Kapildev Arora

Kapildev Arora has completed his Bachelors and Masters Degree in Chemistry from Nagpur University, Nagpur, India. He received his Ph.D. (Chemistry) from National Chemical Laboratory, Pune University, Pune, India. From July 2007 to April 2009, he was working as a Post-doctoral fellow with Prof. Mike Zaworotko at the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA. From May 2009 to May 2011 he worked as Post-doctoral fellow with Prof. Raj Suryanarayanan at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Currently, he is holding a Research Associate position in the same laboratory.

He is interested in applying crystal engineering and supramolecular chemistry principles to develop new materials that have customized properties. His research interests are crystal engineering, supramolecular chemistry, structure - property relationships in molecular crystals, polymorphism, pharmaceutical cocrystals, salts, hydrates/solvates, understanding of processing induced phase transformations, preparation and stabilization of multi-component amorphous systems for solubility enhancement, and dehydration behavior of hydrates.

Current Projects

Unintended Water Mediated Cocrystal Formation in Carbamazepine and Aspirin Tablets (Published in Molecular Pharmaceutics 2011, 8, 982-989)

• Objective - To explore the potential for moisture-induced in situ cocrystal formation.
• The water of crystallization released during dehydration of dibasic calcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) mediated the cocrystal formation between carbamazepine (CBZ) and nicotinamide (NMA) in intact tablets.
• In a second model system, the water of crystallization released by the dehydration of DCPD caused the chemical decomposition of aspirin. Salicylic acid, one of the decomposition products, reacted with CBZ to form CBZ-salicylic acid cocrystal in tablets.
• This is the first report of cocrystal formation in intact tablets, demonstrating water mediated noncovalent synthesis in a multicomponent matrix.
• The in situ cocrystal formation may have implication on product performance including pronounced alterations in dissolution behavior and bioavailability.
• The work has been extended to pharmaceutical hydrates (manuscript under preparation)

Retention of drug - coformer motif in processed cocrystals (Submitted for publication)

• Objective - To explore the possibility of completely eliminating long-range lattice order in cocrystal supramolecular lattices while maintaining the molecular recognition between the drug and the cocrystal former molecules.
• Such an approach has the potential to retain some of the unique advantages of strategies that have been used for improving/customizing drug properties - cocrystallization, nanonization and amorphization.
• Milling or melt-quenching of model cocrystals resulted in destruction of long-range lattice order while preserving the drug - coformer motif. This was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry, powder X-ray diffractometry and solid-state NMR spectroscopy.
• This is the first study of retention of molecular recognition in processed cocrystals.
• Such an approach could have the potential to improve the physical instability problems associated with amorphous drugs. The strategy can also be used to destroy long-range lattice periodicity of drugs that are difficult to render amorphous.

A new polymorph of ADUMN01 obtained by controlled dehydration of its dihydrate (Manuscript under preparation)

• Our objectives were (i) to demonstrate the effect of water removal kinetics on the nature of the product phase obtained following dehydration of ADUMN01 dihydrate, and (ii) characterize a newly identified anhydrous polymorph of ADUMN01 obtained by dehydration of the dihydrate.
• The dehydration behavior of ADUMN01 dihydrate and the resulting anhydrous phases were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and variable temperature powder X-ray diffractometry (XRD).
• It was observed that the new polymorph could only be obtained by carefully modulating the kinetics of water removal.
• The physical form of the anhydrous phase obtained, following the dehydration of ADUMN01 dihydrate, was governed by the rate of water removal. We have isolated and characterized a new anhydrous polymorph of ADUMN01 which was obtained by the controlled dehydration of ADUMN01 dihydrate.

Past Projects (Click to view)

Publications (selected list)

1. K. K. Arora, N. G. Tayade and R. Suryanarayanan, Unintended Water Mediated Cocrystal Formation in Carbamazepine and Aspirin Tablets, Mol. Pharmaceutics 2011, 8, 982-989.
2. H. D. Clarke, K. K. Arora, L. Wojtas and M. J. Zaworotko, Polymorphism in Multiple Component Crystals: Forms III and IV of Gallic Acid Monohydrate, Cryst. Growth Des. 2011, 11, 964-966.
3. K. K. Arora and M. J. Zaworotko, Pharmaceutical co-crystals: A new opportunity in pharmaceutical science for a long-known but little studied class of compounds, (Polymorphism of Pharmaceutical Solids, 2nd Edition H. G. Brittain, page no. 281-313, 2009)
4. H. D. Clarke, K. K. Arora, H. Bass, P. Kavuru, T. T. Ong, T. Pujari, L. Wojtas and M. J. Zaworotko, Structure-stability relationships in cocrystal hydrates: Does the promiscuity of water make crystalline hydrates the nemesis of crystal engineering?, Cryst. Growth Des. 2010, 10, 2152-2167.
5. P. Kavuru, D. Aboarayes, K. K. Arora, H. D. Clarke, A. Kennedy, L. Marshall, T. T. Ong, J. Perman, T. Pujari, L. Wojtas and M. J. Zaworotko, Hierarchy of supramolecular synthons: Persistant hydrogen bonds between carboxylates and weakly acidic hydroxyl moieties in cocrystals of zwitterions, Cryst. Growth Des. 2010, 10, 3568-3584.
6. K. K. Arora, M. S. Talwelkar and V. R. Pedireddi, Supramolecular synthesis of some molecular adducts of 4,4'-Bipyridine N,N'-Dioxide, New J. Chem. 2009, 33, 57-63.

Awards and honors (selected list)

• 2006 - National Chemical Laboratory Research Foundation "KEERTI SANGORAM ENDOWMENT AWARD" - Best Research Scholar of the year 2006
• 2003 - Director's Commendation Award for the work highlighted on the cover page of "The Journal of Organic Chemistry", Year 2003, Volume 68, Issue 24, and Page no. 9177 - 9185, National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, MS, India

Contact: karora@umn.edu