Sunil Thomas Email and Phone Number

Innovative immunologist providing deep insights on the state of the field to leadership to influence strategy, next steps and de-risk novel therapeutic ventures in hematological and solid tumor cancers, infectious and autoimmune diseases.Driving drug development from early discovery to lead with over 22 years of deep knowledge in immunology, cell biology, and inflammatory conditions 5+ years of drug development expertise including generating preclinical and IND-enabling data supporting a cell therapy clinical drug candidate for hematological and solid tumors.Expert in designing, performing and troubleshooting assays assessing phenotypic and functional aspects of human, mouse and NHP T cells including multiparameter flow cytometry, cytokine analysis, antigen presentation and metabolic fitness assays. Proficient in orthogonal matrixed immunological assays and carrying out targeted in vivo mouse studies to get a 360 degree view of relevant biology to make informed, high stakes, go/no-go decisionsDemonstrated experience in recruiting, inspiring and managing innovative teams from the ground up: an incubator space (CERo Therapeutics) and creating the cell therapy team (Slingshot Biosciences).Outstanding written and verbal communication skills evidenced by newspaper articles, patents, journal articles, abstracts and podium presentations at seminars, international conferences, company wide meetings, and pitching ideas to investors.Passionate about leading with empathy and inspiring diverse teams. Foster a collaborative environment by mentoring junior scientists, encouraging feedback and setting clear and firm expectations and goals. Initiated and managed academic collaborations and CRO engagement and deliverables including in vitro assays and in vivo pharmacological studies.