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About Us

Joydip Das

Professor of Medicinal Chemistry
Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Office

University of Houston College of Pharmacy
Health 2, Room 7035
4349 Martin Luther King Boulevard
Houston, TX 77204-5037

Contact

jdas@uh.edu - 713-743-1708 - Fax: 713-743-1884

Research

  • Identifying molecular targets of ethanol at the presynaptic zone
  • Structure/function studies of C1 domain-containing proteins
  • Molecular dynamics simulation studies of peripheral and membrane proteins

Education

  • Ph.D. in Bio-organic Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India
  • Postdoctoral: Medical University of South Carolina, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Massachusetts General Hospital

Scholarship

Google Scholar Profile

  • Das J, Safarudin R, Thornton JD, Williams L. Textbook reading habits and perceptions among Pharm.D. students in an integrated curriculum: A mixed-methods analysis. Curr Pharm Teach Learn. 2025 Oct 28;18(2):102489. doi: 10.1016/j.cptl.2025.102489. Online ahead of print. PMID: 41161253
  • Das J. Kratom Alkaloids for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder. ACS Chem Neurosci. 2024 Dec 18;15(24):4352-4359. doi: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00675. Epub 2024 Nov 29. PMID: 39611792 Review.
  • Das J, You Y, Mathukumalli K, Ann J, Lee J, Marquez VE. Activation of Munc13-1 by Diacylglycerol (DAG)-Lactones. Biochemistry. 2023 Aug 31. doi: 10.1021/acs.biochem.3c00375. Online ahead of print. PMID: 37651159
  • You Y, Mathukumalli K, Das J. Comparison of the ligand binding site of C1 domains: a molecular dynamics simulation study of the C1 domain-phorbol 13-acetate-membrane system. J Biomol Struct Dyn. 2023 Jan 5:1-14. doi: 10.1080/07391102.2022.2163699. Online ahead of print. PMID: 36602779
  • Ghosh A, Muthuraju S, Badal S, Wooden J, Leasure JL, Roman G, Das J. Differential Expression of Presynaptic Munc13-1 and Munc13-2 in Mouse Hippocampus Following Ethanol Drinking. Neuroscience. 2022 Apr 1;487:166-183. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.02.008. Epub 2022 Feb 12. PMID: 35167938
  • You Y, Das J. Molecular dynamics simulation studies on binding of activator and inhibitor to Munc13-1 C1 in the presence of membrane. J Biomol Struct Dyn. 2022;40(24):14160-14175. doi: 10.1080/07391102.2021.2001375. Epub 2021 Nov 15. PMID: 34779746
  • Khan TK, You Y, Nelson TJ, Kundu S, Pramanik SK, Das J. Modulation of proteasome activity by curcumin and didemethylcurcumin. J Biomol Struct Dyn. 2022 Nov;40(18):8332-8339. doi: 10.1080/07391102.2021.1911853. Epub 2021 Apr 20. PMID: 33876718
  • Y. You Y, S. Katti, B. Yu, T.I. Igumenova, J. Das. Probing the Diacylglycerol Binding Site of Presynaptic Munc13-1, Biochemistry, 60:1286-1298 (2021).
  • J. Das. Repurposing of drugs-the ketamine story, J. Med. Chem. 2020, 63, 13514-13525
  • Y. You and J. Das. Effect of Ethanol on Munc13-1 C1 in Membrane: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study, Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 2020, 44, 1344-1355.
  • F. Blanco, A. Czikora, N. Kedei, Y. You, G. Mitchell, S. Pany, A. Ghosh, P. Blumberg, Das J. Munc13 Is a Molecular Target of Bryostatin 1, Biochemistry, 58, 3016-3030 (2019).
  • J. Das, N. Kedei, J. Kelsey, Y. You, S. Pany, G.A. Mitchell, N.E. Lewin and P.M. Blumberg. Critical role of Trp-588 of presynaptic Munc13-1 for ligand binding and membrane translocation, Biochemistry. 57, 732-741, 2018
  • S. Pany, Y. You and J. Das. Curcumin inhibits PKC alpha activity by binding to its C1 domain, Biochemistry, 55, 6327-6336 (2016).
  • G.M. Rahman, S. Shanker, N.E. Lewin, B. V.V. Prasad, P.M. Blumberg and J. Das. Identification of the Activator Binding Residues in the Second Cysteine-Rich Regulatory Domain of Protein Kinase C Theta (PKCθ), Biochem. J. 451, 33-44 (2013).
  • S. Shanmugasundararaj*, J. Das*, W.S. Sandberg, X. Zhou, D. Wang, R.O. Messing, K.S. Bruzik, T. Stehle and K.W. Miller. Structural and functional characterization of an anesthetic binding site in the second cysteine rich domain of protein kinase C delta, Biophys. J., 103, 2331-2338 (2012).
  • J. Das, S. Pany and A. Majhi. Chemical modifications of resveratrol for improved protein kinase C alpha activity, Bioorg. Med. Chem. 19, 5321-5333 (2011)
  • J. Das, S. Pany, G.M. Rahman and S.J. Slater. PKC epsilon has an alcohol binding site in its second cysteine rich regulatory domain, Biochem. J., 421, 405-413 (2009).

Honors/Awards, Achievements & Involvement

  • Award for Excellence in Teaching, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston 2012
  • Award for Excellence in Research, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston 2011
  • The Houston Business Journal published, "Briefs: Drug to treat alcoholism is goal of UH research," Oct 04, 2010
  • National Public Radio (Houston) aired the research, "UH Chemist Tracking Alcohol Molecules through the Brain" on September 29, 2010

Editorial Appointments

  • Ad hoc reviewer, NIH study section Neurotoxicology and Alcohol (NAL), 2017
  • Ad hoc reviewer, NIH study section ZAA1JJ (08), 2016
  • Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Addiction and Dependence
  • Editorial board member, International Journal of Biomedical Research and Analysis
  • Editorial board member, Medicinal Chemistry
  • Editorial board member, Journal of Pharmaceutical Technology and Drug Research