Mahendra, Founder and Scientific Director at NKure, received his MD (MBBS) from Bombay University, India and his PhD in Developmental Neurobiology from the California Institute of Technology. Mahendra Rao is internationally known for his research involving human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and iPSC, and has worked in the stem cell field for more than 25 years. Over the years, he has had stints in academia, government and regulatory affairs and industry, including being the Chair of the CBER (FDA) advisory committee (CTGTAC), founding Director of the NIH Center of Regenerative Medicine and as the Chief of the Laboratory of Stem cell Biology at the NIH.

Dr. Rao’s ongoing efforts are focused on translational work and he currently serves on the board of Pluristyx Inc (which recently announced their merger with Pancella) and Eyestem Research Pvt. Ltd.

Lalit, Chief Executive Officer and Director at NKure, has been part of global clinical research organisations working with bio-pharma customers from across the world to get therapies to market. He has worked in various functions from project management to clinical operations and data management, biostatistics and regulatory submissions. He has also worked with healthcare delivery systems in India across primary, secondary care and advanced tertiary care.

Renjitha, Chief Scientific Officer at NKure, previously worked as a DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Early Career Fellow at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS). At NCBS, she developed patient specific cell lines to better understand calcium signalling pathways associated with Parkinson’s disease. Prior to this, she worked in academia and industry both in India and Malaysia. She has co-authored numerous studies related to pluripotent and adult stem cell biology, developmental biology and neuroscience. Dr. Gopurappilly received her Ph.D. from Manipal University of Regenerative Medicine, MAHE and specialised in Microbiology for her graduate and postgraduate studies.

Rohini, Research Associate at NKure, graduated from Kyoto University, Japan, where she did her PhD in Neuroepitranscriptomics. Prior to playing a part as a founding scientist at NKure, she worked as a Research Assistant in Riken, Japan and National Brain Research Center. She is more than adept in conceptualization and execution of molecular and cell biology experiments and scientific communication. Rohini is passionate about translational research. She is a self-motivated, team-oriented and resourceful researcher.

Vandya, Research Fellow at NKure, is a Biomedical Engineer with an MSc. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Groningen and a BS. in Bioengineering from the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Prior to playing a part as a founding scientist at NKure, she worked as a Process Development Engineer at Scinus Cell Expansion, the Netherlands, where her work aimed at expanding cells to clinically relevant numbers in the Scinus Bioreactor system. Previously, she worked as a Project Assistant at the Biomechanics Group at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Leema, Research Associate at NKure, received a PhD in Immunology and a Master’s degree in Biomedical Genetics from Vellore Institute of Technology. Prior to working at NKure, she worked in academia for three years. She has expertise in mammalian cell culture and working with small laboratory animals. She is a fully committed passionate researcher and task oriented team player.

Ankita, Research Fellow at NKure, did her Masters in Biochemistry from the University of Allahabad, where her project was on Deep vein thrombosis at DRDO, DIPAS. After that, she worked at CSIR-CCMB on epigenetic regulation of stem cell transitions in pluripotent stem cells. She has expertise in gene editing using CRISPR-cas9, and handling of different types of cell lines such as embryonic stem cells, HEK cells and iPSCs.

Asha, Head of Admin at NKure, did her Graduation in BA. (SOC) – Secretarial Practice, Office Management & Computer Practice. Prior to working at NKure, she worked at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bangalore as a Project Assistant, where she handled Import & Export for NCBS, INSTEM & C-CAMP. Her expertise includes Procurement of lab requirements, company payments, maintaining accounts, legal records.