Sakshi Sharma
Sakshi Sharma
DPhil student at Magdalen College
Tel: +44 1865 275677
E-mail: sakshi.sharma@magd.ox.ac.uk
Research interests:
My research focuses on the development of small-molecule inhibitors of Fe(II) and 2-oxoglutarate (2OG) dependent oxygenases and viral proteases of biomedical relevance. I am particularly interested in the human oxygenases JMJD5 and JMJD6, and how selective chemical probes can be used to interrogate their catalytic functions in cancer-associated pathways. My work involves multistep organic synthesis and structure-activity relationship studies to optimise potency, selectivity, and physicochemical properties. I use MS-based enzymatic assays to evaluate inhibitor activity and mechanism. In parallel with my oncology-focused research, I investigated substrate-selective inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro), demonstrating selective inhibition of its deISGylase activity over its viral polyprotein (pp1a/1ab) processing function and establishing proof of concept for substrate-selective modulation of PLpro activity.
