My current research is in the field of cancer immunotherapy or immuno-oncology. Here at Arcus Biosciencces, we are building a wide portfolio of immune-focused cancer therapies that target one or more therapeutic nodes which involve in the reversal of active immune suppression, the direct stimulation of effector immune cells, triggering of immunogenic cancer cell death and the activation of dendritic cells.

During my postdoctoral studies at Stanford University, I was involved in stereoselective and atom-econonic method development using transition metal catalysis. Application of Ruthenium and Palladium catalysis in alkene-alkyne coupling as well as their utilization in the development of multi-component reaction was investigated. The methods developed enabled efficient synthesis of synthetically useful building blocks such as: α-silyl-β-hydroxy-vinylsilanes, stereodefined 1,3-dienes and cyclic amido-ethers.

My doctoral research predominantly composed of total synthesis of biologically important natural products. I worked on two classes of natural products a) angucyclines e.g., jadomycin A/B and b) oligosaccharides e.g., merremosides and mezzettiasides. Despite compelling primary biological data, detailed studies has not been out on these natural products because of their limited natural source. The synthetic routes developed to access these natural products were first in class, which also enabled analog synthesis for detailed SAR studies. 

1. B. M. Trost, E. U. Sharif and J. J. Cregg “Ru-catalyzed sequence for the synthesis of cyclic amido- ethers”, Chem. Sci., 2017, 8, 770.
2. B. M. Trost, D. C. Koester, and E. U. Sharif “Ruthenium-Catalyzed Multicomponent reaction: Access to α-silyl-β-hydroxy Vinylsilanes, Stereodefined 1,3-Dienes and Cyclohexanes”, Chem.-Eur. J. 2016, 22, 2634.
3. S. O. Bajaj, E. U. Sharif, N. G. Akhmedov, G. A. O’Doherty “De novo asymmetric synthesis of the mezzettiaside family of natural products via the iterative use of a dual B-/Pd-catalyzed glycosylation”, Chem. Sci., 2014, 5, 2230. 
4. E. U. Sharif, H. L. Wang, N. G. Akhmedov, G. A. O’Doherty, “Merremoside D: De novo synthesis of its purported structure, NMR analysis and comparison of spectral data”, Org. Lett. 2014, 16, 492. 
5. E. U. Sharif and G. A. O’Doherty, “Regioselective bromination: An approach to the D-ring of gilvocarcins”, Heterocycles, 2014, 88, 1275.
6. J. W. Hinds, S. B. McKenna, E. U. Sharif, H. L. Wang, N. G. Akhmedov, G. A. O’Doherty, “C3'/C4' stereochemical effect of digitoxigenin -L-/ -D-glycoside in cancer cytotoxicity”, ChemMedChem. 2013, 8, 63. 
7. N. Tibrewal, T. E. Downey, S. G. Van Lanen, E. U. Sharif, G. A. O'Doherty, J. Rohr, “Roles of the synergistic reductive O-methyltransferase GilM and of O-methyltransferase GilMT in the gilvocarcin biosynthetic pathway”, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2012, 134, 12402. 
8. E. U. Sharif, G. A. O’Doherty, “Synthesis and biosynthesis of jadomycin family of natural products”, Eur. J. Org. Chem. 2012, 2095.
9. M. Shan, E. U. Sharif, G. A. O’Doherty, “Total synthesis of jadomycin A and carbasugar analogue of jadomycin B”, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 9492.