Sai Life Sciences strengthens discovery leadership

Sai Life Sciences, a leading global contract research, development, and manufacturing organization, announces the addition of two seasoned professionals to its leadership team.

Dr Atul Tiwari joins as Vice President – Discovery Strategy & Business, while Dr Santosh Kulkarni takes on the role of Vice President – Medicinal Chemistry. Their wealth of experience promises to drive Sai Life Sciences to new heights in drug discovery and development.

Atul will lead strategy for Integrated Drug Discovery (IDD) programs and will develop short- and long-term strategies for business growth apart from establishing new collaborations and interfacing with clients. A PhD in Biochemistry from NDRI, Karnal, Atul brings nearly 24 years of experience in drug discovery and development working across diverse therapeutic areas such as Oncology, Immuno-oncology, Metabolic Disorders CNS, Autoimmune disorders, and rare indications, from target ID/validation to clinical candidate, and drug modalities- small molecules; PROTACs; antibodies; ADCs; Oligonucleotides; Cell Therapies (iPSCs). 

Santosh will be leading the medicinal chemistry team in discovery services. Holding a PhD in Chemistry from ICT (formerly UDCT) and with post-doctoral research experience at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Santosh has over two decades of expertise in drug discovery. His expertise spans various modalities, including small molecules, PROTACs, ADCs, and peptides. He has worked with cross-functional teams in collaborations with Biology, PRD, Formulation, Chemical Development and Manufacturing to lead integrated drug discovery programs from early hit discovery to candidate nomination and further towards development in clinical phases.

In recent years, Sai’s discovery services have been witnessing a steep growth and the addition of Dr Atul Tiwari and Dr Santosh Kulkarni to Sai Life Sciences' leadership team will fortify the organization's capabilities in medicinal chemistry and discovery strategy. The company looks forward to achieving new milestones and fostering collaborative efforts that will shape the future of pharmaceutical advancements.