Kazi Ruhullah Shahriar

Research

Core Themes

Research Focus

Molecular design driven by biological relevance, validated through mechanistic rigor.

01

ROS-Responsive Lipid Systems for Controlled Release

Aryl boronate-functionalized lipids designed to respond selectively to H₂O₂ in oxidative disease microenvironments — enabling precision drug delivery in cancer and inflammation without off-target release.

02

Modular Synthetic Platform Development

Scalable synthetic routes for stimuli-responsive boronate molecules, built for structural tunability and reproducibility with pharmaceutical application in mind.

03

Fluorogenic & Mechanistic Assays

Integration of Nile Red fluorescence, dye-release kinetics, and biophysical analysis to connect molecular architecture with biological performance in liposomal formulations.

Positions

Research Experience

Graduate Research Assistant
Aug 2021 – Present
Best Research Group  ·  Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Advisor: Dr. Michael Douglas Best
  • Pioneered ROS-responsive lipid platforms from non-phospholipid precursors, lowering synthesis cost and enabling scale-up for biomedical translation.
  • Constructed ROS-responsive molecular platforms for modeling signal transduction using a tandem self-immolative strategy.
  • Designed triphenylphosphonium–boronate–fluorophore probes for mitochondria-targeted delivery.
  • Developed de novo lipid switch architecture enabling H₂O₂-triggered liposomal cargo release with tunable kinetics.
  • Mentored two undergraduate researchers in synthetic methodology, purification, lipid assembly, liposome preparation, fluorescence assays, and data analysis.
Boronate chemistry Lipid synthesis Liposome preparation GUV electroformation Nile Red fluorescence DLS & TEM NMR / MS
Master's Thesis Research
Jan 2018 – Feb 2019
Department of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Supervisor: Dr. Choudhury Mahmood Hasan
Thesis: Phytochemical and Biological Studies on Bridelia stipularis (L.) Blume and Aporosa wallichii Hook.f.
  • Isolated and characterized secondary metabolites from two plant species and investigated their biological activity including antioxidant and cytotoxic properties.
Natural product isolation Column chromatography Antioxidant assays Cytotoxicity (MTT)
Undergraduate Research Project
Jan 2017 – Apr 2017
Department of Pharmacy, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Supervisor: Dr. Muhammad Rashedul Islam
Project: Study of Current Prescription Trends of Cardiac Physicians in Metropolitan Dhaka City, Bangladesh
  • Surveyed cardiologists across eight major hospitals in Dhaka to map prescription patterns for cardiovascular disease management.
Survey design Pharmacoepidemiology Statistical analysis
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