Harish Santhanam
About Harish Santhanam
Harish Santhanam serves as the Site Head of Manufacturing Science and Technology at Kite Pharma, where he focuses on automating cell therapy manufacturing and collaborating with external partners. He has extensive experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, having held leadership roles at Merck, Pfizer, and Eli Lilly and Company.
Work at Kite Pharma
Harish Santhanam serves as the Site Head of Manufacturing Science and Technology at Kite Pharma since 2020. In this role, he works with viral vector external manufacturers to ensure a consistent supply for cell therapy production. He leads the implementation of automated technology in cell therapy manufacturing at a greenfield facility. His focus includes improving and implementing analytical tools to enhance the scalability of autologous cell therapy manufacturing.
Previous Experience in Biopharmaceuticals
Before joining Kite Pharma, Harish Santhanam held several key positions in the biopharmaceutical industry. He worked at Eli Lilly and Company as Director of Engineering for Biologics Manufacturing from 2003 to 2017 in Kinsale, Cork, Ireland. He then transitioned to Merck, where he served as Director of Technical Operations, Digitization, and Data Management from 2017 to 2020 in New Jersey, United States. Additionally, he began his career at Pfizer as an Engineer from 1998 to 2003.
Education and Expertise
Harish Santhanam holds a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois System. He furthered his education by obtaining an MBA from the University of Chicago. His educational background supports his expertise in manufacturing science and technology, particularly in the field of cell therapy.
Leadership in Cell Therapy Manufacturing
In his current role at Kite Pharma, Harish Santhanam leads initiatives that focus on the collaboration with external partners to manufacture commercial cell therapy products. His leadership in implementing automated technologies and analytical tools is aimed at optimizing processes within the cell therapy manufacturing sector.