Members

Dr. Ali Fallah

Dr. Ali Fallah is an outstanding researcher with a focus on Synthetic Biology, Cell and Gene Therapy, and Generative Biology.  His extensive educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology, and a Ph.D.  in Molecular Medicine.  This educational foundation provides him with a comprehensive understanding of biological systems.   With over 20 peer-reviewed research articles in the field of cell and gene therapy, Dr. Fallah's dedication to expanding scientific knowledge is clear.  He has also explored entrepreneurship, adding a diverse perspective to our lab.   Dr. Fallah's research primarily centers on generative biology, specifically the creation of innovative biotherapeutics and advanced vectors.  His expertise encompasses gene delivery and various viral vectors, such as Adeno-Associated Viruses (AAV), Adenoviruses, Lentiviruses, and the PiggyBac Transposon system.   In addition, Dr. Fallah has honed his skills in generative and transformer AI models in the ever-evolving field of Artificial Intelligence.  He applies these models to produce new antibodies, proteins, and vectors.

His current research project focuses on creating new antibodies against the HIV envelope protein.  It also includes the use of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) in antibody therapy and CAR T cell therapy with humanized HIV mouse models.  This work uses both Lentiviral vectors and the PiggyBac Transposon system for ex-vivo T cell engineering.  Dr. Fallah's cutting-edge research epitomizes his commitment to surpassing traditional synthetic biology, AI, and gene therapy boundaries.

Dr. Amber Khan

Amber obtained her Ph.D. in medical mycology and completed her postdoctoral training in medical oncology in 2019 from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Amber studied drug resistance, anticancer drug discovery, chemotherapy failures, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in colorectal cancer stem cells during this time. Over these years, Amber developed expertise in drug discovery and targeted therapeutic effects in different infective cell models. Amber always aspired to learn cutting-edge technology and visited the University of Bath, United Kingdom, to advance her CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing skills. In 2021, Amber joined the Southern African Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis as a consultant. Here, Amber studied humoral responses following delta and omicron SARS-CoV-2 infections and Adenoviral vaccinations in healthcare individuals in South Africa. In 2022, Amber joined the Scintillion Institute as a Senior Postdoctoral Associate and is currently developing a novel CAR-T Cell therapy to complement the standard of care in humanized models of chronic HIV.

Dr. Pannerselvam Nandagopal

Dr. Nandagolpal earned his Ph.D. in HIV immunology from YRG CARE Centre for AIDS Research and Education in Chennai, India, in June 2019. Following that, he was selected to work as a post-doctoral research scholar in Dr. Brian Lawson's lab in January 2023. His research entails assessing the anti-HIV activity of CAR T cells. He possess extensive training in a variety of immunological techniques, including viral neutralization assays, which he acquired at Dr. David Montefiori's lab at Duke University in the USA. Additionally, he am proficient in handling flow cytometry assays, such as intracellular cytokine staining and cellular phenotyping. He is an author and co-author of 15 research publications that concentrate on HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among people who inject drugs (PWID) in India. Moreover, he has over a decade of experience working in a GCLP laboratory and have comprehensive knowledge of implementing and monitoring quality systems based on DAIDS-GCLP guidelines and ISO15189: 2012 standards. Currently, his research is focused on understanding the role of anti-HIV bNAbs in attaining a functional cure.