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Dr. Rachna Sadana

Dr. Rachna Sadana

Dr. Rachna Sadana

Department Chair, Natural ScienceNatural Sciences
Email
sadanar@uhd.edu
Phone
713-226-5562
Office
STB 426

Biography

Dr. Rachna Sadana is a Professor of Biology and Biochemistry. She teaches a mix of upper- and lower-level biology courses and is a certified online educator. She leads a very active research program that focuses on cancer drug development and phage therapy. She has co-authored multiple papers in reputed peer-reviewed journals and has obtained funding from various resources to support her research activities. Currently, she serves as the Chair of the Department of Natural Sciences.

Degrees Earned

  • Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Kurukshetra University
  • M.S. in Biochemistry, Kurukshetra University
  • B.S. in Biology, Kurukshetra University

Courses Taught

BIOL 4232 - Cell Biology Laboratory
BIOL 1101 - SEA-PHAGES General Biology Lab 1
UHD 2303: University Seminar - "What is Cancer?"
BIOL 1301 - General Biology 1 Lecture
BIOL 4320 - Cellular Biology
BIOL/MBIO 4230 - Advanced Cell and Molecular Biology Lab

CHEM 4140 - Biochemistry Lab

Experience Qualifications

Research Program:

  • Cancer Cell Biology: Focusses of discovery of novel compounds with anti-cell proliferation properties and their mechanism of action.
  • Phage biology: Discovering and annotating novel Mycobacteriophages for their potential to be used in phage therapy

Peer-Reviewed Publications:

  • Aggarwal R, Kumar P, Jain N, Hooda M, Kumar S, Sadana R, Lwanga R, Guzman A, Chugh H, and Chandra R (2023). Synthesis and In vitro-In silico Evaluation of Thiazolo-triazole Hybrids as Anticancer Candidates. Chemistry Select. 8, e20230136. https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.202301368
  • Aggarwal R, Kumar S, Sadana R, Guzman A and Kumar V. Multicomponent Synthesis, in vitro Cytotoxic Evaluation and Molecular Modelling Studies of Polyfunctionalized Pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyridine Derivatives Against three Human Cancer Cell Lines. Synthetic Communications. 2021, 3308.
  • Tantak MP, Malik M, Klingler L, Olson Z, Kumar A, Sadana R, and Kumar D. Indolyl-α-keto-1,3,4-oxadiazoles: Synthesis, anti-cell proliferation activity, and inhibition of tubulin polymerization. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2021, 127842.
  • Aggarwal R, Kumar S, Mittal A, Sadana R and Dutt V. Synthesis, Characterization, in vitro DNA Photocleavage and Cytotoxicity studies of 4-Arylazo-1-phenyl-3-(2-thienyl)-5-hydroxy-5-trifluoromethylpyrazolines and Regioisomeric 4-Arylazo-1-phenyl-5(3)-(2-thienyl)-3(5)-trifluoromethylpyrazoles. Journal of Fluorine Chemistry, 2020, 236, 109573.
  • Mamta, Aggarwal R, Sadana R, Ilag J, and Sumran G. Synthesis and bioevaluation of 6-chloropyridazin-3-yl hydrazones and 6-chloro-3-substituted-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-b]pyridazines as cytotoxic agents. Bioorganic Chemistry, 2019, 86, 288 - 295.
  • Tantak MP, Klingler L, V. Varun, Kumar A, Sadana R, and Kumar D. Design and Synthesis of bis(indolyl)ketohydrazide-hydrazones: Identification of potent and selective novel tubulin inhibitors. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2017, 136, 184-194.
  • Reddy V, Mishra S , Tantak MP, Kumar N, Sadana R, Shah K, and Kumar D. Design, synthesis and in vitro cytotoxicity studies of novel b-carboliniumbromides. P.O. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, 2017, 1379-1384.
  • Hanauer DI, Graham MJ; SEA-PHAGES*, Betancur L, Bobrownicki A, Cresawn SG, Garlena RA, Jacobs-Sera D, Kaufmann N, Pope WH, Russell DA, Jacobs WR Jr, Sivanathan V, Asai DJ, Hatfull GF. An inclusive Research Education Community (iREC): Impact of the SEA-PHAGES program on research outcomes and student learning.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017; 114(51):13531-13536.
  • Saha S, Yan W, Washington JM, Davis WB, Barbazuk WB, Medellin R, Mendez A, Ramos JR, Sadana R, Edmonds M, Feng G, Ilyas M, Kaiser J, Monroe SJ, Pham TV, Cresawn SG, Garlena RA, Stoner TH, Russell DA, Pope WH, Jacobs-Sera D, Hatfull GF. Genome Sequences of Mycobacteriophages Findley, Hurricane, and TBond007.Genome Announc. 2017, 5(45). doi: 10.1128/genomeA.01123-17.
  • Jacobs-Sera D, Catinas O, Fernandez-Martinez M, Garcia A, Garlena RA, Guerrero Bustamante CA, Larsen MH, Medellin RH, Melendez-Ortiz MY, Melendez-Rivera CM, Mercado-Andino AK, Mercado-Delgado AJ, Ortiz-Ortiz CP, Quesada-Gordillo AM, Ramos JM, Rubin MR, Russell DA, Sadana R, Saha S, Vazquez E, Villarreal D, Hatfull GF. Genome Sequences of Mycobacteriophages Kerberos, Pomar16, and StarStuff. Genome Announc. 2017; 5(32). doi: 10.1128/genomeA.00690-17.
  • King RA, Slowan-Pomeroy TM, Thomas JE, Ahmed T, Alexander KL, Biddle JM, Daniels MK, Rowlett JR, Senay TE, Rinehart CA, Staples AK, Rowland NS, Gaffney BL, Emmons CB, Hauk MD, Nguyen RL, Naegele L, Strickland SS, Briggs LA, Rush AN, Saha S, Sadana R, Cresawn SG, Russell DA, Garlena RA, Pope WH, Jacobs-Sera D, Hatfull GF. Genome Sequences of Subcluster K5 Mycobacteriophages AlleyCat, Edugator, and Guillsminger.Genome Announc. 2017, 5(45). doi: 10.1128/genomeA.01122-17.
  • Kumar S, Aggarwal R, Kumar V, Sadana R, Patel B, Kaushik P and Kaushik D. Solvent-free synthesis of bacillamide analogues as novel cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory agents. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 123, 2016, 718-726.
  • Mamta, Aggarwal R, Smith J, and Sadana R. Synthesis and cytotoxic evaluation of some new 1-(6-chloropyridazine-3-yl)-2-H/Alyl-4 phenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-amines and their derivatives. Indian Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry, 2016, 26, 59-68.
  • Reddy V, Tantak MP, Valdez R, Singh RP, Sadana R, Singh OM and Kumar D. Synthesis and biological Evaluation of novel carbazolyl glyoxamides as Anti-cancer and Anti-bacterial Agents. RSC Advances, 2016, 6, 9379-9386.
  • Vaddula B, Tantak MP, Sadana R, Gonzales M and Kumar D. One Pot Synthesis and in-vitro anticancer evaluation of 5-(2'-indolyl)thiazoles. Scientific reports, 2016, Article number 23401. DOI: 10.1038/srep23401.
  • Cameron S. Brand, Rachna Sadana, Sundeep Malik, Alan V. Smrcka, and Carmen W. Dessauer. Adenylyl Cyclase 5 Regulation by Gβγ Involves Isoform Specific Use of Multiple Interactions. Molecular Pharmacology, 2015, 88 (4), 758-764.
  • Welkin H. Pope, Charles A. Bowman, Daniel A. Russell, Deborah Jacobs-Sera1, David J. Asai, Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES), Phage Hunters Integrating Research and Education (PHIRE) PHIRE, Mycobacterial Genetics Course (MGC), Steven G. Cresawn, William R. Jacobs Jr., Roger W. Hendrix1, Jeffrey G. Lawrence1, and Graham F. Hatfull. Whole genome comparison of a large collection of mycobacteriophages reveals a continuum of 11 phage genetic diversity. Elife, 2015, 28, 4:e06416. doi: 10.7554/eLife.06416.
  • Multiple UHD freshmen students and faculty (Rachna Sadana, Phyllis Griffard and Akif Uzman) are listed as co-authors in the supplemental information).
  • Aggarwal R, Rani C, Sadana R, Busari K, Sharma C, and Aneja KR. Hypervalent iodine mediated synthesis of some new N-(4,6-dimethylpyrimidin-2-yl) N′-(4-arylthiazol-2-yl)hydrazines and their evaluation as antibacterial and cytotoxic agents. Chemistry and Biology Interface, 2013, Vol 3, 389-397.
  • Dessauer CW and Sadana R. Adenylyl cyclases. Encyclopedia of signaling molecules, 2012, part 2, 59-66.
  • Sadana R, and Dessauer CW. N-terminus of adenylyl cyclase scaffolds heterotrimeric G-proteins. Molecular Pharmacology, 2009, 76, 1256-1264.
  • Kapiloff M, Piggott LA, Sadana R, Li J, Heredia L, Henson E, Efendiev R and Dessauer CW. Adenylyl cyclase binding to an AKAP is required for β-adrenergic signaling in cardiac myocytes. Journal of Biological Chemistry, Aug 2009, 284 (35), 23540-23546.
  • Sadana R, and Dessauer CW. Physiological Roles of G-protein Regulated Adenylyl Cyclase Isoforms: Insights from Knockout and Overexpression Studies. Review: Neurosignals, 2009, 17(1), 5-22.
  • Gao X, Sadana R, Dessauer CW and Patel TB. Conditional stimulation of type V and VI adenylyl cyclases by G-protein βγ subunits. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2007, 282, 294-302.
  • Sadana R, Mittal A, Khurana S, Kamboj RC and Singh H. Rapid purification of Cathepsin L-like enzyme from goat brain and its characterization. Indian Journal of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 2003, 40, 315-323.
  • Mittal A, Sadana R, Kamboj RC, Singh H. Purification and characterization of DPP IV from goat brain. Indian Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry, 2003, 80, 1019-1025.
  • Raghav N, Mittal A, Sadana R, Khurana S, Kamboj RC and Singh H. Effects of some anti-inflammatory, antituberculous and antileprotic drugs on Cathepsin H. Indian Journal of Heterocyclic Chemistry, 2003, 13, 41-44.
  • Kamboj RC, Raghav N, Mittal A, Khurana S, Sadana R and Singh H. Inhibitory effects of some antituberculous and antileprotic drugs on Cathepsins B, H and L., Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry, 2003, 18, 39-47.
  • Mittal A, Khurana S, Sadana R, Kamboj RC and Singh H. Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV: Regional and Subcellular Distribution in Goat Brain. Journal of Indian Chemical Society, 2002, 79, 605-608.
  • Kamboj RC, Raghav N, Sadana R and Singh H. Purification and Characterization of Cathepsin L from goat brain. Pb. Univ. Res. Bull. (Sci), 2001, 51, 41-59.

More Information

Awards

  • 2020 UHD Excellence Scholarship Award Finalist
  • 2015 Excellence in Teaching Award

Professional Affiliations

  • Member of Advisory Board for Indian Society of Chemists and Biologists International Conference
  • Member of Indian Society of Chemists and Biologists