Sonali Kurup, PhD

Sonali Kurup, PhD

Professor of Medicinal Chemistry
Department Chair
Pharmaceutical Science
Phone: (231) 591-3158
Email: [email protected]

Education

• PhD, Duquesne University, Medicinal Chemistry
• BPharm, Mumbai University, Pharmacy

Graduate/Post-Graduate Training

• Postdoctoral training, Research Fellow, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Biography

A pharmacist is the chemical expert of the healthcare team. My background in medicinal chemistry allows me to prepare students to meet this role and relate the chemical properties of drugs to therapeutic decision-making. My teaching style involves lectures and activities incorporating three-dimensional visualization, case-based scenarios, and problem sets. Beyond classroom teaching, I believe student engagement in research helps cultivate critical thinking and problem-solving skills. My research focuses on developing novel dual-targeted molecules as anticancer agents. This involves structure-based drug design, multi-step synthesis for target compounds, and evaluation of their anticancer effects. Students can enroll in a research project in my lab as part of an elective, as research volunteers, or as research assistants.

Publications and Intellectual Contributions

• Conference Proceeding
  Kurup, S., Carpenter, G., Satawa, S., Amissah, F., Lisabeth, E., Gilletto, M., Ellsworth, E. (2024). "Novel analogs of 4-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines as dual-targeted mEGFR/AURKA inhibitors for lung cancer." Cancer Res. 84 (6-Suppl). p. 4474. Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR. https://doi.org/10.1158/1538-7445.AM2024-4474
• Journal Article
  Kurup, S., Gesisnski, D., Assaad, K., Reynolds, A. (2024). "Design, synthesis, and evaluation of dual EGFR/AURKB inhibitors as anticancer agents for non-small cell lung cancer." Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 100 p. 129612.
• Journal Article
  Sakharkar, P., Kurup, S., Deb, S., Assaad, K., Gesinski, D., Gayle, E. J. (2024). "Investigating the Efficacy of EGFR-TKIs and Anti-VEGFR Combination in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis," Cancers. 16 (6). p. 1188. MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16061188
• Conference Proceeding
  Rogers, B., Rohde, N., Mikitaroff, J., Matson, J., Satawa, S., Amissah, F., Kurup, S. (2023). "4-Amino-N-phenylbenzamides as dual-targeted mEGFR and AURK inhibitors and anticancer agents." Cancer Research. 83 (7_Suppl). p. 5339. Philadelphia (PA): In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR.
• Conference Proceeding
  Gesinski, D., Kurup, S. (2023). "Design, synthesis and evaluation of dual-targeted mEGFR and AURK inhibitors as anticancer agents." Cancer Res. 83 In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023; 83(7_Suppl):Abstract 5337.
• Journal Article
  Sakharkar, P., Kurup, S. (2023). "Comparing Efficacy of Erlotinib and Bevacizumab Combination with Erlotinib Monotherapy in Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC): A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," Diseases. 11 (4). p. 146. MDPI AG. https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases11040146
• Journal Article
  Cochran, C., Martin, K., Rafferty, D., Choi, J., Leontyev, A., Shetty, A., Kurup, S., Puthanveetil, P. (2023). "Untargeted Metabolomics Based Prediction of Therapeutic Potential for Apigenin and Chrysin." International journal of molecular sciences. 24 (4).
• Conference Proceeding
  Kurup, S., Ding, Q., Amissah, F., Assaad, K., Chandrasekhara, S. (2020). "A meta-analysis comparing therapeutic outcomes for anti-EGFR monotherapy to targeted therapy combinations for non-small cell lung cancer." Journal of Clinical Oncology. 38 (suppl; abstr e21570). J Clin Oncol 38: 2020 (suppl; abstr e21570)
• Journal Article
  Vanangamudi, M., Kurup, S., Namasivayam, V. (2020). "Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs): a brief overview of clinically approved drugs and combination regimens," Current Opinion in Pharmacology. 54 pp. 179-187. Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coph.2020.10.009
• Journal Article
  Namasivayam, V., Vanangamudi, M., Kramer, V. G., Kurup, S., Zhan, P., Liu, X., Kongsted, J., Byrareddy, S. N. (2019). "The Journey of HIV-1 Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs) from Lab to Clinic," Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 62 (10). pp. 4851-4883. American Chemical Society (ACS) https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.8b00843

Presentations

• Poster
  Kurup, S. (Author & Presenter), Hu, Q. (Author), Zheng, K. (Author), Satawa, S. (Author), Amissah, F. (Author), Lisabeth, E. (Author), 2025 AACR Annual Meeting, "Novel 4,6-disubstituted-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines as dual mEGFR/AURK inhibitors for non-small cell lung cancer," American Association for Cancer Research, Chicago, Illinois, (April 2025).
• Poster
  Kurup, S. (Author & Presenter), Gesinski, D. (Author), Carpenter, G. (Author), Lisabeth, E. (Author), 2025 ACS Spring Meeting, "Synthesis and evaluation of novel mEGFR and MNK inhibitors," American Chemical Society, San Diego, California, (March 2025).
• Poster
  Kurup, S. (Author & Presenter), Carpenter, G. (Author), Satawa, S. (Author), Lisabeth, E. (Author), Amissah, F. (Author), Giletto, M. (Author), Ellsworth, E. (Author), 2024 AACR Annual Meeting, "Novel analogs of 4-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidines as dual-targeted mEGFR/AURKA inhibitors for lung cancer," American Association for Cancer Research, San Diego, California, (April 2024).
• Oral Presentation
  Kurup, S. (Presenter), Research and practice roundtable, College of Pharmacy, Ferris State University, "Kurup, S. Dual-targeted mEGFR/AURK inhibitors for non-small cell lung cancer," College of Pharmacy, Ferris State University, (September 14, 2023).
• Oral Presentation
  Kurup, S. (Presenter), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences Seminar Series, Feik School of Pharmacy, University of the Incarnate Word, "Kurup, S. Dual-targeted mEGFR/AURK inhibitors for non-small cell lung cancer," University of the Incarnate Word, Virtual, (September 8, 2023).
• Poster
  Rogers, B. (Author & Presenter), Rohde, N. (Author), Mikitaroff, J. (Author), Satawa, S. (Author), Matson, J. (Author), Amissah, F. (Author), Kurup, S., 2023 AACR Annual Meeting, "4-Amino-N-phenylbenzamides as dual-targeted mEGFR/AURK inhibitors and anticancer agents," American Association for Cancer Research, Orlando, Florida, (April 2023).
• Poster
  Gesinski, D. (Author & Presenter), Kurup, S. (Author), 2023 AACR Annual Meeting, "Design, synthesis and evaluation of dual-targeted mEGFR and AURK inhibitors as anticancer agents," American Association for Cancer Research, Orlando, Florida, (April 2023).
• Poster
  Gesinski, D. (Author & Presenter), Kurup, S. (Author), West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Symposium, Van Andel Research Institute, "Gesinski, D.; Kurup, S. Design, synthesis and evaluation of N-[4-(phenylmethoxy)phenyl]-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-amines as mEGFR and AURKB inhibitors," Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, (November 2022).
• Poster
  Rogers, B. (Author & Presenter), Rohde, N. (Author), Mikitaroff, J. (Author), Kurup, S. (Author), West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Symposium, Van Andel Research Institute, "Rogers, B.; Rohde, N.; Mikitaroff, J.; Kurup, S. 4-Amino-N-substitutedphenylbenzamides as dual-targeted mEGFR and AURKB inhibitors," Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, (November 2022).
• Oral Presentation
  Gesinski, D. (Author & Presenter), Kurup, S. (Author), HatchEd Innovations Conference, "Gesinski, D. (Presenter), Kurup, S. (Mentor). Microwave chemistry for anticancer drug synthesis," Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Michigan, (February 2022).