AMRITSAR: Tilak Raj, a senior research fellow from the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the Guru Nanak Dev University has won a cash prize Rs. 50,000 (Rupees fifty thousand) by getting third position in the merit of the 2nd National Student Research Convention 'ANVESHAN-2009' held at Bengal Engineering and Sciences University, Howrah for his research work "Development of chromone derivatives as antimicrobial agents".

The Association of Indian Universities and Bengal Engineering and Sciences University, Howrah jointly organised this convention in the last week of February.

Dr. Dayanand Dongaonkar, Secretary General of Association of Indian Universities, New Delhi awarded the certificate of merit.

Tilak Raj, after a grilling competition spread over many months, fifteen candidates were selected for funding of their research projects. In the selection process foreign universities from France and Netherland were also involved.

Earlier, Tilak Raj was also awarded with 'Young Scientist Award' 2008 by the Indian Council of Chemists which concluded on December 28 in Gurukul Kangri University at Haridwar (Uttaranchal).

Tilak Raj working on synthetic and bio-organic medicinal chemistry and photochemistry under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Mohan Paul Singh Ishar, who had recently developed new Chromone based antifungal agents which have higher activity than the frontline drug fluconazole. Also, he has developed new photochemical routes to some anti-cancer molecules and his paper entitled "Synthesis and cyto-toxic activity of some novel polycyclic γ-butyrolactones" was published in a reputed international journal. It encompassed results on development and evaluation of the highly potent anti-cancer molecules, which had been selected as "lead molecules" for development of the new anti cancer agents and featured in every prestigious Discovery's "Daily Update", viewed by all academic and industrial R & D establishments.