Srinath Pashikanti
PhD
Associate Professor
BMS
Office: 250 A • Leonard Hall • Pocatello Campus
Synthetic Medicinal Chemistry • Protein Biochemistry • Bioanalytical Chemistry
Dr. Pashikanti has an MS degree in Chemistry & Biochemistry from South Dakota State University, an MS and Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from The University of Kansas. Pashikanti Lab utilizes organic chemistry towards synthesis of cell permeable medicinally active analogs. Our current efforts are aimed to develop, synthesize and screen small molecules in targeting ceramide metabolizing enzymes. Ceramide is a bioactive sphingolipid that exhibits anticancer properties in cancer cells. Strategies aimed at increasing the cellular ceramide induce apoptosis in cancer cells. To complement our synthetic efforts, we utilize tools for protein biochemistry to perform in vitro experiments and cell-based assays in determining the biological activity of these analogs in a structure-activity relationship model.
He is an assistant professor in the Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department. He is actively involved in mentoring graduate and professional pharmacy students. His didactics include Principles of Drug Design and Drug Action, Physicochemical Basis of Drug Action, Principles of Biopharmaceutical Analysis, Advanced Organic Synthesis, Dissertation Research, Thesis Research, Independent Problems in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Science Research.
Select Papers
Pashikanti S, de Alba DR, Boissonneault GA, Cervantes-Laurean D. Rutin metabolites: novel inhibitors of nonoxidative advanced glycation end products. Free Radic Biol Med. 2010 Mar 1;48(5):656-63. PubMed PMID: 19969069.
Tao A, Huang Y, Shinohara Y, Caylor ML, Pashikanti S, Xu D. ezCADD: A Rapid 2D/3D Visualization-Enabled Web Modeling Environment for Democratizing Computer-Aided Drug Design. J Chem Inf Model. 2019 Jan 28;59(1):18-24. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6351978.
Anibogwu R, Jesus K, Pradhan S, Pashikanti S, Mateen S, Sharma K. Extraction, Isolation and Characterization of Bioactive Compounds from Artemisia and Their Biological Significance: A Review. Molecules. 2021 Nov 19;26(22) PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8618776.
Pashikanti S, Ukani R, David SA, Datta A. Total Synthesis and Structure–Activity Relationship Studies of the Cytotoxic Anhydrophytosphingosine Jaspine B (Pachastrissamine). Synthesis. 2017 May; 49(09):2088. Available from: https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0036-1588118 DOI: DOI: 10.1055/s-0036-1588118
Past Trainee's
| Students | Year | Institution |
| Farjana Afrin – Ph.D. Track | Graduated Fall 2024 | Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, ISU. |
| Jordan Oman – Ph.D. Track | 2025 Fall expected graduation | Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, ISU. |
| Sameena Mateen – Ph.D. Track | 2025 Fall expected graduation | Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, ISU. |
Active Grants and/or Previous Grants
09/2024 Role: PI. National Institutes of Health – SuRE First R16 – Inducing Apoptosis in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer by Targeting SMS1, Amount: $697,563.
05/2023 - 04/2025 Role: PI. University of Idaho, INBRE – NIH funding, Design, Synthesis of Novel Ascorbate Analogs Potentiating α9α10 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors of Medial Olivocochlear System (MOCS), $142,500 (Active).
03/2023 – 09/2024 Role: PI. American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP), Mitochondrial Membrane disruption using Sphingoid Probes in Cancer Cells. $ 8,500 (Active).
01/2023 – 06/2023 Role: Co-PI. Idaho Health Department and Welfare, Center for Disease Control, Mitigating COVID-19 by educating High-Risk Populations, Underserved Communities, and hearing impaired in and around Bannock County, ID. $14,684.
05/2023 Travel Award, Office of Research, Idaho State University, DEPSCoR Day at Montana State University, MT. $2,500
06/2022 Role: PI. University of Idaho, COBRE: P20GM104420, Data Access Grant (DAG) Chemdraw Professional – Perpetual License, $3,700.
01/2021 – 12/2022 Role: Co-PI. Idaho Health Department and Welfare, Center for Disease Control, Mitigating COVID-19 by educating High-Risk Populations and Underserved Communities in and around Bannock County, ID. $17,301.
01/2021 – 12/2024 Role: Co-PI. National Science Foundation, Acquisition of a 400 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectrometer at Idaho State University, Award # 2019074, $329,085 (Active).
01/2022 – 12/2022 Role: PI. Center for Advanced Energy Studies – Idaho National Laboratory – Idaho State University, Incorporation of Sterics in novel Phosphonium Ionic Liquid (PIL) and their effect on Ligand Intermolecular Interactions and Chelation Properties. $21,213.
01/2021 – 12/2021 Role: PI. Center for Advanced Energy Studies – Idaho National Laboratory – Idaho State University, Synthesis of Conformationally Rigid Phosphonium Ligands for Extraction of Cobalt, $15,742.
01/2019 – 12/2021 Role: Co-PI. Elsa U. Pardee Foundation, Targeting sphingolipid metabolism in synovial sarcoma, $98,511.
02/2019 Role: PI. HERC Undergraduate Strategic Initiatives Grant – STEM, Office of Research, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID. $2,400.
2019 -2021 Role: PI. Office of Research, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID. Discovery, Synthesis of probes targeting Sphingomyelin Synthase, a crucial enzyme involved in ceramide metabolism, $12,218.
2018 Role: PI. Teaching aid for three-dimensional visualization of medicines and macromolecules in Pharm. D., BPSci graduate programs. Kasiska Division of Health Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID. $932.
7/2017 – 6/2018 Role: PI. Synthesis of Chiral Aminobutenolide : A versatile building block, Career Path Internship, College of Pharmacy, Idaho State University, ID. (Role: PI), $3,500.
Grants submitted for external funding – Received Reviewers Comments. Reference: ISU Office of Research – CAYUSE system
Hiring Graduate Students/ Post-Docs/ Lab Assistants
Yes