Staff Scientist in Fredrik Almqvist lab within UCMR. Researches safe and potent small molecules based on a 2-pyridone core, against a panel of single stranded RNA viruses.
Former Excellence by Choice postdoctoral fellow
Viruses, in particular those with either negative or positive-sense single stranded ribonucleic acid (-ssRNA/ +ssRNA) genomes, continue to pose significant threat to humans through their potential to cause debilitating diseases related to the respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, central nervous system, among others. The influenza A virus, Ebola virus (EBOV), different coronaviruses that cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-1), middle eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV), and the more recent SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), have all seriously impacted public health, causing disease outbreaks of differing magnitudes at different times.
The 2-pyridone scaffold has been shown to be a versatile molecule that can be tuned synthetically for several biological applications including antiviral activity. From a medicinal chemistry perspective, this research is focussed on the design, synthesis and antiviral evaluation of new molecules based on this core scaffold to tackle both emerging and re-emerging viruses of significant human interest.
Samuel was an Excellence by Choice postdoctoral fellow from Jan 2023 to Dec 2024 in Fredrik Almqvist lab within UCMR.