3D Microphysiological systems based on human cells. My primary focus is on a drug metabolism, pharmacokinetics, and metabolomics-based small molecule biomarker discovery study to develop 3D microphysiological systems containing ten living human cell types, including liver, gut, lung, and reproductive cells connected via a microfluidic interacting circuit system. This research program, a collaboration among MIT, the Charles Stark Draper Laboratories, and CN Bio Innovations, Ltd., is funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). My work emphasizes the development of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry assays, and integration of measurements, kinetics and metabolism data to support collaborators who are integrating individual systems along with new modules in a physiological meaningful way, emphasizing how the interplay between epithelial, stromal and immune cells governs toxicological response to drugs and potential drug candidates.

My previous work, in the area of chemical biology at MIT, involved examination of a series of model-disease-related samples, including serum samples from Rag2+/- mice infected with H. hepaticus, by using small molecule mechanism–based fluorophosphonate probes, click chemistry-based affinity beads, and analytical mass spectrometry for locating active hydrolases as biomarkers.

I earned my B.Sc. in Chemistry from Presidency College (now Presidency University), Calcutta and the M.Sc in Chemistry from IIT, Kharagpur, India. This was followed by Ph.D. research in designing tumor hypoxia-activated anticancer drug analogs, redefining the mechanisms of the experimental drug tirapazamine, and developing N-oxide–based hypoxia sensors, at the University of Missouri under the supervision of Professor Kent. S Gates. I joined the Wishnok/Tannenbaum mass spectrometry lab, where I now spend most of my time, as a postdoctoral associate in January 2010.

When I get some free time, I enjoy cooking different cuisines, playing drums/harmonica, and sometimes boating on the Charles River.
email Ujjal.