Neeti Ananthaswamy, Ph.D

Lead Contributor to the Development of Infectious Disease Vaccines • Spearheaded the development of mRNA-based RSV and seasonal trivalent influenza (2024–2025 and 2025–2026) vaccine programs. • Led the development and implementation of in vitro and in vivo assay platforms to evaluate vaccine immunogenicity, potency, and efficacy. • Established influenza virus production workflows and developed hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) and microneutralization (MN) assays for preclinical vaccine evaluation. • Directed three concurrent vaccine programs from discovery through IND-enabling studies, consistently meeting key project milestones. • Contributed to Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls (CMC) strategy and documentation supporting vaccine development. • Collaborated with cross-functional teams, CROs, and CDMOs to coordinate development activities, technology transfer, and project execution. • Oversaw upstream and downstream process development and bioprocessing activities to support scalable manufacturing and high-quality product development. • Contributed to the preparation and submission of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for RSV and influenza vaccine. • Supervised and mentored five scientists and research associates, providing technical training, experimental guidance, and laboratory safety oversight while fostering data quality and scientific excellence.

Key member of the vaccine development team for mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. • Planned and conducted in vivo study to evaluate immunogenicity, virus neutralizing titers and T cell responses in mice and Cotton Rats. • Developed in vitro potency assay to test the functional integrity of the vaccine. • Designed and executed thermostability and accelerated stability studies to assess potency and determine optimal storage conditions and shelf life for the vaccine. • Designed and developed in-vitro cell-based assays for vaccine development. • High-titer expression and purification of recombinant COVID spike proteins from Expi293 cells. • This work has resulted in four patents and three Investigational New Drug (IND) filings and one scientific publication.

Project: COVID-19 Vaccine Development • Lead team member focused on developing phage display based COVID-19 vaccine that is in pipeline for clinical trial. • Designed and developed COVID-19 vaccine candidate by displaying Coronavirus Spike Envelope on to phage (T4-bacteriophage) surface by CRISPR technology. • Purification and characterization of SARS-CoV2 Spike protein from ExpiCHO cells. • Analyzed Immunogenicity, neutralization response and protective efficacy of COVID-19 vaccine in BALB/c mice and New Zealand White rabbit model. Industry Collaborations: Adaptive Phage Therapeutics, Inc.; ViroVax, LLC.

Project: Optimizing Phage Display Technology for Vaccine Development • Develop and optimize phage display protocol to efficiently generate large quantities of bacteriophage T4- empty capsid shells (nanoparticles) that can deliver nucleic acids and proteins to the target cell. • Determining the packaging efficiency of a wide range of therapeutic nucleic acids and small molecule drug candidates into nanoparticles. • Determining the protein display proficiency on the surface of the nanoparticle. Industry Collaborations: Walking Fish Therapeutics.

Project : HIV-1 Envelop Trimer Characterization for Vaccine Development • Biochemical/Immunological characterization and large-scale production of HIV gp140 envelope trimers. • Examining the interaction between the V1V2 domain of the HIV-1 envelope protein with the α4ß7 integrin present on host mucosal cells at the time of HIV-1 infection. • 3.9Å Cryo-EM structure of a Clade CRF01_AE Transmitted/Founder virus complexed with broadly neutralizing antibody 8ANC195 antibody resolved. • Identification of a unique fusion peptide confirmation in Clade CRF01_AE T/F virus suggesting that HIV T/F viruses may be better primed for membrane fusion and virus entry as compared to chronic HIV-1 variants. Collaborations: Vaccine Research Center, NIH; Purdue University.

• Investigating the role of TORC signaling in ABC transporter-mediated drug resistance in yeast, which parallels the multidrug resistance phenotype observed in mammalian tumor cells. • Characterizing the genes involved in the signaling pathway from the mitochondria to the nucleus, resulting in the induction of PDR gene expression, contributing to drug resistance.

• Microbiological testing (endotoxin, sterility and bioburden) of raw materials, intermediates and final product. • Conducted periodic environmental monitoring in the laboratory and manufacturing area.

Research and Dissertation Title: Genetic and Biochemical Characterization of the Signaling Interface and the Deviant ATP Binding Site in the Yeast Multidrug Transporter Pdr5. • Pharmacological studies designed to investigate drug transport and metabolic pathways. • Established protocol for purification of transmembrane protein Pdr5 • Genetic screening for identifying amino acid residues crucial for efflux in the drug binding pocket. • Elucidation of the signaling interface between the drug binding sites and ATP binding sites in the yeast multidrug transporter Pdr5. Collaborations: National Institute of Health; Jawaharlal Nehru University, India; Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.

Research: Study of Bacillus thuringiensis and its crystalline insecticidal protein (Cry protein) as a biopesticide • Biochemical and molecular characterization of the Cry protein encoded by the cry genes. • Elucidation of the effect of Cry protein on the insect gut and digestive tract. • Designed and optimized small-scale production and purification of Cry protein.

Research: Production of Polyhydroxyalkanoates (biodegradable plastics) by bacteria. • Study of the bacterial strains that produce polyhydroxyalkanoates. • Optimizing the conditions of microbial fermentation for the production of polyhydroxyalkanoates.