About Us

We are an AI-driven biotech company redefining how drug assets are discovered, evaluated, and advanced. We combine autonomous intelligence with deep human expertise to identify overlooked or discontinued molecules and accelerate them through early clinical stages. We are building a lean, next-generation alternative to traditional pharma R&D – powered by a fully integrated stack of AI agents that automate scientific diligence, in-silico validation, clinical feasibility modeling, and deal structuring. We are transforming drug development by dramatically reducing time, cost, and risk, turning hidden opportunities into breakthrough therapies for patients.

Our Mission

End‑to‑end stack of AI agents and human expert review to discover, evaluate, de‑risk, develop (to early clinical stages) and commercialize overlooked or abandoned drug assets.

Our Vision

To become a global leader in next-generation biotech innovation, where every promising idea, molecule, or technology has a clear path from lab to life. We envision a world where healthcare is proactive and personalized, and life-changing therapies reach people when they need them the most.

We are AI-driven innovators fast and precise a lean R&D engine built for rapid breakthroughs

Scientifically Rooted, Commercially Driven

Our team is rooted in academic excellence – PhDs, leading researchers, and experienced biotech operators – but we operate like a startup: fast, iterative, and outcome-focused.

Platform-First
Strategy

We’re not just developing one drug or diagnostic. We’re building platforms – technologies that can be reused, adapted, and scaled across multiple disease areas.

Data + Biology
Synergy

By combining advanced analytics, machine learning, and experimental biology, we uncover insights faster and more precisely, helping us de-risk development and accelerate timelines.

Partnership
Mindset

We don’t go it alone. We partner with academic labs, pharma companies, and other startups to co-create, co-develop, and co-scale.

Khalid Shaikh

Founder, Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Sujay Patil, MBBS, MD

Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Siva Kumar, PhD

Chief Innovation Officer

Dr. Prashant Kharkar, PhD

Vice President - Strategic & Scientific Initiatives

Dr. Sunil Kumar, Ph.D.

AI / ML Biomedical Scientist

Dr. Mesk Alhammadi

Public Health Lead

Dr. Hashem Mirmazloumi

Vice President - Genomics

Bhuvaneswari Junapudi

AI/ML Biomedical Engineer

Sabitha K

AI/ML Engineer

Janhavi Gujar

Business Development Lead

Clients & Partners

Khalid Shaikh

Founder, Chief Executive Officer

Khalid Shaikh is serial entrepreneur, researcher, author, and business strategist. He is also a member of HBR Advisory Council, and has received numerous awards for his innovations and contribution in healthcare and public health.

He is actively involved in global discussions on AI, healthcare, and investment, contributing to forums such as the Sharjah Investment ForumSt. Petersburg International Economic ForumIndia Global Forum and Investopia Global Talks.

In addition to his professional commitments, he also gives back to the aspiring entrepreneur community by serving as an advisor and mentor. He has published and lectured extensively on healthcare performance improvement, digitalization, and innovation.

Dr. Sujay Patil, MBBS, MD

Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Sujay is a physician-scientist and biotech leader with over a decade of experience in medical affairs, clinical research, and pharmaceutical development across multinational healthcare and life sciences organisations. With a foundation in clinical medicine and advanced expertise in translational research, Dr. Sujay bridges rigorous scientific methodology with real-world healthcare impact.

At Prognica, he leads scientific strategy and drives integration of clinical insights into AI-powered drug discovery and development platforms, ensuring that data-driven innovation aligns with clinical validity and patient outcomes. His professional journey spans leadership roles in clinical development, strategic medical affairs, and cross-functional program execution within multinational pharmaceutical environments.

Dr. Dakshinamurthy Sivakumar, Ph.D.

Chief Innovation Officer

Dr. Siva, Ph.D. is an accomplished bioinformatician, computational drug discovery scientist, and academic with nearly two decades of experience spanning academia, industry, and international research institutions. He brings deep expertise in AI-driven drug discovery, computational chemistry, and NGS data analysis, with hands-on leadership across end-to-end in silico pipelines.

He has held senior scientific roles across South Korea, Germany, and the UK, including postdoctoral fellowships at the Max Planck Institute and Konkuk University, and industry leadership as Director of Drug Discovery. A former Assistant Professor with 10 years of teaching experience, he has mentored thousands of engineering and life sciences students.

At Prognica Labs, he leads R&D in AI-enabled drug discovery and genomics platforms. He has authored 24+ peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals such as JBC, ACS Catalysis, and Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, bridging rigorous science with translational impact.

Dr. Prashant Kharkar, Ph.D.

Vice President (Strategic & Scientific Initiatives)

Dr. Prashant brings 20+ years of vast expertise in pharmaceutical sciences, computational drug discovery, and translational research, previously worked at multi-national drug discovery companies such as Piramal Life Sciences, Reliance Life Sciences, and Nycomed Pharma Pvt. Ltd. Currently he is also a Professor of Medicinal Chemistry at Institute of Chemical Technology.

He has active discovery programs on antitubercular and anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. He has also published several patents, including in the USA and Japan.

Dr. Prashant received his Ph.D. degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry, from Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai, India. and completed his postdoctoral research from Wayne
State University, Detroit, MI.

Dr. Sunil Kumar, Ph.D.

AI / ML Biomedical Scientist

Dr. Sunil Kumar is a Pharmaceutical Scientist and Medicinal Chemist specializing in AI-driven drug discovery, neurodegenerative disease research, and computational chemistry.

His expertise bridges medicinal chemistry and artificial intelligence, including molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, QSAR modeling (2D/3D), pharmacophore modeling, MMGBSA, PCA, and machine learning using tools such as GROMACS, BIOVIA Discovery Studio, and Python. He has hands-on experience in advanced synthesis techniques, purification methodologies (HPLC, column chromatography), and biological assays.

Dr. Sunil has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications in leading international journals, including Scientific Reports, Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, and ACS Omega. He is also an inventor on multiple patents related to neurodegenerative disease therapeutics, including MAO-B inhibitors and novel conjugated dienone compounds.

Dr. Mesk Alhammadi - MD, MPH

Public Health Lead

Dr. Mesk Alhammadi, MD, MPH is a physician and public health professional with advanced training from Yale University School of Public Health, where she earned a Master of Public Health focused on Social and Behavioral Sciences and engaged in research within Yale’s Department of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine.

She serves as Medical Director at Prognica Labs, contributing to health innovation and translational research in clinical and community settings. Dr. Alhammadi has led public health initiatives, advanced awareness campaigns for Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular health, and is actively involved in developing digital health and mental wellness solutions that integrate creative and evidence-based approaches.

Dr. Hashem Mirmazloumi

Vice President of Genomics

Dr. Seyed Hashem Mirmazloumi, medical geneticist and MBA, a healthcare business advisor , with speciality in Cytogenetics, FISH, and genomics. Over a decade of operation management, commercial development, and business strategy in the Middle East and Asia.

He is a multidisciplinary researcher and professional with expertise spanning advanced scientific research, technology-driven innovation, and applied problem-solving. With a strong academic foundation and experience working across research and industry environments, he focuses on translating complex scientific concepts into practical, real-world solutions. His work reflects a commitment to rigor, innovation, and cross-domain collaboration.

Bhuvaneswari Junapudi

AI/ML Biomedical Engineer

Bhuvaneswari is specialized in AI-driven drug discovery, bioinformatics, and cheminformatics, with Masters in Organic Chemistry and advanced training in machine learning and regulatory sciences, she focuses on building predictive models that accelerate early-stage drug research and improve safety profiling.

Her expertise includes Python-based scientific computing, QSAR modeling, ADMET prediction, drug–drug interaction (DDI) analysis, and network pharmacology. She has hands-on experience working with leading biomedical databases such as DrugBank, PubChem, UniProt, and DGIdb, integrating molecular and biological datasets into machine learning workflows using tools like Scikit-learn, PyTorch, and TensorFlow.

Sabitha Krishnan

Sr. AI / ML Engineer

Sabitha Krishnan is an artificial intelligence specialist and machine learning researcher with experience applying AI to medical imaging and disease diagnosis. She has contributed to innovative solutions in healthcare technology, including work on AI-driven breast cancer detection and unsupervised deep learning models for diagnostic applications.

Sabitha holds Masters degree in Biomedical Engineering and Bachelors degree Computer Science Engineering from Anna University, where her academic training laid the foundation for her research in computational healthcare. Her professional interests span machine learning, neural networks, and the application of intelligent systems to improve clinical outcomes.

Janhavi Gujar

Business Development Lead

Janhavi Gujar is a heading Business Development at Prognica Labs, with a strong foundation in pharmacy and growing experience across business development, clinical research coordination, and project management within the life sciences and healthcare ecosystem.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy  and brings hands-on exposure to CRO operations and clinical trials coordination. She is certified in Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Clinical Data Management, and Health Research Ethics,

Dr. Sten Vermund, MD, PhD

Dr. Vermund’s tenure as YSPH dean (2017-2022) was marked by several historic gains. Under his leadership, YSPH experienced its largest jump in the U.S. News & World Report rankings in more than a decade.

He established the school’s Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, expanded the Office of Public Health Practice, was instrumental in developing the Yale Institute for Global Health in collaboration with the schools of nursing and medicine, and introduced YSPH’s widely popular Executive MPH degree program. His deanship was further notable for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, both within and outside of Yale.

Dr. Douglas Anthony, MD, PhD

Dr. Anthony is a Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Professor of Neurology, at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University. He received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and his M.D. and Ph.D. in Experimental Pathology from Duke University. He is board-certified in anatomic pathology and neuropathology, and studies the cellular and molecular basis of disorders that affect the nervous system.

His work has been funded by the NIH, NSF, and private foundations, and he has served as a consultant to the National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, National Board of Medical Examiners, U.S. Department of Justice, and a number of universities and foundations. He is currently the President of the American Association of Neuropathologists.

Dr. Ibrahim Bani, MBBS, PhD

Professor Bani is a public health physician by training with over 30 years of experience in International Public Health. He also worked as an adjutant professor at the International Health Department at George Washington University, USA and visiting Professor /Community Health at the American University Beirut.

Dr. Bani ‘s International experience is also extensive, including association with the Micronutrient Initiative (MI), World Bank, WHO, UNICEF, USAID, WFP, and UN Humanitarian Mission.

Dr. Boutheina Tlili, Ph.D

Dr. Boutheina Tlili is the Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering at RIT Dubai. Prior to this, she was the program director of the Computer Engineering program at Michigan State University-Dubai and an associate professor and program coordinator of the Electrical and Computer Engineering program at the American University in Dubai.

Dr. Tlili holds a Ph.D., MSc and BSc in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State University in the US.

Dr. Keerti Pradhan, Ph.D

Dr. Keerti, a distinguished professional with a PhD in Health Strategy & Innovation and a postgraduate degree in Health Management from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, brings over 27 years of experience in the health and development sector. His career spans across various healthcare organizations and collaborative projects, including pioneering work on Malaria Control and Research Project, funded by DFID and managed by British Council. With a dynamic background encompassing senior roles at esteemed healthcare institutions, Keerti now serves as an independent consultant and advisor, guiding health and development organizations in strategic planning. His expertise covers a wide spectrum, from health service delivery to healthcare innovation and capacity building. Keerti’s multifaceted journey includes mentoring academia and fostering disruptive healthcare innovations. Keerti’s inclusion in the Advisory Board of CPHR-MANT enhances the team’s capability to shape effective healthcare strategies and innovations for societal well-being.

Dr. Faheem Pottoo, PhD

Dr. Faheem Pottoo, is a distinguished pharmacologist, biomedical scientist, and research leader serving as Advisor to Prognica Labs. He is currently an Assistant Professor and Principal Investigator at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (Saudi Arabia), where he leads a Translational Drug Discovery and Molecular Pharmacology Laboratory established through a $1.07M competitive research grant.

Recognized among Stanford University’s Top 2% World Scientists (2022–2025), Dr. Faheem has authored over 170 peer-reviewed publications, including contributions to Nature Medicine and The Lancet, with more than 11,000 citations and an h-index of 46. His expertise spans translational oncology, neuropharmacology, molecular target validation, AI-integrated drug discovery, and nano-enabled therapeutic delivery systems.