Research facilities and activities

The Department is well equipped with modern research instrumentation and equipment. Chemicals are purchased as per current research project. Funding of research projects are sponsored by KSA Counsel of Scientific Research, King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology, or any legal approved funding body. The facilities are allocated in different laboratories to suit the safety and type of activities involved.

Chromatography and Mass Laboratory

This lab is well equipped with high performance liquid chromatographs (HPLC) supported with diode array detector, fluorescence detector, and mass detector. These equipment are used for qualification of pharmaceutical products, development of new analytical methods, investigation of biogenic materials, pharmacokinetic studies, and many research areas relevant to qualitative and quantitative analysis. This laboratory involve, LC-MSMS-Ion Trap (Agilent), GC-MS Clarus 5000 (Perkin Elmer), HPLC-DAD-FLD (Waters 2695 Alliance System) and UPLC-MS Triple Quad (Agilent).

Instrumental Laboratory

This lab involve, ICP-MS Speciation system (Agilent), FT-IR (GX Perkin Elmer), Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (Perkin Elmer) along with other instrumental facilities (UV-VIS spectrophotometer, Photoluminescence spectrophotometer, Freeze dry – vacuum from Christ, refrigerated centrifuges, pH-meters, Karl Fisher titrator). All these facilities are also used for investigation of new drug products or materials, exploring the active principles of some medicinal plants or folklore medicine. The heavy metal or radiating substance contaminant in food or water could also be investigated by ICP-MS instrument. Sample preparation tools are necessary to suit the application required.

Medicinal Chemistry Laboratory

This lab involve majorly the equipment, chemicals, tools, and hoods necessary for safe and efficient preparation of new chemical entities claimed as therapeutic agents. Microwave reactors and drug design programs are the most important facilities allocated in this lab. First the micro-synthesis is started using microwave reactors, purifies, verified, confirmed, the scaled up for further bio-investigations.
Graduate students are provided with ready access to these facilities throughout their scientific studies in the research program

The research activities of the academic staff members of the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry are principally geared towards: ·Synthesis and Structure-Activity Relationship studies of compounds with potential anti-infective, anti-oxidant, anticancer and anti-inflammatory and antisickling activities. ·Stability studies of pharmaceutical drug products ·Characterization of metabolic dysfunction based on the profile of free amino acids execrated in human finger. ·Development and validation using new analytical methodologies. ·Pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, bioequivalence and metabolic studies of a variety drug products, with emphasis on anti-infective agents.

Current running research activities sorted by name or team group:

·Prof. Magdy Gineinahexplores the synthesis naphthalimide derivatives as antihyperlipidimic agents, where some derivatives proved very good efficacy. More extensive studies of this nucleus might be needed. Moreover, he designs some quinazoline derivatives as potential selective COX-2 inhibitor to afford the formation of anti-inflammatory agents with minimal gastric side effects. He has some publications in this issue.
·Prof.Dr. Hoda Mahgoub, Prof.Dr. Omayma Abdulrazak, Prof. Alaa Khedr; Plan for a research project entitled "Amino acids profile in Human latent fingerprint for characterization of metabolic dysfunction diseases". The analysis amino acids (AA) released in human finger print was previously reported byAlaa Khedr in 2010. More efforts are currently exerted to verify different metabolic dysfunctions related problems. The chromatographic profile of AA shall be related to the clinical cases under investigation using state of the art analytical methodologies.
·Prof.Dr. A Khedr, currently, explores the chemical composition of fish roe (Caviar) for characterization of the source, qualitative and quantitative verification of major components.
·Dr. Mohamed Ayman El-Zahabi; Is currently started on a research proposal entitled "Design and synthesis of some novel gliptin analogs for treatment of type-2 diabetes" funded by KACST, project number ARP-29-326. Also, he submits 3 proposals as follow:
[A] Molecular Modeling, Design and Synthesis of Some Novel Analogs of Lenalidomide Analogs for Immunomodulatory Activity (Research group proposal).
[B] Molecular modeling, design and synthesis of thalidomide analogs of expected anti-angiogenic, immnunomodulating and anticancer activity (Strategic proposal), [C] Design and Synthesis of Some new Quinazolinone derivatives For AntidibeticActivity (KAU)
·Dr. Mohamed Radwan and Dr. Abdel-Sattar Omar;they joined a research group in the setup of a research project about "The design and synthesis of some novel Gliptin analogues for treatment of type-2 diabetes". Also he started to study synthesis of some anti-inflammatory drugs as a prodrugs to discard the GIT harmful side effects.
·Dr. Abdel-Sattar Omar; currently started a research entitled "[A] Molecular modeling, design and synthesis of thalidomide analogs of expected anti-angiogenic, immnunomodulating and anticancer activity, [B] Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of some analogise of ethacrynic acid as potential antigelling and antisickling agents".
·Dr. Sherif Rostom; currently started a research entitled "Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel lead heterocyclic compounds as potential antimicrobial and/or anticancer agents in sub-micromolar concentrations". In parallel, particular interest is given to the chemistry and pharmacology of pyrazoles with dual anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities
·Prof. Mona Mahran and Dr. Abdel-Sattar Omar:They explore the synthesis and biological evaluation of some analogs of ethacrynic acid as potential antigelling and antisickling agents.Those compounds would contain the imidazole ring tailed to the phenoxyacetic acid part of ethacrynic acidthrough different links. In such proposed structures, imidazole ring would substitute the acrylol moiety in order to keep the protein binding ability of ECA. Besides, imidazole ring would act through inhibition of Gardos channel and prevent dehydration of red blood cells. Exploitation of the dual mechanism of the proposed compounds is the major idea of our research proposal hoping to get more active but less toxic antisickling drugs for the treatment of sickle cell anaemia.
·Dr. Laila Gad; she is currently explore; [A]Design and Synthesis of Aryloxyalkylamines as 5-HT1B Agonist to be tested as Analgesic with possible Antimigraine Activity. The project is funded by Institute of Research &Consultation, KAU 2005). [B] Design and Synthesis of some Cyclic and Acyclic Imides for Hypolipidemic Activity. The project is funded by Deanship of Scientific Research, KAU 2006). [C] Design and Synthesis of Naphthalimide Derivatives as PPARα Agonists, Antihyperlipidemic, and Antiatherosclerotic Agents.The project is funded by Deanship of Scientific Research, KAU 2008). [D] Synthesis, antimicrobial and antiviral testing of some new 1-adamentyl analogues.

Undergraduate research activities

Staff members of Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department participate in the integrated undergraduate research projects. At the end of the first semester each student is requested to submit a research article, poster, and to perform an oral presentation. A top ten projects are selected by multidisciplinary committee for a prize.