Bhawana Shrestha, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

Palo Alto, Ca, Us

• Led preclinical research initiatives in TIL therapy, optimizing proprietary 3D ALI TIL cultures to enhance yield and anti-tumor efficacy.• Managed expansion, characterization, and functional assessment of patient-derived ALI TILs.• Developed tumor organoid systems for multiple solid tumors to enable scalable TIL therapy evaluation.• Utilized cytokine profiling, reactivity, and cytotoxicity assays to assess immune responses of TILs within tumor-immune models and co-culture systems.• Mentored junior team members, providing guidance on experimental design, data analysis, and the presentation of research findings to senior leadership.• Collaborated with bioinformatics teams to integrate omics data and refine TIL therapy strategies.

• Engineered lymphoid organoid models for antibody discovery, utilizing adenoviral vectors to express tumor and viral antigens. • Modified immune cells in lymphoid organoids using CRISPR/Cas9, generating antibodies against self-antigens such as immune checkpoint receptors.• Developed and implemented robust assays to evaluate antibody specificity and immune reactivity.• Established and managed collaboration with CRO ViraQuest to scale up adenoviral vector production.• Developed CAR constructs targeting cancer antigens and tested efficacy using tumor-immune models.• Visualized data using R and presented key findings to senior leadership and investors, securing funding.

Durham, Nc, Us

• Developed GMP-compliant immunoassays to evaluate potency of therapeutics in Phase1/2 clinical trials.

Chapel Hill, Nc, Us

• Engineered multivalent anti-HIV and anti-gonorrhea IgG antibodies for STI therapeutics.• Employed affinity maturation via yeast display to generate anti-sperm IgG Fab with enhanced binding affinity.

Chapel Hill, Nc, Us

• Developed a novel multivalent-IgG antibody-engineering platform, enhancing agglutination potency for therapeutic and contraceptive applications.• Engineered and characterized hexavalent anti-sperm IgG (10- to 16-fold enhanced potency), in preparation for its advancement into Phase I studies by Mucommune, LLC.• Collaborated with biopharma partners, Mapp Biopharmaceutical, Inc. and Kentucky Bioprocessing, Inc., to produce antibodies in cGMP-compliant systems for clinical applications.• Secured over $3 million in NIH funding and filed a utility patent for the multivalent-IgG platform.• Designed bi-specific antibodies targeting HIV and sperm for multipurpose prevention technologies.

Chapel Hill, Nc, Us

• Investigated the humoral immune response of mice against ZIKA virus.• Determined the viral titer of ZIKV (strain PVABC59 and H/PF/2013) using plaque assay.• Performed subcutaneous injection of ZIKV into immunocompromised and immunocompetent mice.• Performed reverse transcription followed by qPCR to detect the ZIKV viral load in blood samples.• Measured the concentration of IgG and IgM in the serum samples using ZIKV-specific ELISA.

Chapel Hill, Nc, Us

• Investigated the role of regulatory B cells in pancreatic tumorigenesis.• Isolated regulatory and conventional B cells from wild-type and pancreatic cancer model mice using magnetic-activated cell sorting.• Co-cultured pancreatic cancer cell-line (KPC) with the isolated B-cells using a transwell system.• Performed MTT proliferation assay on KPC cells to assess tumor proliferation.

Orangeburg, Sc, Us

Utilized directed evolution approach to engineer thermostable beta-glucosidase gene.

Tutor Claflin Undergraduates in Calculus, Linear Algebra, Biochemistry, and Organic Chemistry.

Basel, Baselstadt, Ch

Investigated the role of Cyclophilin B in Type I collagen folding in vitro.

Tutored freshmen and sophomore undergraduates in General Biology, Chemistry and Calculus.

Orangeburg, Sc, Us

Utilized NMR spectroscopy based metabolic profiles to distinguish between embryogenic and non-embryogenic callus tissues of sugarcane.

Doctor Of Philosophy - Phd, Microbiology And Immunology

Bachelor'S Degree, Biochemistry