monastyrskyi lab
monastyrskyi lab
andrii.monastyrskyi@moffitt.org
Dr. Monastyrskyi joined the faculty at Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Insitute in April 2019 as an Assistant Member in the Department of Drug Discovery and Molecular Medicine (MM) Program. He was promoted to Associate Member & Professor with tenure in 2025.
He received his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of South Florida, where he worked with Prof. Roman Manetsch on the synthesis of antimalarial agents based on a 3-aryl-4(1H)-quinolone core structure.
His postdoctoral studies (NIH F32 NRSA Fellow) in synthetic methodology development and drug discovery were carried out at The Scripps Research Institute under the direction of Prof. William R. Roush.
His lab at Moffitt synergies synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and chemical biology to innovate small molecules that both elucidate and modulate therapeutically relevant targets in cancer.
Thiyagu.Pandurangan@moffitt.org
Thiyagu has 14+ years of industrial experience in one of the leading Contract Research Organization (CRO) in India, Syngene International Ltd. His current research is focusing on developing CDK12 inhibitors to overcome therapy resistance in HER2+ and KRAS driven breast and lung cancers. Specifically, Thiyagu is responsible for design, scale up and synthetic optimization of the gram quantities of lead CDK12/13 inhibitors required for in vivo studies.
MahalakshmiNai.Kalaga@moffitt.org
Mahalakshmi completed his Ph.D. at BITS-Pilani University, where he focused on designing and synthesizing novel heterocyclic compounds as potential anti-tubercular agents. At Moffitt, his research is focused on developing brain penetrant CDK12/13 inhibitors and autophagy ULK1 inhibitors.
Sean is a graduate student of the Cancer Chemical Biology Program at Moffitt and is working on the development of selective ULK1 modulators for the treatment of RAS-driven cancers. He received his B.S. in Biomedical Sciences (Summa Cum Laude) from AdventHealth University and joined the group in 2020.
Nada joined the group in 2021 as a graduate student in the Cancer Chemical Biology Ph.D. program working on the development of selective CDK11 inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. She graduated from Zewail University for Science and Technology, majoring in Biomedical Sciences with special focus on Drug Design and Development along with a minor in Nano-sciences.
Will is a graduate student from the Department of Chemistry at USF where he also received his B.S. At Moffitt, Will's research is focused on the development of synthetic methods and medicinal chemistry optimization of CDK12 inhibitors and molecular glue degrades.
Micheal is a graduate student from the Department of Chemistry at USF. He received his B.S. from Kwame Nkrumah University and Technology, Ghana. At Moffitt, Micheal is focused on the development of ULK1 inhibitors and chemoproteomics-enabled drug discovery
Liz is a graduate student in the Cancer Chemical Biology Program at Moffitt, who joined the lab in 2024. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from USF, where she contributed to synthesis projects for Alzheimer’s disease and leishmaniasis as an undergraduate trainee in the Leahy lab. She later obtained an M.S. degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from UF. Liz's current research focuses on developing ULK1 kinase inhibitors and exploring kinetic target-guided synthesis approaches.
Manuel.ManzanaresRodas@Moffitt.org
Manuel joined the lab as graduate student of the Cancer Chemical Program at Moffitt in 2024. He received his B.S. from USF while doing undergraduate research at Moffitt in the same lab. Manuel's research is focused on the development of synthetic methods and medicinal chemistry optimization of CDK12/13 inhibitors and molecular glue degraders.
Nadezda (Nadja) is a graduate student from the Department of Chemistry at USF. She received her bachelor's degree in Biochemistry at Southeastern University and joined the lab in 2024. At Moffitt, Nadja's research is focused on the development of novel CDK11 for the treatment of cancer.
