Yoganathan kanagasundaram

PhD in Natural Products Chemistry with 30 years of experience in Analytical Chemistry, Isolation, Purification and Structural Elucidation of Compounds, Project scale-up and Managing R&D Teams

Research • Patents 

Dr Yoganathan is a Senior Principal Investigator for shared analytics research group (capability group lead) at the Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI) A*STAR. Before that, he was the principal investigator in the Natural Product Chemistry Translational Research Division of Bioinformatics Institute, A*STAR, Singapore (January 2014 – 31 March 2020). He coordinates the efforts of a diverse group of principal investigators/scientists/microbiologists/molecular biologists, synthetic biologists/bioinformaticians/nutritionists/bioassay development group with High Throughput Screening group in both institutes and builds and leads a world-class analytics team (22 people group) in automation, developing and validation of a full range of analytical method, Rapid-fire High throughput screening via mass spectrometry, sample tracking, purification technologies, optimization fermentation conditions by LCMS/GCMS/Raman/dielectric probe, isolation, structure elucidation, sensomics platform, metabolomics, molecular characterization & process analytics of food and biotechnology fermentation food products/high value compounds. From 1990-2012 he has 22 years of experience working in Natural Product Research, where 12 years in Pharmaceutical R & D, primarily in the discovery and development of microbial and plant products (New Chemical Entity, NCEs) & early clinical development. During his employment with MerLion Pharmaceuticals, he worked with many pharmaceutical companies where 150 different bioassays from various therapeutic areas such as metabolic, neurological, antiviral, oncology, antimicrobials, and immunological were screened against MerLion plant and microbes’ collection and completed with some preclinical candidates. He has cultivated strong connections with these companies/academic scientists (A*STAR Research Institutes). From this effort, he has come to appreciate how scientists can work together and discover new molecules that will be either first-in-class or best-in-class in benefiting humankind. The knowledge he gained as a key contributor to this R & D team was instrumental in guiding the course of the natural products research for which he was responsible. As the Head of the Natural Products Chemistry effort, he was responsible for all aspects of this research platform, including developing the full range of purification technologies, optimizing fermentation conditions by LCMS, isolation, structure elucidation and chemical modification. In addition, it has also given him experience in planning and executing research plans and budgets and managing collaborations with other companies. In addition, he has been the HSE chairman and chemical safety officer for the both Institutes and Merlion Pharmaceuticals for the last 15 years.  He also has over two years of experience as an organic/physical Chemistry Senior Lecturer at the Sepang Institute of Technology (Kuala Lumpur), teaching over 200 hours in years 1 and 2, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Department (University of Adelaide Twining Program, Malaysia) students.

Jul 92 → Feb 97 Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry, University of Malaya. Graduate Research Project (Ph.D.) Novel alkaloids from Malaysian Kopsia: Chemistry and Bioactivity”, 

Jul 87 → Aug 91 Bachelor of Science (Honours, 2nd class Upper Division), The University of Malaya.

Undergraduate research projects: 

1.    A synthesis of Z -11-hexadecenol, Z -11-hexadecenal, and Z -11-hexadecenyl acetate, the major components of the sex pheromone of Plutella xylostella.

2.    Synthesis of derivatives of heteroyohimbine-type alkaloids for evaluation of cardiovascular activities.