Prof. Rajiv Khanna, AO FAHMS
Distinguished Scientist and Cyteph Founder

Professor Rajiv Khanna is the lead investigator on the development of Cyteph’s T cell therapy technology. He is currently appointed as a Distinguished Scientist at QIMR Berghofer and Co-Director Queensland Immunology Research Centre.

He is a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) in clinical and translational immunology with long-standing expertise in adoptive immunotherapy clinical trials and cell therapy technologies. He obtained his doctorate degree from India and undertook his post-doctoral training at QIMR Berghofer where he has continued to work for over 30 years. He is also appointed as Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland and Griffith University, Brisbane and is a Fellow of Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

Prof. Khanna is listed as an inventor on multiple international patents and has collaborated with multiple national and international industry partners for commercial development of virus-specific T cell therapies, vaccines and immunodiagnostics.

Prof. Khanna was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2017 for distinguished service to medicine in the field of immunology.

Dr. Rajiv Tyagi
General Manager

Dr. Rajiv Tyagi has 18 years of experience in drug discovery research as a structural biologist and pharma business development professional. He has extensive expertise in market research, global collaborations, project management, and licensing. He has also led several multimillion-dollar deals with Biotech, large pharma, and VCs.

Before joining QIMR Berghofer, Rajiv worked as the Vice President and Global Head of Business Development and Licensing at Jubilant Therapeutics (JT) in the USA. He has worked with the board and scientific team to establish JT business as a separate entity in the US. Prior to this, Rajiv worked as the Vice President and Global Head of Strategy and Business Development at Jubilant Biosys, where he was responsible for the P&L, strategic collaborations, global licensing, sales, and marketing. He was also part of the Board of Directors and the Board of Managers for various entities. Rajiv was involved in creating multiple NewCo with Frazier Healthcare Partners, a leading venture firm. One such NewCo, Lengo Therapeutics, was acquired by Blueprint Medicines for $650 Million in 2021.

Rajiv did his Postdoctoral fellowships at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) in the USA and at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Australia. Rajiv holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Queensland and an MBA from Manonmaniam Sundaranar University.

Assoc. Prof. Corey Smith, PhD
Head of Translational and Human Immunology Laboratory

Associate Professor Corey Smith is an international expert in cellular immunotherapy, specialising in treating viral-associated diseases and cancer, as well as the manufacturing of T cell products.

He completed his PhD in Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Melbourne and now leads the Translational and Human Immunology Laboratory at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. His research focuses on understanding T cell mediated control of infection and cancer and using this knowledge to develop T cell-based immunotherapies.

Assoc. Prof. Smith's work has been translated through multiple clinical trials in head and neck cancer, brain cancer, organ transplant recipients, multiple sclerosis, and COVID-19. He also led the development of the first TGA-licensed manufacturing process for T cell immunotherapy in Australia for a Phase I/II trial in Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated diseases.

His work has been recognised through a major international collaborative research partnership with Atara Biotherapeutics, where he co-leads the program at QIMR Berghofer and acts as a consultant. He is an inventor on several patents, including those core to Cyteph's cell therapies and CAR T platform.

Paulo Martins, PhD
Research Fellow

Dr Martins completed his undergraduate studies in Biochemistry and Biotechnology before entering the biotechnology industry where he contributed to the validation of a stem cell therapy product and conducted pre-clinical work using these cells.

He later obtained his PhD from the University of Queensland, where his research laid essential groundwork for the development of novel antibody-based immunotherapeutics for viral infections following transplantation.

Dr Martins is currently a research fellow at QIMR and co-inventor of the CMV-EphA3 CAR T cell therapy.

Prof. Fabienne Mackay FAHMS
CEO, QIMR Berghofer

Professor Fabienne Mackay studied Medicine and Biomedical Engineering before she obtained her PhD in Molecular Biology and Immunology from Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg, France. She is the 8th Director and CEO of QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Queensland. Prior to that, in 1994, she started her research career in the biotech industry at Biogen Inc. in Boston. She then arrived in Australia in 1999 when she joined the Garvan Institute in Sydney and became Director of the Autoimmunity Research Unit. In 2009, she was recruited as Head of the Department of Immunology at Monash University. In 2015, she became the inaugural Head of the School of Biomedical Sciences and Head of the Department of Pathology in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

She received the Thomson Reuters Australia Citation and Innovation award and a trophy from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris for outstanding contribution in education and research as an expatriate. She also received the Martin Lackmann award for translational research and the William A. Paul Distinguished Innovator award from the Lupus Research Alliance (USA). She is an elected Council Member of the International Cytokine & Interferon Society, a member on the medical board of the Gairdner Foundation in Canada and an elected fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and now a member of Council for the Academy.

Michael Finney

Michael Finney is a successful lawyer and experienced senior executive with over 25 years of experience in the intellectual property, commercialisation and technology sectors as well as an engineering and bioscience background. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) from the University of Queensland, an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of New South Wales, and a Juris Doctor post-graduate degree in law.

Michael is also a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has been admitted as a solicitor in the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia. He is one of only seven lawyers in Australia to have met the Certified Licensing Professional requirements, recognising his experience and proficiency in the licensing and commercialisation of intellectual property.