Ramakrishnan Sethu, Ph.D
About Ramakrishnan Sethu, Ph.D
Ramakrishnan Sethu, Ph.D, is a Senior Scientist at Ocugen in Malvern, Pennsylvania, where he has worked since 2021. He has extensive experience in biochemistry and regenerative cell therapy, having held various research positions at notable institutions including the University of Illinois and Konan University.
Work at Ocugen
Ramakrishnan Sethu, Ph.D., has been serving as a Senior Scientist at Ocugen since 2021. In this role, he is involved in establishing an intra-nasal bivalent vaccine platform, collaborating with Contract Research Organizations (CROs) and Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs). His work includes leading the development of drug substance and drug product (DS/DP) platforms for AAV-5 and AAV-6 serotype products, focusing on scale down/up models and upstream developmental activities. He manages a team of three and oversees multiple projects within the organization.
Previous Experience
Before joining Ocugen, Ramakrishnan Sethu worked at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for a total of eight years, first as a Scientist from 2013 to 2019 and then as a Research Scientist from 2019 to 2021. He also held a postdoctoral position at Konan University in Japan for five months in 2011. Additionally, he worked as an Industrial Postdoc Researcher at CEA - Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives in France from 2011 to 2013. His extensive experience encompasses various aspects of scientific research and development.
Education and Expertise
Ramakrishnan Sethu earned his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Bioinorganic Chemistry from Bharathidasan University, where he studied from 2003 to 2010. He also holds a Master's degree in Chemistry from Madurai Kamraj University, obtained between 2001 and 2003, and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Chemistry from the same institution from 1998 to 2001. His expertise includes various chromatography techniques such as IMAC, IEX, SEC, HIC, and MMC, along with resin development. He has also been involved in writing several Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Investigational New Drug applications (INDs).
Research and Development Initiatives
Ramakrishnan Sethu has established and led regenerative cell therapy projects, specifically NeoCART, which involves both 2D and 3D culture and Tissue Engineering Processor (TEP). He is currently leading biomaterial projects focused on collagen and honeycomb scaffold development for 3D cell culture. His contributions to research include active involvement in the development of drug substance and drug product platforms, as well as collaboration with regulatory departments.
Editorial Contributions
In addition to his research and development work, Ramakrishnan Sethu is an active editorial member for three well-reputed scientific journals. His editorial role contributes to the advancement of scientific knowledge and supports the dissemination of research findings in his field.