Adjunct Faculty/Scientist

Dr. Latif serves as the head of the Biochemical Unit at the Centre for Genetics and ‎Inherited Diseases (CGID) at Taibah University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). He is also a ‎faculty member at the College of Medicine at the same institution. Before his tenure at ‎Taibah University, Dr. Latif held a position as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Korea Advanced ‎Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in South Korea. During this period, he ‎conducted research on riboswitches, which are regulatory segments of messenger RNA ‎molecules that bind small molecules, thereby altering the production of proteins encoded ‎by the mRNA. Additionally, he investigated the development of heterocyclic molecules for ‎Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) inhibition. In his recent professional endeavors, Dr. ‎Latif has utilized technologies such as LC-MS/MS, GC/MS, HPLC, FTIR, and UV-based ‎methodologies. His current research interests encompass the application of Ion Exchange ‎Chromatography and Tandem Mass Spectrometry to the study of inherited metabolic ‎disorders, the identification of disease-associated biomarkers, medicinal chemistry, and ‎cancer drug discovery. He is also engaged in the design and synthesis of novel organic ‎molecular entities, the development of synthetic methodologies for novel organic ‎molecules, the total synthesis of natural products, asymmetric organic synthesis, and ‎solution-phase peptide chemistry.‎ Dr. Latif obtained his M.Sc. and M.Phil degrees in organic chemistry from Quaid-i-‎Azam University (QAU) in Islamabad, Pakistan, in 2000 and 2002, respectively. From 2003 ‎to 2010, he served as an Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at Hamdard ‎University, Pakistan, where he also held roles such as in charge of examinations, a ‎member of the board of studies, and an active participant in several other committees. ‎Before embarking on his Ph.D. research, he worked as a researcher at the Micro/Nano ‎Biosystems Laboratory in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at ‎Chungnam National University (CNU), South Korea, where he investigated the synthesis in ‎microreactors, the synthesis of nanoparticles, and their immobilization in microchannels. ‎In 2011, he was awarded a graduate fellowship for Ph.D. studies in South Korea. He ‎completed his Ph.D. in 2014 under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Kwangho Lee at the Cancer ‎and Infectious Disease Therapeutics Group, Drug Discovery Division, Korea Research ‎Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), Korea University of Science and Technology, ‎South Korea. His research focused on the design and synthesis of pyrimidine-based ALK ‎inhibitors for the treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), aiming to overcome ‎the limitations of Crizotinib (Xalkori, Pfizer), an approved drug for NSCLC via ALK inhibition, ‎which is associated with the development of acquired drug resistance, including EML4-‎ALK, L1196M, F1174L, R1275Q, and G1269S.‎ Furthermore, under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Jongkook Lee at the College of ‎Pharmacy, Kangwon National University (KNU), South Korea, he developed a new ‎methodology for the synthesis of 2,6-disubstituted tetrahydropyran via intramolecular ‎amide enolate alkylation (IAEA) for the stereoselective total synthesis of cyclohexanoids. ‎He also co-developed the first total synthesis of Xestodecalactone B & C and (-)-11α-‎hydroxycurvularin from commercially available materials through the remote stereo ‎inductive Intramolecular Nitrile Oxide Cycloaddition (INOC) methodology. He holds three ‎international patents, has contributed to several book chapters, and has authored over 72 ‎research articles in esteemed international journals. Additionally, he has presented his ‎research at numerous national and international conferences and meetings.‎