Nalini Motwani, Ph.D.

Dr. Motwani has over 30 years of experience in biomedical research. As a founder of BioSavita, she has been successful in receiving NIH grant funding and has invented patented novel yeast platform technologies that describe the rapid and cost-effective production of complex biological proteins. The production platform which includes genetically engineered yeast and plug-and play system is now applied for rapid and cost-effective production of vaccines for pandemic infections like Covid-19.

Dr. Motwani’s extensive experience includes: immunology, cell and molecular biology, microbiology and protein expression in S.cerevisiae and Pichia yeast and mammalian cells.  Dr. Motwani played a key role in the start-up of three biotechnology companies, Delta Biotechnology, Strohtech/Apex Bioscience and ApoLife/BioSavita.  Delta Biotechnology developed a process for the secretion of recombinant human serum albumin in yeast which lead to the product candidate, Albuferon (Human Genome Sciences). At Apex Bioscience, Nalini’s team was responsible for the development of S.cerevisiae yeast platform technology for the production of low cost, high volume recombinant products such as hemoglobin. 

Apex Biosciences moved its operations to RTP, North Carolina and Dr. Motwani negotiated an arrangement with Apex to start ApoLife, Inc. in Detroit and the company was reorganized as BioSavita in 2012.  She has been successful in securing NIH-SBIR and state grants, private funds for the company. Under her leadership, the BioSavita scientific team developed a proprietary plug-and play expression system for cost-effective production of recombinant proteins including heterodimer of cytokines,  monoclonal antibodies and vaccines in yeast. Nalini’s experience at the Technology Transfer office at the University of Michigan has helped her set up successful collaborations and licensing with researchers at academic institutions and at biopharma companies. Nalini has been serving as a reviewer for the NIH for SBIR, R01, U19 grants for the past ten years. 

She received her Master’s degree from Haffkine Institute in Bombay, a premier technology Institute for vaccine research in India. She received her Ph.D. in Immunology at Wayne State University (MI), completed her post – doctoral research with National Research Service Award from NIH.  Nalini was a visiting scholar at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.