Vishal Kothari
South San Francisco,CA
Summary
Welcome to the ballroom of science, where precision meets passion! As a principal scientist with expertise in oncology, immune-oncology, and drug discovery, I waltz through the realms of groundbreaking research with finesse and enthusiasm. Over the course of 15+ years, spanning the dance floor of scientific exploration for several years, I've orchestrated a symphony of expertise in unraveling the complexities of cancer biology.
My journey involves more than just steps in a laboratory; it's a dance with therapeutic candidates from discovery phase to drug development. I've honed my skills not only in researching and planning, ensuring regulatory compliance, and managing experiments but also in seamlessly integrating technology into our scientific routine. Yet, my dance wouldn't be complete without the most crucial partner on this scientific ballroom floor—effective team leadership and collaboration. Guiding a talented ensemble of researchers and CROs, we tango through challenges, harmonizing our collective knowledge and creativity. Together, we aspire to create not just advancements but a choreography of progress in the realms of oncology and immune-oncology.
Join me in this captivating dance of discovery, where every twirl in the lab holds the promise of transforming scientific insights into tangible solutions for the benefit of patients and the scientific community. Let's dance towards a future where innovation meets compassion, and where each scientific endeavor is a step closer to a healthier, brighter world.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Principal Scientist- Immuno Oncology Drug Discovery
Pliant Therapeutics
South San Francisco
02.2022 - 12.2023
- Successfully led the studies on Pliant's Immuno-Oncology asset- PLN-101095 from discovery to FIH translation using in vitro, ex vivo, and mouse models. Prepared IND application.
- Led collaborations with cross-functional teams to create a translational (biomarker) and clinical development plan for the phase-I study. Stratified tumor indications for PLN-101095.
- Successfully managed multiple CROs and academic collaborations within and outside of the USA.
Assistant Professor (Research)
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
Chicago, IL
02.2019 - 02.2022
- Uncovered the Master Regulators, biomarkers, and resistance mechanisms in aggressive prostate cancer.
- Received the American Cancer Society Award, Eisenberg Scholarship, and the H Foundation Award.
- Developed a fully immunocompetent syngeneic mouse model of metastatic prostate cancer.
Research Faculty
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
06.2016 - 02.2019
- Identified molecular determinants of prostate cancer progression and treatment resistance, and successfully carried out biomarker discovery efforts in prostate cancer with cross-functional teams.
- Identified and functionally characterized driver kinases (MELK, and DNAPK) in breast and prostate cancer.
- Developed protocol to obtain high-quality DNA samples from needle biopsies to whole genome sequencing of metastatic prostate cancer samples.
Research Investigator
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
11.2013 - 06.2016
- Led and conducted functional, phenotypic, and mechanistic characterization of driver kinases in prostate cancer. Established the role of DNAPK as a prognostic biomarker in aggressive prostate cancer. (Prostate Cancer Foundation- Young Investigator Award.)
- Led collaboration with Celgene for IND-enabling studies using CC-115 (a small molecule inhibitor of PRKDC/mTOR). Stratified patient populations likely to respond to CC-115.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Pathology, University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
06.2011 - 11.2013
- Led the precision medicine initiative for pancreatic cancer by identifying and targeting outlier kinases pancreatic and breast cancer using multiple pre-clinical models.
- Identified and functionally characterized novel interactors of KRAS using high-throughput proteomic approaches.
- Conducted phenotypic and functional studies to evaluate the role of novel pseudogenes n breast and prostate cancer.
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Regenerative Medicine, Loma Linda Medical Center
Loma Linda, CA
09.2009 - 06.2011
- Established the mechanistic basis of wound healing by Cox-2 gene therapy using an in-house developed mouse model of fracture healing.
- Established the roles of mesenchymal stem cells, and cytokines in facilitating bony union of fractures.
Education
Ph.D. - Molecular Biology
ACTREC, University of Mumbai
Mumbai, India01-2009
M.S. - Biotechnology
Pt. R.S. Shukla University
Raipur, C.G.01-2003
Bachelor of Science - Biology
Danielson Degree College
Chhindwara, M.P.01-2001
Skills
- Advancing drug assets from discovery to first-in-human studies (CC-115, and PLN-101095)
- Strategic planning, critical thinking, problem solving, project management, staff training, leading cross-functional teams, managing CROs and academic collaborators
- Regulatory Compliance Understanding, IND filing, SOP development, patent filing (two patents filed)
- Strong communication, managerial, and interpersonal skills Research and Publication, data presentation for internal and external stakeholders
- Drug discovery, PK/PD and dose-response relationships, target biology, hit validation, and small molecule inhibitor pharmacology
- Discovery biology, mechanism of action studies, cellular and biochemical assays, cell engineering, si/shRNA knockdown, gene transfection, scRNAseq, NGS, CRISPR, qPCR, cloning in viral and non-viral vectors, western blots, protein engineering, immunofluorescence) Bio-analytical techniques (CyTof, ELISA, MIBI, MSD assays, flow cytometry, Luminex, mass spectrometry, immunohistochemistry) Deep understanding of spatial-omics
- Biomarker discovery, translational science,PD biomarkers, biomarkers of resistance, patient stratification
- Animal Handling, syngeneic, PDX, CDX, models Ex vivo model development including 3D tumoroid generation for drug screening
- Bioinformatics tools to explore expression data Proficient in graphical and visualization tools (GraphPad Prism, Illustrator)
Affiliations
· Former national collegiate ballroom dance champion.
· Bronze medalist at national amateur ballroom dance championship qualifier.
· Competitive table tennis player with a USATT rating of 1900.
· Represented my state (Madhyapradesh, India) at National Science Convention and Assay Writing Competition at Indian Institute of Science, Delhi, India.
· Gold medalist in various assay writing and quiz competitions.
Accomplishments
- The Eisenberg Scholar Award- 2021. (Grant support)
- American Cancer Society Award- 2021. (Grant support)
- The H foundation award- 2020. (Grant support)
- Prostate cancer foundation- Young investigator award- 2015. (Grant support).
- Junior and Senior Research Fellowship Awards- CSIR India.
- Five times recipient of best poster presentation awards.
- Six invited oral talks in national and international conferences including AACR.
Publications
Full list of 23 publications https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1B7NkRUHzb5Aa/bibliography/public/
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Timeline
Principal Scientist- Immuno Oncology Drug Discovery
Pliant Therapeutics
02.2022 - 12.2023
Assistant Professor (Research)
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University
02.2019 - 02.2022
Research Faculty
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
06.2016 - 02.2019
Research Investigator
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan
11.2013 - 06.2016
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Pathology, University of Michigan
06.2011 - 11.2013
Postdoctoral Fellow
Department of Regenerative Medicine, Loma Linda Medical Center
09.2009 - 06.2011
Ph.D. - Molecular Biology
ACTREC, University of Mumbai
M.S. - Biotechnology
Pt. R.S. Shukla University
Bachelor of Science - Biology
Danielson Degree College