Venkadesh Sarkarai Nadar is a researcher focusing on drug discovery for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), an aggressive form of cancer with limited treatment options. He is particularly interested in developing novel metalloid-based therapeutics, including compounds derived from arsenic and boron, to improve treatment efficacy while minimizing toxicity.
Sarkarai Nadar specializes in structural biology and enzymology, with expertise in protein crystallography and biochemistry. His work includes the structural and functional analysis of ArsN, an enzyme involved in acetylating arsenic-containing antibiotics, advancing insights into arsenic metabolism and antibiotic resistance. His long-term vision is to develop new targeted small-molecule drugs for hard-to-treat cancers, such as TNBC, using an integrated approach that combines structural, biochemical, and cellular methodologies to accelerate drug discovery and preclinical validation.
Areas of Expertise
- Structural biology
- Protein biochemistry
- Insilco drug design
Research Interests
- Targeted small-molecule drug development for hard-to-treat cancers
- Metalloid-based therapeutics (arsenic- and boron-derived compounds)
- Drug discovery for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)
See research publications and more on FIU Discovery.
Current Grants
Project: A Novel arsenic-containing anti-cancer drug for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC)
Role: Principal Investigator
Sponsor: Florida Breast Cancer Foundation
Period: 07/01/2023 – 06/30/2025
Education
- Ph.D., Crystallography and Biophysics, University of Madras, Chennai, India 2011
- MSc, Physics, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, India 2005
- BSc, Physics, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India 2002