Venkatesh (Venki) Ponemone

15 plus years of biopharmaceutical manufacturing experience. Holds MSc in Medical microbiology, MBA and PhD in Cancer Biology from Manipal University, Postdoctoral fellowship in GI Immunology at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Joined CCRM in 2018, Manufacturing Operations Manager and currently serving as Director of Manufacturing Science and Technology (MSAT), oversees CDMO technical operations including technology transfer, process design and validation, and Scale-up of autologous and allogeneic cell and gene therapy products including drug substances and drug products. Efficiently managed technical manufacturing operations and Compliance program to improve CDMO capacity i.e., autologous multi-patient batch production utilizing semi or fully functional closed systems.

Prior to joining CCRM, Venkatesh served as Senior Director of Cell Processing Facility and Clinical development at TotipotentRX-Cesca Therapeutics where he led and managed processing of hematopoietic stem cell transplant program, haploidentical stem cells, established MCB/WCB, led and managed cord blood processing and banking, served as study director of 7 cell-based therapy clinical trials including IND/IDE submissions for cardiovascular, Orthopedic and Immuno-oncology therapeutic indications. Authored 48 publications, 6 book chapters and 4 patents in Stem cells and regenerative medicine. Venkatesh is actively involved in several professional organizations like FACT, ISCT, and AABB and serves as an editorial member and reviewer on several journals.