Dr. Chaitanya Kumar Thota

I am open to new opportunities and committed to working in a challenging, team-oriented industrial research and development (R&D) environment leveraging my expertise in nanobiotechnology, peptide chemistry, and genetic engineering. As a scientist and an entrepreneur willing to contribute to the global bio-economy, I aim at developing affordable, and innovative peptide-based drugs and bio-materials for better medical treatment to improve the quality of life of mankind. • I am currently working as a project leader/principal investigator at the institute of chemistry at the Freie Universität Berlin (FUB), Berlin, Germany in a startup project entitled, "Multifunctional wound healing peptide hydrogels", funded by the "Go-Bio-initial" grant sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). This deals with the prototyping and commercialization of bio-active peptide hydrogels for wound healing, tissue engineering, 3D cell culture, anti-microbial, and drug delivery-based bio-medical applications through the establishment of a university-based startup. • Prior to this, I was a startup team member in a university(FUB)-based project entitled "Peptide hydrogels as 3D cell culture scaffolds", sponsored by Berliner Startup Stipendium (BSS) grant funded by the Berlin State Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Business, and the European Social Fund (1 year). • My post-doctoral and doctoral studies in Prof. Koksch's group at FUB dealt with the design and development of several self-assembling peptides in nanogel and hydrogel formulations as antimicrobials and targeted drug delivery agents, and as scaffolds for tissue engineering and wound healing. Further peptide-nanographene anti-cancer drug delivery agents and disinfection materials were developed. • Prior to this, I worked in Prof. Chauhan's group at the International Center for Genetic Engineering (ICGEB), New Delhi, India on developing peptide biomaterials, drugs, antimicrobials, and vaccines. Skills and Expertise: • Design, synthesis, and characterization of peptides and peptide-nanographene-polymer hybrid formulations as targeted anti-cancer/antimicrobial nanocarriers, drug candidates (nanotherapeutics). • Design, development, prototyping, and commercialization of peptide hydrogel scaffolds for tissue engineering and wound healing applications.