Faculty & Staff

Dr. Md. Manzoor Akheel is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in cell and gene therapy research operations. He began his career at the Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR), a unit of inStem, Bengaluru, located at Christian Medical College, Vellore. At CSCR, he played a pivotal role in establishing the Research Development Office (RDO), with a focus on research management and administration. His work encompassed planning, budgeting, coordination of complex multi-center studies and managing national / international collaborations in areas of cell and gene therapy.

More recently, Dr. Akheel led clinical research operations at Immuneel Therapeutics, Bengaluru where he played a critical role in building robust systems and processes that enabled the successful completion of a CAR-T cell therapy clinical trial in an industry setting. His work contributed to achieving market authorization of a CAR-T cell therapy product - a significant milestone in India’s advanced therapy landscape.

Dr. Akheel has successfully led cross-functional teams and managed national and international collaborations, ensuring alignment of research initiatives with institutional and regulatory goals. He also served as part of the Secretariat for the National Apex Committee for Stem Cell Research and Therapy (NAC-SCRT), under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India - contributing to the development of policy and oversight frameworks in stem cell research.

Dr. Akheel’s expertise lies in the clinical development and operations of advanced therapeutics, with a focus on strategic planning, regulatory compliance, and execution of clinical programs aimed at bringing transformative therapies to patients