Manjunath Goolyam Basavaraj

Manjunath Goolyam Basavaraj has extensive experience in the field of life sciences, particularly in areas such as non-viral gene therapy, protein engineering, and preclinical pharmacology. Manjunath is currently working as an Associate Director at Optimeos Life Sciences, where they oversee the non-viral delivery and pharmacology department.

Before joining Optimeos, Basavaraj worked at TAKEDA PHARMACEUTICALS AMERICA, INC. in various roles. As a Project Lead, they successfully managed and advanced multiple discovery programs focused on non-viral gene therapy, protein engineering, and therapeutic antibodies for hematologic and metabolic disorders. Manjunath also played a significant role in establishing go/no go criteria, designing and executing in vitro and in vivo studies, and validating new technologies. Prior to this, they served as a Scientist in the Gene Therapy and Preclinical Pharmacology department, where they contributed to the evaluation of various non-viral gene therapy modalities and was involved in assay development and preclinical pharmacology data generation.

Basavaraj's earlier experience includes working as a Principal Investigator at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where they developed recombinant factor VIII variants and chimeric antithrombotic drug candidates. During this time, they secured research grants from Bayer and Grifols and optimized lab procedures and protein purification processes.

Manjunath also served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, where they conducted research on the molecular mechanisms of clotting factors in blood coagulation. Their achievements during this time include identifying novel antithrombotic drug targets and enhancing the expression levels of recombinant factors.

Basavaraj's early career involved working as a Scientist in Clinical Medicine at UiT- The Arctic University of Norway, where they investigated biomarkers for arterial and venous thrombosis. Manjunath also completed their PhD in Hematology, focusing on the role of monocyte procoagulant functions in thrombosis. Furthermore, they worked as a Research Fellow at Indian Institute of Science, conducting research in human genetics.

Overall, Basavaraj's work experience demonstrates their expertise in various areas of life sciences, including gene therapy, protein engineering, pharmacology, and hematology.

Manjunath Goolyam Basavaraj has a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Molecular Biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. Manjunath is currently pursuing a Professional Certificate in Drug Discovery and Development from UC San Diego Extended Studies, which they are expected to complete in 2023. Manjunath also holds a PhD in Hematology (Hemostasis and Thrombosis) from UiT- The Arctic University of Norway. In addition, they have a background in Biotechnology Project Management, which they gained through a program at the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council in 2021.