Department of Zoology

• 2011-2013 : Assistant Professor in the Department of Biotechnology, Lady Doak College, Madurai.
• 2013-till date : Assistant Professor in the Department of Zoology and Microbiology, Thiagarajar
  College, Madurai.

• Cleared National Eligibility test CSIR-NET in 2004 June.
• Awarded Tamil Nadu State Collegiate Science and Technology fellowship for two
  years from 2006-2008.
• Indian National Science Academy Summer Research Fellow in 2016 to Rajiv Gandhi
  Institute of Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram

         Publications

• Steffy, A., Shakina, J., Sujatha, R.Saravanan, Karthikeyan M., M.Saravanan,
  Poornima Kkani and Tharmaraj P. et al. A Novel Bisimine (4,6-Triazolyl, 2-
  Phenylamino,1,3,5-Triazine) Serving as Potential Anticancer Agent and
  Chemosensor for the Sensitive Colorimetric Detection of Cu(II) Ion: Design,
  Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Therapeutic Efficiency. Chemistry Africa 8,
  4957–4972 (2025).
• Singh M, Pradhan D, Kkani P, Prasad Rao G, Dhagudu NK, Kumar L,
  Ramasubramanian C, Kumar SG, Sonttineni S and Mohan KN (2023) Genome-scale
  copy number variant analysis in schizophrenia patients and controls from South
  India. Front. Mol. Neurosci. 16:1268827. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.
• Saxena S, Maroju PA, Choudhury S, Voina VC, Naik P, Gowdhaman K, Kkani P,
  Chennoju K, Ganesh Kumar S, Ramasubramanian C, Prasad Rao G, Jamma T,
  Narayan KP, Mohan KN. Functional Analysis of DNMT1 SNPs
  (rs2228611 and rs2114724) Associated with Schizophrenia. Genet Res (Camb). 2021
  Mar 31;2021
• Sonal Saxena, Poornima Kkani , Chellamuthu Rama Subramanian C, Ganesh Kumar
  S. and Kommu Naga Mohan (2019) Analysis of 15.q 11.2 CNVs in an Indian
  population with schizophrenia, Ann Hum Gen: 1-5. 
• Periyasamy, A., Kkani, Poornima., Chandrasekaran, B., Suguna P.,Saranya V., Peter
  S., and Shenbagarathai R., (2016) Screening and characterization of a non-insecticidal
  Bacillus thuringiensis strain producing parasporal protein with selective toxicity
  against human colon cancer cell lines, Ann Microbiol 66: 1167-1178. IF: 1.23
• Abirami P., Poornima Kkani., Suguna P., Saranya V., Selvanayagam P., and
  Shenbagarathai R., (2016) Phenotypic characterisation of indigenous Bacillus
  thuringiensis strain (B.t. LDC 501) expressing cancer cell killing protein, journal of
  Exptal Biol and Agri Sci. 4: 232-241.
• Saranya V. Rajeswari, P. Abirami, Poornima kkani, P. Suguna and R.Shenbagarathai
  (2015) Statistical media design for efficient poly hydroxyalkanoate production in
  pseudomonas sp. MNNG-S, Prep Biochem And Biotechnol, 46: 446-453.
• Sonal Saxena, Kavitha Gowdhaman, Poornima Kkani, Bhavyasri Vennapusa,
  Chellamuthu Rama Subramanian C, Ganesh Kumar S. and Kommu Naga Mohan
  (2015) Improved multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (i-MLPA) for
  rapid copy number variant detection, Clin. Chim. Acta: 450, 19-24. 
• Saranya.V., Poornima kkani., Krishnakumari.M.S., Suguna.P., Binuramesh.C.,
  Abirami.P., Rajeswari.V., Ramachandran.K.B. and Shenbagarathai.R (2012)
  Quantification of intracellular Polyhydroxyalkanoates by virtue of personalized flow
  cytometry protocol. Current Microbiology. 589-594.
• Ayyasamy Mahalakshmi, Kabilan Sujatha, Poornima Kkani, Rajaiah Shenbagarathai,
  Distribution of cry and cyt Genes among Indigenous Bacillus thuringiensis Isolates with
  Mosquitocidal Activity (2012) Advances in Microbiolog. 2, 216-226.
• Kkani Poornima, Viswanathan Saranya, Periyasamy Abirami, Chandrasekaran
  Binuramesh Ponnusamy Suguna, Peter Selvanayagam, Rajaiah Shenbagarathai (2012)
  Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of B.t.LDC-391 strain that produce cytocidal
  proteins against human cancer cells. Bioinformation. 8(10): 461-465. 

• Poornima Kkani, Peter Selvanayagam and Shenbagarathai.R, (2010). Identification of
  native Bacillus thuringiensis strain from South India having specific cytocidal activity
  against cancer cells. Journal of Applied Microbiology (109) 2010.

  CONFERENCES:

• PAPERS PRESENTED IN NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES:
   Abirami P., Poornima Kkani, C. Binuramesh, Suguna P. and Shenbagarathai R,
  Screening of novel B.t. strains from southern coastal regions of Inida & quot;, I st International
  conference on Bioengineering, SASTRA UNIVERSITY, Tanjore, Tamil Nadu on 8-9
  Aug, 2013.
   Poornima Kkani, Peter Selvanayagam and Shenbagarathai Rajiah, “Proteomic analysis
  of cancer specific cytotoxic proteins from B.thuringiensis LDC-391”, 110 th general
  meeting of American Society for Microbiology in San-Diego, California, U.S.A. May 23 rd
  –May 27 th 2010.
   Poornima Kkani, Peter Selvanayagam and Shenbagarathai Rajiah, “Identification of a
  parasporin producing Bacillus thuringiensis isolate from Madurai, Tamil Nadu”, Science
  Day and Aqua-terr annual conference on organismal & functional genomics, Madurai
  Kamaraj University, Madurai 6 th March 2010.
   A.Mahalakshmi, K. Sujatha, Poornima Kkani, M. Tamilarasi, G. Geetha, K. Anburani
  and R. Shenbagarathai (2007 “Economical B.t. toxin production from cane molasses by
  B.t LDC-9 M70.” in the “International conference on new horizons in biotechnology
  (NHBT-2007), NIST, Trivandrum, India Nov 26-29, 2007.”
•  Poornima Kkani, A.Mahalakshmi, K. Sujatha and R. Shenbagarathai (2006)
  “Comparative analysis of insecticidal and non-insecticidal strains of Bacillus
  thuringiensis using molecular methods” in the ‘4 th International symposium on
  Biocontrol and Biotechnology” from 27 th to 29 th November, Lady Doak college,
  Madurai.”
•  A. Mahalakshmi, Poornima Kkani, K. Sujatha and R. Shenbagarathai (2006). “A
  comparative Bioinformatics analysis of wild type and MNNG mutant cry 10AA protein
  in Bacillus thuringiensis LDC-9” in the “International symposium on vector control and
  vector borne diseases” from 13 th to 15 th October, Madurai, India.
•  R. Shenbagarathai, A.Mahalakshmi, K.Sujatha and Poornima Kkani. (2005) “ITS and
  REP based identification of novel indigenous B.thuringiensis strains from Madurai
  district “Third International Symposium On Biocontrol And Biotechnology”, Wuhan,
  China, from May 10 to 13.
•  A.Mahalakshmi, Poornima Kkani, R. Shenbagarathai and K.Sujatha. (2005) Presented a
  paper on “Insecticidal efficacy of indigenous isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis in the
  management of the vectors, Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti” at the “Third
  International Symposium On Biocontrol And Biotechnology”, Wuhan, China, from
  May 10 to 13.
•  Poornima Kkani, A.Mahalakshmi, R. Shenbagarathai and K.Sujatha (2005) Presneted a
  paper on “Media optimization for a highly insecticidal indigenous isolate of
  B.thuringiensis for delta endotoxin crystal production” in the “Third International
  Symposium On Biocontrol And Biotechnology”, Wuhan, China, from May 10 to13.
•  R. Shenbagarathai, K. Sujatha, A.Mahalakshmi and Poornima Kkani. (2005), Paper
  presented on “Production and Characterization of PolyHydroxyAlkanoates (PHA) by
  Pseudomonas sp LDC-5 and LDC-25 from waste products” in the “International

• Conference on Advances in Polymer Blends, Composites, IPNS and GELS: Macro to
  Nano Scales”, Kottayam, Kerala, from 21 st to 23 rd March, (2005) K.Sujatha, R. Shenbagarathai,                                                   A.Mahalakshmi and Poornima Kkani. (2005),“Purification and Properties of PolyHydroxyAlkanoates                                                            (PHA) from Pseudomonas sp LDC-5 & LDC-25” in the “International Conference on Advances in Polymer Blends,
  Composites, IPNS and GELS: Macro to Nano Scales”, Kottayam, Kerala, from 21 st to 23 rd
  March.

  Workshops Organised:
  1. Two days National workshop in :Multiplex Ligation based Probe
  amplification technique at Thiagarajar College in Dec 20 th and 21 st 2015.
  2. Resource person for National Workshop in Animal Cell culture techniques at
  Lady Doak College, 2016 and 2018.
  3. Resource Person for National workshop on “Molecular Biology techniques
  and computational Biology” at Thiagarajar College in August 2019.

Membership in Scientific organizations:

• Life member in Indian Society for Human Genetics (ISHG)
• Life member in Indian association for Cancer Research (IACR)

• Life member in Biotech Research Society of India (BRSI)