CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SIRION Biotech International Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SIRION Biotech GmbH in Germany (“SIRION”), offering the most comprehensive portfolio of custom viral vectors for preclinical studies, today announced that Dr. Carl Christel, PhD, Vice President, U.S. Operations, has relocated to the U.S. to head SIRION’s Cambridge office. Dr. Christel has lived and worked as a molecular biologist on both sides of the Atlantic. After receiving his PhD at the Technical University Munich (Germany), he completed four productive years as postdoctoral fellow at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. With his well-based understanding of molecular physiology and bilingual background, Carl will be a vital connection between SIRION’s German-based headquarters and the U.S. market, ensuring streamlined global communications. In addition, SIRION has hired Rajesh Panigrahi, PhD, and Roman O. Braun, PhD, to further support SIRION’s U.S. clients.
Dr. Panigrahi is an experienced virologist who has devoted over ten years of research to investigating the connection between viruses and certain forms of cancer. As a postdoctoral fellow at UMass Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts, his research was mainly focused on developing the therapeutic EBV vaccine as well as identifying the best AAV vector for the treatment of EBV lymphomas. With his experience in virology, he joined Sanofi as a scientist, where he was involved in the drug development process. His academic training and research encompass virology, molecular biology, microbiology, biochemistry, and genetics.
Dr. Braun is a scientific leader with broad experience in quantitative research, autoimmunity, cancer, pathogen-host interaction, and vaccine development. He studied in Konstanz, Germany and Bern, Switzerland and graduated with a PhD in Immunology. His experience includes being a postdoctoral fellow in immunology and vaccine development at the Institute for Virology & Immunology in Bern, Switzerland where he developed novel vaccine formulations and systems biological approaches to understand vaccine response in livestock. From there Dr. Braun moved to Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts and was involved in research to understand inflammatory diseases, cancer, and hematological disorders.
“We are laser-focused on delivering the world’s most comprehensive viral vector technology platforms to expedite gene therapy research and advance drug development in the U.S. market,” said Dieter Lingelbach, Chief Operating Officer of SIRION Biotech. “With Carl leading our Cambridge office, we’ll be especially well positioned to broaden our reach into the U.S. market, and we welcome Rajesh and Roman to the team and look forward to utilizing their expertise to support our existing customers and further drive our international growth.”
About SIRION Biotech International Inc.
SIRION Biotech International is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SIRION Biotech GmbH providing custom engineering and manufacturing services of viral vectors for the life sciences industry. SIRION offers one of the world’s most comprehensive viral vector technology platforms based on lenti-, adeno-, and adeno-associated viruses which expedites gene therapy research and advances drug development. Its unique focus on improving transduction efficiencies and safety make SIRION Biotech a valuable technology partner for gene and cell therapy trials. LentiBOOSTTM transduction reagent is actively used to improve, among others, hematopoietic cell transductions in clinical trials. NextGen AAV capsid evolution projects aim to improve tissue targeting and immune escape of capsids to usher in a new generation of therapeutics for international gene therapy companies. www.sirion-biotech.com
