Background

After completion of the Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma in 1989, Mahesh joined the National Institutes of Health as a Fogarty Fellow.  In 1994 he joined the private sector as Senior Scientist and then returned to academia in 1998.  He moved to The City College (CUNY system) in 2000. He was granted early tenure and is currently Associate Professor of Chemistry.

On the personal side, classical music, its performance, piano and composition are among his interests besides travel, reading and painting in aqua colors.


Service to Granting Agencies

National Science Foundation (reviewer for individual research grants and as panelist)
National Institutes of Health (reviewer special emphasis panel)
American Chemical Society PRF grant reviewer
Research Corporation grant reviewer
Professional Staff Congress, City University of New York, chemistry panelist

Manuscript Reviews for Journals

Journal of the American Chemical Society
Angewandte Chemie (International Edition)
Organic Letters
Journal of Organic Chemistry
European Journal of Organic Chemistry
Chemical Reviews
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
Chemical Research in Toxicology
Tetrahedron Letters
Tetrahedron
Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters
Synthesis
Synlett
Carcinogenesis
Nucleosides & Nucleotides
Synthetic Communications
Archiv der Pharmazie

Awards and Honors

2007                          Profiled in the June 1 issue of India Abroad (page A28)
2007                          Publication #39 highlighted in Synfacts 2006, page 763
2007                          Editorial Board Member of Current Chemical Biology
2006                         
Certificate of Recognition from The City University of New York"For Securing Major Institutional Grant Funds"
2005-                         Editorial Board Member of Acta Chimica Slovenica
2003-2004               "Outstanding Mentor Award" The City College of New York
2003
                          Certificate of Recognition from The City University of New York "Recipients of Major Institutional Grants for Public Service"
2001, 2002, 2004
    Certificate of Recognition from The City University of New York "Salute to Scholars"
1999                          Inclusion of a research paper under "News of the Week" Chemical and Engineering News 1999, 77 page 12   
1989-1994                Fogarty Fellow, National Institutes of Health
1988-1989                Dow Fellow, University of Oklahoma
1988                          Cleo Cross International Student Fellow, University of Oklahoma (1 of 13 students selected from all departments)
1986                          Teaching Excellence Award, University of Oklahoma


Publications

1.    Lakshman, M.; Lehr, R. E.: Synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon substituted 2'-deoxyadenosine analogs, Tetrahedron Letters 1990, 31, 1547-1550.

2.    Lakshman, M.; Nadkarni; D. V.; Lehr, R. E.: Regioselective ring opening of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon epoxides by polymer-supported N3- anion, Journal of Organic Chemistry 1990, 55, 4892-4897.

3.    Lakshman, M. K.; Sayer, J. M.; Jerina, D. M.: Chemical synthesis of a bay-region polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon tetrahydroepoxide-deoxyadenosine adduct and its site-specific incorporation into a DNA oligomer, Journal of the American Chemical Society 1991, 113, 6589-6594.

4.    Lakshman, M. K.; Lehr, R. E.: Solvent dependent changes in the proton NMR spectra of 2'-deoxyadenosine and its derivatives, Nucleosides & Nucleotides 1992, 11, 1039-1046.

5.    Lakshman, M. K.; Sayer, J. M.; Jerina, D. M.: Synthesis and site-specific incorporation of a bay region cis ring-opened tetrahydro epoxide-deoxyadenosine adduct into a DNA oligomer, Journal of Organic Chemistry 1992, 57, 3438-3443.

6.    Zajc, B.; Lakshman, M. K.; Sayer, J. M.; Jerina, D. M.: Epoxide and diol epoxide adducts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons at the exocyclic amino group of deoxyguanosine, Tetrahedron Letters 1992, 33, 3409-3412.

7.    Lakshman, M. K.; Sayer, J. M.; Yagi, H.; Jerina, D. M.: Synthesis and duplex-forming properties of a nonanucleotide containing an N6-deoxyadenosine adduct of a bay-region diol epoxide, Journal of Organic Chemistry 1992, 57, 4585-4590.

8.    Lakshman, M. K.; Yeh, H. J. C.; Yagi, H.; Jerina, D. M.: Synthesis of deoxyadenosine adducts from the highly carcinogenic fjord region diol epoxide of benzo[c]phenanthrene, Tetrahedron Letters 1992, 33, 7121-7124.

9.    Lakshman, M. K.; Xiao, W.; Sayer, J. M.; Cheh, A. M.; Jerina, D. M.: Synthesis and assignment of absolute configuration to the N6-deoxyadenosine adducts resulting from cis and trans ring-opening of phenanthrene 9,10-oxide, Journal of Organic Chemistry 1994, 59, 1755-1760.

10.    Lakshman, M. K.; Lehr, R. E.: Synthesis of 1,2-epoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzo[g]chrysene: the first synthesis of a fjord-region tetrahydroepoxide, Synthetic Communications 1994, 24, 2973-2981.

11.    Lakshman, M. K.; Chaturvedi, S.; Lehr, R. E.: Improved high-yield synthesis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon amino tribenzoates, nucleophilic components for synthesis of diol epoxide-nucleoside adducts, Synthetic Communications 1994, 24, 2983-2988.

12.    Christner, D. F.; Lakshman, M. K.; Sayer, J. M.; Jerina, D. M.; Dipple, A.: Primer extension by various polymerases using oligonucleotide templates containing stereoisomeric benzo[a]pyrene-deoxyadenosine adducts,  Biochemistry 1994, 33, 14297-14305.

13.    Schurter, E. J.; Yeh, H. J. C.; Sayer, J. M.; Lakshman, M. K.; Yagi, H.; Jerina, D. M.; Gorenstein, D. G.: NMR solution structure of a nonanucleotide duplex with a dG mismatch opposite a 10R adduct derived from trans addition of a deoxyadenosine N6-amino group to (-)-(7S,8R,9R,10S)-7,8-dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10- tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene, Biochemistry 1995, 34, 1364-1375.

14.    LeBreton, P. R.; Huang, C-R.; Fernando, H.; Zajc, B.; Lakshman, M. K.; Sayer, J. M.; Jerina, D. M.: Multiple fluorescence lifetimes for oligonucleotides containing single, site-specific modifications at guanine and adenine corresponding to trans addition of exocyclic amino groups to (+)-(7R,8S,9S,10R)- and (-)-(7S,8R,9R,10S)-7,8- dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a] pyrene, Chemical Research in Toxicology 1995, 8, 338-348.

15.    Zajc, B.; Lakshman, M. K.: Acyl migration in anions derived from non-enolizable esters of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Journal of Organic Chemistry 1995, 60, 4936-4939.

16.    Yeh, H. J. C.; Sayer, J. M.; Liu, X.; Altieri, A. S.; Byrd, R. A.; Lakshman, M. K.; Yagi, H.; Schurter, E. J.; Gorenstein, D. G.; Jerina, D. M.: NMR solution structure of a nonanucleotide duplex with a dG mismatch opposite a 10S adduct derived from trans addition of a deoxyadenosine N6-amino group to (+)-(7R,8S,9S,10R)-7,8- dihydroxy-9,10-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene: An unusual  syn glycosidic torsion angle at the modified dA, Biochemistry 1995, 34, 13570-13581.

17.    Lakshman, M. K.; Zajc, B.: Regio and stereocontrolled synthesis of aryl cis aminoalcohols from cis glycols, Tetrahedron Letters 1996, 37, 2529-2532.

18.   Lakshman, M. K.; Zajc, B.: A rapid, high-yield method for 5'-hydroxyl protection in very reactive and amino group modified nucleosides using dimethoxytrityl tetrafluoroborate, Nucleosides & Nucleotides 1996, 15, 1029-1039.

19.    Page, J. E.; Christner, D. F.; Lakshman, M. K.; Zajc, B.; Oh-hara, T.; Lipinski, L. J.; Ross, H. L.; Agarwal, R.; Szeliga, J.; Yagi, H.; Sayer, J. M.; Jerina, D. M.; Dipple, A.: Effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon adducts with deoxyguanosine and deoxyadenosine in vivo and in vitro, Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds 1996, 10, 171-178.

20.    Chaturvedi, S.; Lakshman, M. K.: Site-specific modification of the human N-ras protooncogene with each diol epoxide metabolite of benzo[a]pyrene and thermal denaturation studies of the adducted duplexes,  Carcinogenesis 1996, 17, 2747-2752.

21.    Lakshman, M. K.; Chaturvedi, S.; Kole, P. L.; Windels, J. H.; Myers, M. B.; Brown, M. A.: Resolution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon dihydrodiols via diastereomeric formaldehyde acetals, Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 1997, 8, 3375-3378.

22.    Page, J. E.; Zajc, B.; Oh-hara, T.; Lakshman, M. K.; Sayer, J. M.; Jerina, D. M.; Dipple, A.: Sequence context profoundly influences mutagenic potency of trans-opened benzo[a]pyrene 7,8-diol 9,10-epoxide-purine nucleoside adducts in site-specific mutation studies,  Biochemistry 1998, 37, 9127-9137.

23.    Lakshman, M. K.; Chaturvedi, S.; Zajc, B.; Gibson, D. T.; Resnick, S. M.: A general chemoenzymatic synthesis of enantiopure cis b-aminoalcohols from microbially derived cis glycols, Synthesis 1998, 1352-1356.

24.    Lakshman, M. K.; Keeler, J. C.; Hilmer, J. H.; Martin, J. Q.: Palladium-catalyzed C-N bond formation, facile and general synthesis of N6-aryl 2’-deoxyadenosine analogs, Journal of the American Chemical Society  1999, 121, 6090-6091.

25.    Lakshman, M. K.: Aldrich rotary evaporator anti-splash adapters as solvent traps in recrystallizations, Aldrichimica Acta 2000, 33, 2.

26.    Lakshman, M. K.; Ngassa, F. N.; Keeler, J. C.; Dinh, Y. Q. V.; Hilmer, J. H.; Russon, L. M.: Facile synthesis of O6-alkyl, O6-aryl and diaminopurine nucleosides from 2’-deoxyguanosine, Organic Letters 2000, 2, 927-930.

27.    Lakshman, M. K.; Kole, P.; Chaturvedi, S.; Saugier, J. H.; Yeh, H. J. C.; Glusker, J. P.; Carrell, H. L.; Katz, A. K.; Afshar, C. E.; Dashwood, W.–M.; Kenniston, G.; Baird, W. M.: Methyl group-induced helicity in 1,4-dimethylbenzo[c]phenanthrene and its metabolites: synthesis, physical and biological properties, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2000, 122, 12629-12636.

28.    Lakshman, M. K.; Hilmer, J. H.; Martin, J. Q.; Keeler, J. C.; Dinh, Y. Q. V.; Ngassa, F. N.; Russon, L. M.: Palladium catalysis for the synthesis of hydrophobic C-6 and C-2 aryl 2'-deoxynucleosides.  Comparison of C-C versus C-N bond-formation as well as C-6 versus C-2 reactivity, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2001, 123, 7779-7787.

29.    Lakshman, M. K.; Thomson, P. F.; Nuqui, M. A.; Hilmer, J. H.; Sevova, N; Boggess, B.: Facile Pd-catayzed cross-coupling of 2'-deoxyguanosine O6-arylsulfonates with arylboronic acids, Organic Letters 2002, 4, 1479-1482.

30.    Invited review for a special issue entitled, "30 Years of the Cross-Coupling Reaction".  Lakshman, M. K.: Palladium-catalyzed C-N and C-C cross-coupling as versatile, new avenues for modification of purine 2'-deoxynucleosides, Journal of Organometallic Chemistry 2002, 653, 234-251.

31.    Lakshman, M. K.; Gunda, P.: Palladium-catalyzed synthesis of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon epoxide-nucleoside adducts; the first amination of a chloro nucleoside, Organic Letters 2003, 5, 39-42.

32.    Okazaki, T.; Laali, K. K.; Zajc, B.; Lakshman, M. K.; Kumar, S.; Baird, W. M.; Dashwood, W.M.: Stable ion study of benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) derivatives; 7,8-dihydro BaP, 9,10-dihydro BaP and its 6-halo derivatives, 1- and 3-methoxy-9,10-dihydro-BaP-7(8H)-one, as well as the proximate carcinogen BaP dihydrodiol and its dibenzoate, combined with a comparative DNA binding study of regioisomeric (1-, 4-, 2-)pyrenylcarbinols, Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry 2003, 1, 1509-1516.

33.    Zajc, B.; Grahek, R.; Kocijan, A.; Lakshman, M. K.; Kosˇmrlj, J.; Lah, J.: Evaluation of the enantiomeric resolution of the proximate carcinogen 7,8-dihydroxy-7,8- dihydrobenzo[a]pyrene, its 6-fluoro and 6-bromo derivatives on polysaccharide-derived stationary phases, Journal of Organic Chemistry 2003, 68, 3291-3294.

34.    Lakshman, M. K.; Ngassa, F. N.; Bae, S.; Buchanan, D. G.; Hahn, H.-G.; Mah, H.: Synthesis of pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene adducts at the exocyclic amino groups of 2'-deoxyadenosine and 2'-deoxyguanosine by a palladium-catalyzed C-N bond-formation strategy, Journal of Organic Chemistry 2003, 68, 6020-6030.

35.    Gunda, P.; Russon, L. M.; Lakshman, M. K.: Palladium catalyzed amination of nucleoside arylsulfonates to yield N6-aryl-2,6-diaminopurine nucleosides, Angewandte Chemie, International Edition 2004, 43, 6372-6377.

36.    Invited review.  Lakshman, M. K.: Synthesis of biologically important nucleoside analogs by palladium-catalyzed C-N bond-formation, Current Organic Synthesis 2005, 2, 83-112.

37.   Pottabathini, N.; Bae, S.; Pradhan, P.; Hahn, H.-G.; Mah, H.; Lakshman, M. K.: Synthesis and reactions of 2-chloro and 2-tosyloxy 2-deoxyinosine derivatives,
Journal of Organic Chemistry 2005, 70, 7188-7195.

38.   Lakshman, M. K.; Gunda, P.; Pradhan, P: Mild and room temperature C-C bond forming reactions of nucleoside C-6 arylsulfonates,
Journal of Organic Chemistry 2005, 70, 10329-10335.

39.   Lagisetty, P.; Russon, L. M.; Lakshman, M. K.: A first general synthesis of C-6 azolyl purine nucleosides,
Angewandte Chemie, International Edition 2006, 45, 3660-3663.

40.   Ngassa, F. N.; DeKorver, K. A.; Melistas, T. S.; Yeh, E. A.-H.; Lakshman, M. K.: Pd-Xantphos catalyzed direct arylation of nucleosides, Organic Letters 2006, 8, 4613-4616.

41.   Lakshman, M. K.; Keeler, J. C.; Ngassa, F. N.; Hilmer, J. H.; Pradhan, P.; Zajc, B.; Thomasson, K. A.: Highly diastereoselective synthesis of nucleoside adducts from the carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide and a computational analysis, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2007, 129, 68-76.

42.   Bae, S.; Lakshman, M. K.: O
6-(Benzotriazolyl)inosine derivatives: easily synthesized, reactive nucleosides, Journal of the American Chemical Society 2007, 129, 782-789.

43.   Brule, C.; Laali, K. K.; Okazaki, T.; Lakshman, M. K.: Structure/reactivity relationships in the benzo[c]phenanthrene skeleton: stable ion and electrophilic substitution (nitration, bromination) study of substituted analogs, novel carbocations and substituted derivatives, Journal of Organic Chemistry 2007, 72, 3232-3241.

44.   Champeil. E.; Pradhan, P.; Lakshman, M. K.: Palladium-catalyzed synthesis of nucleoside adducts from bay and fjord region diol epoxides, Journal of Organic Chemistry 2007, 72, 5035-5045.

45.   Kang, S. B.; De Clercq, E.; Lakshman, M K.: Pd-catalyzed C-C bond forming reactions of thymidine mesitylene sulfonate, Journal of Organic Chemistry 2007, 72, 5724-5730.

46.   Bae, S; Mah, H.; Chaturvedi, S.; Jeknic, T. M.; Baird, W. M.; Katz, A. K.; Carrell, H. L.; Glusker, J. P.; Okazaki, T.; Laali, K. K.; Zajc, B.; Lakshman, M. K.: Synthetic, crystallographic, computational and biological studies of 1,4-difluorobenzo[c]phenanthrene and its metabolites, Journal of Organic Chemistry 2007, 72, 7625-7633.


Research Funding

NSF
Chemistry 2003-present
NIH (NIGMS and NCI) 2000-present
CUNY Research Instrumentation Grant 2007
PSC-CUNY awards 2000-present

Instrumentation Grants

NSF:
500 MHz NMR spectrometer (Principal Investigator), Mass spectrometer (Principal Investigator), CD spectrophotometer (De-facto Principal Investigator)
GRTI: 600 MHz NMR spectrometer (Lead Investigator)
CUNY Research Equipment Grant: Polarimeter (Co-Principal Investigator)



Current and Former Members of the Group

Postdoctoral Associates

Dr. Ramendra Pratap (2007-present)
Dr. Alberto DiSalvo (2007-present)
Dr. Suyeal Bae (2005-present)
Dr. Pallavi Lagisetty (2004-2006)
Dr. Elise Champeil (2003-2005)
Dr. Narender Pottabathini (2003-2005)
Dr. Shiva Patil (2002-2003)


PhD Students

Manish Singh (2005-present)
Paul Thomson (2004-present)
Padmaja Gunda (2001-2007)
John Hilmer (2000-present)
Felix Ngassa (1998-2002)

Masters Students (thesis)

Josh Frank (2007-present)
Edmund Yeh (2005-2006)
Dennis Buchanan (2001-2002)


Undergraduate Students

Asad Choudhury (2007-present)
Eliezer Rochttis (2004-2006)
Omada Idoko (2002-2005)
Paul Thomson (2001-2004)
Mark Nuqui (2001-2004)
Kyle Arneson (2000)
Jocelyn Martin (1998-2000)


Summer Interns

Prerana Pradhan (2006)
Harjot Kaur (2006)

Hanna Nyugen (2005)
Eliezer Rochttis (2003)



Page updated September 2007