Student Research

Student Research

Students from different academic backgrounds are an important part of our Nano-Biosensors for Diagnostics and Healthcare research group. They bring new ideas and diverse perspectives that support our work in developing innovative biosensing technologies for improved disease detection and healthcare solutions. Their involvement encourages collaboration and helps translate research into real-world impact for both local communities and global health.

  • MSc Students

    1- DESIGN AND SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL GLYCOSYLATED-BASED ANTI-MICROBIAL AGENTS
    By
    Aya Ahmed Mohammed Mohammed
     
    Supervisor
    Dr. GhadeerSuaifan, Prof.
     
    Co-Supervisor
    Dr. MayaddahShehadeh​
    ABSTRACT

    Quinolones have been widely used in the treatment of bacterial infections, but with their adverse effects and the abrupt development of resistance, medicinal chemists focused on synthesizing newer derivatives. This work implemented the design and synthesis of glycosylated-based quinolonecarboxamide derivatives with the aim of enhancing specificity, overcoming resistance and obtaining inexpensive broad-spectrum antibacterial agents. Novel glycosylated-based quinolone carboxamidewere designed and synthesized using simple synthetic pathway. Synthesized compounds were screened for antibacterial activity against Gram positive (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureusATCC 33591), Gramnegative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosaATCC 9627, susceptible and resistant Escherichia coli strains; ATCC 8739 andNCTC 11954, respectively) and fungi (Candida albicans).

    In summary, novel compounds exhibited good antibacterial activity against the resistant strains with no-to-limited antifungal activity against Candida albicans. The results revealed that the combination of 1,3,4,6-O-acetyl-D-(+)-glucosamine moiety with quinolones by amidationdid not alter the antibacterial activity of these antibiotics towards the intended bacterial targets.

     Link to the published article​ : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112513

    2- DESIGN AND SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL GLYCOSYLATED-BASED ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AGENTS
    By
    Rahma Majed Moustafa Abu Khalil
    Supervisor
    Dr. Ghadeer Suaifan, Prof.
    ABSTRACT

    Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are widely prescribed for the management of arthritis. Yet, their useful medical benefits are accompanied with some adverse effects as gastrointestinal (GI) and renal toxicities, which are attributed to their concurrent inhibition of the housekeeping cyclooxygenase COX-1 isozyme. Accordingly, designing and synthesizing new COX-2 selective inhibitors by medicinal chemistry researchers is of high consideration in order to discover potent lead agents with lower side effect. This work applied the design and synthesis of glycosylated-based celecoxib derivatives with an intention of increasing potency and selectivity as well as lowering side effects. Novel glycosylated-based celecoxib sulfonylurea derivatives were designed and synthesized using a simple and non-hazardous synthetic pathway. Synthesized compounds were elucidated by means of pharmaceutical analysis tools to confirm their structures. Compounds were tested for their anti-inflammatory activity using carrageenan-induced paw edema model in rats. Results revealed thatcompounds (16) and (11) are the most potent derivatives with a percentage inhibition of inflammation (99%) and (45%), respectively after 5 hrs of edema induction, compared to the standard celecoxib (3%) when tested at the same dose (20mg/Kg). In conclusion, the anti-inflammatory activity of the glycosylated-celecoxib hybrids was superior than celecoxib parent drug at an equivalent dose, highlighting the faithfulness of glucosamine hydrochloride moiety when coupled to celecoxib.

  3- DESIGN AND SYNTHESIS OF NOVEL COX-2 SELECTIVE INHIBITORS

By

Aseel Khaled Mohd Nawafleh

Supervisor

Dr. Ghadeer Abdul Rahman Suaifan, Prof.

Co-Supervisor

Dr. Mayaddah Bashir Shehadeh, Prof.

ABSTRACT

NSAIDs have been widely used in the treatment of inflammation, but limited NSAIDs clinical usefulness attributed to their adverse effects forced medicinal chemists to focus on synthesizing newer derivatives. This work implemented the design and synthesis of glycosylated-based NSAIDs carboxamide mefenamic acid and tolmetin derivatives with the aim of enhancing specificity, overcoming GI side effects and obtaining inexpensive anti-inflammatory agents. Novel glycosylated NSAID carboxamides were designed and synthesized using a simple synthetic pathway. Synthesized compounds were screened for anti-inflammatory using carrageenan-induced paw edema model.

Results revealed that novel compounds exhibited good anti-inflammatory activity against edema formation. The results revealed that the combination of 1,3,4,6-O-acetyl-D-(+)-glucosamine moiety with NSAIDs by amidation did not potentiate parent drug anti-inflammatory activity. On the other hand, derivatization of their carboxylic acid group with the bulky 1,3,4,6-O-propyl-D-(+)-glucosamine moiety obliterates analogue anti-inflammatory activity.​

4- DESIGN, SYNTHESIS, AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF NOVEL CIPROFLOXACIN-SULFONAMIDE CONJUGATES INVOLVING UREA LINKERS

By
Doha Ali Ibrahim Al-Omari
 
Supervisor
Dr. Ghadeer Abdul Rahman Suaifan, Prof
 
Co-Supervisor
Dr. Mayaddah Bashir Shehadeh, Prof
 

ABSTRACT​

Antimicrobial resistance poses a significant challenge to global health and economy, adding complexity to the management of infections. Accordingly, there is a rising interest in the creation of conjugates that combine diverse pharmacological characteristics to tackle antibacterial resistance. In this study, we outline the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of ciprofloxacin-sulfonamide conjugates, incorporating a urea linker, possessing dual functionality as urease inhibitor and potential antibacterial agents. A set of novel substituted arylsulfonylurea-ciprofloxacin conjugates were synthesized.

The reaction of arylsulfonamides with diphenyl carbonate and 4-dimethylaminopyridine resulted in the formation of either phenyl N-(2,4-arylsulfonyl)carbamate 4-dimethylaminopyridinium salts or N-(4-arylsulfonyl)-4-dimethylaminopyridinium-1-carboxamide salts, based on the substitution on the arylsulfonamide. Both categories of intermediates led to the formation of aryl sulfonylurea-ciprofloxacin conjugate (5a-h) when reacted with ciprofloxacin.

The antimicrobial activity of the novel compounds was evaluated in vitro against various gram positive pathogens as staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and gram negative pathogens as Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Results highlighted conjugate's growth inhibitory activity with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 0.625-5 µM against S. aureus ATCC 25923; 1.25-5 µM against methicillin-resistant S. aureus ATCC 3359; 2.5-6.25 µM against H. Pylori NCTC 11638; 0.025-0.05 µM against E. coli NCTC 11954; 0.05 µM against the food poisoning E.coli O157: H7, compared to ciprofloxacin (MIC = 0.05-0.625 µM) against all tested bacteria. Additionally, the arylsulfonylurea conjugates exhibited inhibitory characteristics against jack-bean urease, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values varying from 31 to 72 µM, compared to the positive control thiourea (IC50 = 180 µM). Accordingly, it could be proposed that the attachment of sulfonamide via a urea linkage on the 7-position of ciprofloxacin provided analogues with antibacterial and urease inhibitory activity. 

 

  • PhD students


    1-DEVELOPMENT OF NANOPARTICLE-BASED ELECTROCHEMICAL BIOSENSORS FOR THE DETECTION OF CANCER-ASSOCIATED INFECTIOUS AGENTS
    By
    Asmaa Yousef Al-Najajrah
    Supervisor
    Dr. Ghadeer Abdul Rahman Suaifan, Prof
    Co-Supervisor
    Dr. Mohammad Khair Al-Hourani, Prof
    ABSTRACT
    A novel, simple, and facile biosensor for the detection of Helicobacter pylori (H.Pylori) was designed. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) were investigated for the electrochemical detection of H. Pylori protease using specific peptide-functionalized magnetic nanobeads biosensors. Electrochemical analysis illustrated a decrease in impedance signals following H. Pylori proteolytic activity. The active protease's cleavage of the peptide layer in square wave voltammetry (SWV) resulted in a significant increase in the measured current signal. The negative control condition, which lacked proteolytic activity, on the other hand, resulted in a drop in current, confirming the biosensor's specific and selective response to target protease activity. EIS and SWV demonstrated comparable sensitivity, with a low detection limit of 1 fg/mL. SWV proved superior overall due to its wider linear dynamic range and higher reproducibility and robustness. Although EIS provides valuable mechanistic insights and surface characterization capabilities, it is limited by greater variability, model dependence, and longer analysis times, making it less practical for clinical biosensing. Therefore, SWV emerges as the most suitable technique for developing a reliable, real-time, and in situ diagnostic biosensor. Critical analytical parameters, including sensitivity, reproducibility, and detection limit, were evaluated to determine the optimal approach for relevant clinical testing.