrumentation oversight v External collaboration and CRO management

Professional Experience

• Research Assistant Professor

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 2025–Present o Led epigenetic drug discovery targeting BRD4 and HDAC-IIa for oncology, autoimmune, and neuroinflammatory disorders through structure-based design, synthesis, and SAR optimization of selective inhibitors

o Composed and prepared scientific grant proposals to support ongoing research initiatives in medicinal chemistry

o Conducted in vivo pharmacokinetic (PK) evaluations of lead compound MS402, contributing critical ADME and efficacy data for preclinical development and IND-enabling studies o Served as departmental lead for NMR and LC-MS, enhancing analytical performance and instrumentation reliability

• Instructor

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 2022–2025 o Designed and synthesized selective small-molecule inhibitors targeting the ET and BD1 domains of BRD4 through structure-based drug design, advancing therapeutic development for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) o Mentored junior researchers—including a pre-medical student—in experimental design, data analysis, and effective scientific communication

o Oversaw LC-MS and NMR instrumentation, ensuring optimal performance and providing hands-on training in instrument operation and data interpretation o Published impactful research, presented findings through posters and research-in-progress seminars, fostering scientific visibility and interdisciplinary collaboration

• Postdoctoral Fellow

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 2018–2022 o Designed and synthesized PROTACs targeting kinase proteins such as RAS, CDK4/6, and the epigenetic regulator BRD4 for targeted protein degradation. Resume_ Bharath Kumar Gajjela

o Employed structure-based drug design and synthesis approaches to develop selective inhibitors for Class IIa HDACs and HIPK2

o Developed and optimized chiral HPLC methods for the resolution and analysis of enantiomers

• Postdoctoral Fellow

Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China 2015–2016 o Developed an innovative synthetic methodology for the efficient synthesis of aryl-sulfonyl fluorides, broadening the scope of sulfonyl-based functionalization strategies o Established versatile approaches for C–C and C=C bond formation, advancing carbon–carbon coupling methodologies in modern organic synthesis

o Authored several peer-reviewed research and review articles in high-impact journals

• Research Fellow (PhD)

CSIR–Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, India 2009–2015 o Designed and synthesized small-molecule tubulin inhibitors o Collaborated on industry-driven projects, including Eletriptine synthesis, DNA-binding agents (e.g., pyrrolobenzodiazepines), and novel surfactant development o Published 21 peer-reviewed research articles

Industrial Experience

• Research Scientist

Vidgas Science and Technology, Hyderabad, India 2017–2018 o Developed drug impurities and chiral separation methods; supervised four chemists o Manage CROs and collaborative scientific contracts for timely, goal-aligned output

• Chemist

AVRA Laboratories, Hyderabad, India 2006–2008

o Scaled up synthesis of heterocycles; applied advanced purification and characterization Education

Ph.D – Medicinal & Organic Chemistry, CSIR-IICT and Kakatiya University, India 2009–2015 M.Sc – Organic Chemistry, Kakatiya University, India 2003–2006 B.Ed – Science Education, Kakatiya University, India 2004–2005 B.Sc – Chemistry, Kakatiya University, India 1999–2002 Patents (4) and Publications (28)

(1)US/EP: Trimethoxystyryl arylaminopropenone derivatives; (2) US/EP: Pyrazolochalcone derivatives; (3) EP/US: Pyrazole-linked benzimidazole conjugates (4) US/EP/WO: Styryl benzenesulfonamides as anticancer agents; Drug Discov Today (2022), Curr Opin Chem Biol (2023); Bioorg Med Chem, Chem Med Chem, Eur J Med Chem, Org Biomol Chem (2011–2024) (Full list available upon request) References

Available upon request

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