Scientist Profile

Dr Nitin Kumar Singhal

Dr Nitin Kumar Singhal

Scientist E

Date of Joining: 02 Mar 2012

+91 172 522 1243

MSc Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee Department of Chemistry, India

PhD Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, Department of Chemistry

Mentor: Prof C P Rao, Specialization: Bio-Inorganic Chemistry

Post Doc (May 2009- Jan 2012): Dept. of Chemistry, Nanobioscience lab, Seoul National University, Seoul, South korea

Mentor: Prof Jwa-Min Nam Specialization: Nanobioscience

  1. Highly sensitive and selective nanobiosensor has been developed for detection and ablation of food bacteria.
  2. Specific aptamers generated against Salmonella Typhimurium for biosensing in contaminated food and water samples
  3. Mechano-bactericidal action of gold nanostars embedded hydrogel bandage for biosafety Applications
  4. Synergistic Anti-bacterial effect of fluorescence-based gold nanocomposites for eradication of bacteria from contaminated environment.
  5. Smartphone-assisted 3D printed fluorescence detection device for microfluidic chip-based multiplexed detection of bacteria.
  6. Synbiotic hydrogel beads comprising of iron and probiotic bacterium encapsulated in alginate for effective iron delivery with enhanced bioavailability and improved gut health

Mechanobactericidal Nanostars for wound healing applications

Gold nanostars, an upcoming class of nanoparticles has a structure composed of characteristic core and several branches. With the ongoing advancements in the surface morphology of Gold nanostars, their spike sharpness can be chemically tuned to achieve specific spike lengths. Exploiting the factor of chemical tunability, our lab has explored the mechanical bacterial lysis aspect of these nanostructures. As multidrug resistance with long term hospitalizations and broadband antibiotic therapy has become a challenge to tackle for the clinicians worldwide, we have explored the mechano-bactericidal effect of Gold nanostars. Further, we are also interested in exploring the microbial cell lysis through Gold nanostars as an analytical platform for biomolecule identification and using them as colorimetric sensors for bacterial load.

 

Nanomaterials for sensing and photoablation

Food-borne pathogens have a huge impact on food safety and also affect human health and economy. Nanotechnology based biosensors represent a promising domain for food borne bacteria detection. Enhanced signal-to-noise ratios and reduced response time are the main advantages of nanomaterials. Further our lab is utilizing glycans and aptamers as specific biorecognition elements. These biorecognition elements are conjugated onto nanomaterials and are being used for the development of detection platforms such as microarray, microfluidic device, cotton swab based portable assays. Along with detection of different bacteria we are also interested in development of novel nanoprobe for photothermal ablation of bacteria by PDT and PTT. With in-house facilities we have synthesized aptamers by the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) approach against various bacterial strains, i.e., E. coli, S. typhimurium, S. aureus, C. perfringens. Now we are diversifying our protocols towards synthesis of aptamers against pesticides to detect water and soil contamination.
 

Targeted therapeutics for nutritional and metabolic disorders

Two major health issues that are major concerns in India are iron deficiency anemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus. These are long term metabolic/lifestyle disorders and are affecting a large fraction of Indian population. Our lab is working towards the identification and execution of different therapeutic approaches for these major disorders through targeted biomaterials. We explore the interface of biology and chemistry for the developing hydrogel and exosome based therapeutic biomaterials. Hydrogels have excellent pH sensitivity and can swell up to multiple folds at favourable pH. This pH sensitivity and sustained release property of hydrogels is being explored by our lab for targeted therapeutics of iron deficiency anemia. Further exosomes are a class of biological vesicles that contain multiple unexplored therapeutic molecules. We are analysing the therapeutic potential of exosomes on type 2 diabetes mellitus.
 

  1. Sagar, Poonam, et al. "Effect of hepcidin antagonists on anemia during inflammatory disorders." Pharmacology & Therapeutics 226 (2021): 107877.

  2. Gupta, Smriti, et al. "siRNA Mediated GSK3β Knockdown Targets Insulin Signaling Pathway and Rescues Alzheimer’s Disease Pathology: Evidence from In Vitro and In Vivo Studies." ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2021).

  3. Singh, Vishal, et al. "Liver Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase-1 Downregulation via siRNA-Functionalized Graphene Oxide Nanosheets Restores Glucose Homeostasis in a Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus In Vivo Model." Bioconjugate Chemistry 32.2 (2020): 259-278.

  4. Kaushal, Shimayali, et al. "Glycoconjugates coated gold nanorods based novel biosensor for optical detection and photothermal ablation of food borne bacteria." Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical 289 (2019): 207-215.

  5. Singh, Vishal, et al. "Metallic/bimetallic magnetic nanoparticle functionalization for immobilization of α-amylase for enhanced reusability in bio-catalytic processes." Bioresource technology 214 (2016): 528-533.

  6. View All Publication
  1. Recipient of Fulbright-Nehru Academic and professional Excellence Fellowship
  2. Best Paper Award from IIT Bombay
  3. Brain Pool Post doctoral research fellowship