Dr. Pratheesh Maheswaran

Dr. Pratheesh Maheswaran

Senior Lecturer (Gr II) in Pharmacy
D.Phil in Chemical Biology
M.Sc in Pharmacology
B.Sc (Hons) in Biochemistry with Forensic Science

pratheesh@univ.jfn.ac.lk

Overview

Dr. Pratheesh Maheswaran, DPhil (Oxon), is currently working as a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacy, whose academic and research background spans chemical biology, drug discovery, and molecular pharmacology. He earned his DPhil from the University of Oxford under the supervision of Professor Christopher Schofield, FRS, focusing on the structure and function of nucleic acid-modifying enzymes; particularly the FTO protein, a key regulator of metabolic processes.

Dr Maheswaran’s interdisciplinary research encompasses enzyme mechanisms, small-molecule inhibitor design, and antiviral drug discovery, with publications in high-impact journals, including Nature Plants, Nucleic Acids Research, and the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. Trained at Oxford and Queen Mary, University of London, he combines expertise in basic science and applied pharmacology to drive cross-disciplinary and international research, addressing critical health challenges by linking global scientific knowledge with local needs through a collaborative approach.

2024: DPhil in Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford
2012: MSc in Pharmacology, University of Oxford
2009: BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry with Forensic Science, Queen Mary University of London

Current Appointments

  • Chair, IT, Web, and Library Committee, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences
  • Core member, Clinical Trails Unit, Faculty of Medicine
  • Member, Technical Evaluation Committee, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences

Publications:

  • Shishodia, Shifali, Marina Demetriades, Dong Zhang, Nok Yin Tam, Pratheesh Maheswaran, Caitlin Clunie-O’Connor, Anthony Tumber, et al. Structure-Based Design of Selective Fat Mass and Obesity Associated Protein (FTO) Inhibitors. J. Med. Chem. 64, 16609–16625 (2021).
  • Tika R Malla, Anthony Tumber, Tobias John, Lennart Brewitz, Claire Strain-Damerell, C David Owen, Petra Lukacik, HT Henry Chan, Pratheesh Maheswaran, et al. Mass spectrometry reveals potential of β-lactams as SARS-CoV-2 Mproinhibitors. Chem. Commun. 57, 1430–1433 (2021).
  • Benson, Samuel L., Pratheesh Maheswaran, Maxwell A. Ware, C. Neil Hunter, Peter Horton, Stefan Jansson, Alexander V. Ruban, and Matthew P. Johnson. 2015. An intact light harvesting complex I antenna system is required for complete state transitions in Arabidopsis. Nat. Plants. 1, 15176 (2015).
  • Adam, Julie, Ming Yang, Christina Bauerschmidt, Mitsuhiro Kitagawa, Linda O’Flaherty, Pratheesh Maheswaran, Gizem Özkan, et al. A Role for Cytosolic Fumarate Hydratase in Urea Cycle Metabolism and Renal Neoplasia. Cell Rep. 3, 1440–1448 (2013).