Dr. Dhimant Desai’s research interest is to study the structural activity relationship of organic chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents against cancers of colon, lung, melanoma and leukemia. He specializes in micro- and macro-scale organic and bio-organic syntheses of carbocyclic nucleosides, carcinogens, chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic agents including organoselenium compounds, cytodifferentiating agents and nitric oxide inhibitors.

The focus of Dr. Desai's research is on the synthesis of carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines and their metabolites and adducts. It further extends his research in animal bioassays (studies in mice, rats, hamsters); isotopic and radiochemical preparations; animal tissue distribution studies; and in vitro studies with synthetic standards, including 14C, 2H and 3H-labeled compounds.

Dr. Desai has focused on the prevention and treatment of colon cancer by selenium-containing COX-2 inhibitors. In another recently funded project, Dr. Desai has investigated PK/PD studies of PAN-antiviral agent in the treatment of HCMV infections. He is also involved in the research on gut microbiota and metabolomics studies with bile acid analogs in the treatment of non-fatty liver disease, COPD and asthma.