COMPANY PROFILE
Summary
TCG Lifesciences Pvt. Limited (formerly “Chembiotek Research International”) is a leading global Contract Research and CDMO company delivering innovative R&D services in the areas of pharmaceutical, biotech and related industries. We started our operations in 2001 in Kolkata, India, and currently have our presence in the US, Europe, and Japan.
TCGLS and its subsidiaries have a strong talent pool of approximately 1,100 scientists, of which over 280 have PhDs, and the balance hold master’s degrees from leading global academic institutions. Our services span chemistry synthesis, in vitro and in vivo pharmacology, DMPK, analytical development and validation, and data science. We offer specific/functional solutions to integrated projects across multiple therapeutic areas with a specific focus on Inflammation & Pain, Infectious Diseases, Central Nervous systems, and Oncology. Our infrastructure includes world-class chemistry and biology laboratories, AAALAC certified animal facility, electrophysiology laboratory, BSL 2 laboratory, cGMP kilo labs, and US FDA accredited manufacturing space.
TCG GreenChem, Inc., the US subsidiary of TCG Lifesciences Pvt. Ltd., was conceptualized by CEO and CSO, Chris Senanayake Ph.D. and, COO, Joseph Armstrong, former pharmaceutical executives with a track record in the development of hundreds of New Chemical Entities (NCE) into the clinic and commercialization of several well-known pharmaceutical products at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sepracor, Inc., and Merck & Co, Inc. The senior leadership brings the experience, CMC expertise, and technical know-how, which is required to manufacture architecturally complex intermediates and APIs by utilizing state-of-the-art synthetic organic chemistry and cutting-edge technology platforms such as catalysis and continuous flow chemistry.
TCG GreenChem, Inc. is positioned as a contract innovation company that provides CDMO services with a unique modus operandi in the space of supporting pharmaceutical R&D. Moreover, through strategic collaborations with a select group of technology and manufacturing companies in US, Asia, and Europe, TCG GreenChem offers the cGMP manufacturing reliability needed to meet today’s regulatory and supply-chain challenges.
Key Leadership
Swapan Bhattacharya, Managing Director
Swapan Bhattacharya is the Managing Director of our company. He has been associated with the TCG group since 1995 and has spearheaded the group’s investments in India and its foray into life sciences since 1998. He has over 30 years of experience in national and international organizations. Prior to joining us, he has held positions with Paine Webber Inc. as Senior Vice President; and with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In January 2009 he was awarded the ‘Udyog Rattan’ award by the Institute of Economic Studies, India, for his outstanding contribution to India’s industrial development. He is also the Ex Co-Chairman of the biotechnology committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry ("FICCI") and holds various committee positions in US India Business Council, CII, and AMCHAM. He holds a bachelor’s degree in technology from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, a master of sciences from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and a degree in Master of Business Administration from Kellogg School of Management.
Dr. Chris H. Senanayake, CEO & CSO of TCG GreenChem, Inc. (NJ & VA, USA) CSO of TCG Lifesciences Pvt. Ltd. (India)
Dr. Chris H. Senanayake was born in Sri Lanka and received a BS degree (First Class) in Sri Lanka. After coming to the US, he completed his MS at Bowling Green State University with Professor Thomas Kinstle in synthetic chemistry. He obtained his Ph.D. under the guidance of Professor James H. Rigby at Wayne State University in 1987, where he worked on the total synthesis of complex natural products such as ophiobolanes, and completed the first total synthesis of grosshemin in the guaianolide family. He then undertook a postdoctoral fellow with Professor Carl R. Johnson and worked on the total synthesis of polyol systems such as amphotericin B and compactin analogous, and the synthesis of C-nucleoside precursors.
In 1989, he joined the Department of Process Development at Dow Chemical Co. In 1990, he joined the Merck Process Research Group. After six years at Merck, he accepted a position at Sepracor, Inc. in 1996 where he was promoted to Executive Director of Chemical Process Research. In 2002, he joined Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals. He served >14 years as the Vice President of Chemical Development at BI and led a group of highly talented scientists, engineers, and administrative staff located in Ridgefield, CT. In 2018 June, he joined AstaTech BioPharmaceutical Corporation as the CEO where he oversees all subsidiaries including AstaGreen Chem Inc., in Richmond VA as the CEO. In 2019 October he became the CSO of TCG Lifesciences and founded TCG GreenChem Inc, in US as the CEO. He was also appointed as president of Astatech biopharmaceutical. Dr. Senanayake's research interests focus on the development of new asymmetric methods for the synthesis of bioactive molecules and heterocycles and on catalytic, enzymatic, and mechanistic studies. He has published and lectured in the area of practical asymmetric synthesis and many disciplines of organic chemistry on how to develop drugs in an economical, greener, and practical manner in large-scale operations for rapid development of drugs. He is the co-author >400 papers, book chapters, and review articles, and >100 patents in many areas of synthetic organic chemistry, drug development, and design of improved chemical entities. Dr. Senanayake participated in many drugs development activities such as Crixivan, Lunesta, Jardiance, Formotorol, Desvenlafaxine etc.
Dr. Senanayake demonstrates the ability to define and optimize chemical research and development strategies and tactics. He is able to "connect the dots" between the purely scientific and commercial perspectives and set up creative and effective strategies for new and proprietary products in ways that build value for the organization and create a competitive advantage. He is an Editorial Advisory Board member of the Organic Process Research & Development Journal. In 2008 he was the chairperson of Stereochemistry Gordon Conference. In 2010 he received the prestigious Siegfried gold medal award for the development of practical processes for APIs and Process Chemistry. In 2011 he was appointed as an editorial board member of the Advance Synthesis and Catalysis Journal. In 2012 he was appointed as an Advisory board member of the Asian Journal of Organic Chemistry. In 2013 he was appointed to a Board of Editors for Organic Syntheses. In 2016, he joined as an IQ board member. In 2017 he was appointed as an advisory board member of Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry. In 2017 he was appointed to the Board of Directors of CURE (connecting Connecticut's science community).
Dr. Joseph D. Armstrong, III, Executive Vice President Global Head of Research and Development, Head of Business Development USA/EU- TCGLS, COO of TCG GreenChem, Inc. (NJ & VA, USA)
Dr. Joseph D. Armstrong, III graduated from Pfeiffer College in 1982 with a BS double major in Mathematics and Chemistry and a minor in History. He then went on to obtain his Ph. D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1988 under the direction of Professor David Walba and did his post-doctoral work at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville under the direction of Professor Robert E. Ireland. Dr. Armstrong joined the Process Research Department at Merck & Co. Inc. in Rahway, N.J in 1990 and has held many varied roles with increasing levels of responsibility. From 2001-2004, Joe was the Early Development Team Co-Chair (charged with developing the integrated strategy to transition a compound from Discovery into Clinical Trials) and led the Process Research Development Team that designed, developed and implemented the manufacturing process for the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in Januvia TM. Januvia is a treatment for Type II diabetes and is currently marketed in >100 counties and generates >US$6 billion dollars a year in sales. In 2005, Joe took on an international rotation in the UK for two years with Merck in the Pharmaceutical Research and Development Department focusing on formulation research. In 2007 he was promoted to Senior Director and managed the sites in Canada, UK, and Japan for Process Research. He returned to Rahway in 2008 and led the group of Project Chemistry, responsible for all API deliveries from enabling toxicology studies, through Phase I to Phase III clinical trials and subsequently to file an NDA. Dr. Armstrong also led the Basic Pharmaceutical research group, which was charged with leveraging pre-formulation and process research scientists in addressing liabilities for identifying pre-clinical candidates. Building upon this knowledge, he was tapped to be the Preclinical Sciences Lead, which included Safety Assessment, Process Research, Formulation, Drug Metabolism and Phase I clinical trials, for both companies, Legacy Schering Plough and Legacy Merck. He was charged with integrating the two companies, to develop strategy, organizational design, new work flow processes, vision and culture for the new Discovery and Preclinical Sciences Department. In October of 2010, Dr. Armstrong rejoined Process Chemistry as an Executive Director, leading scientists in the Discovery Process Chemistry Department, the RNA Therapeutics Department and the Structure Elucidation group. In 2016 Dr. Armstrong took on a new role as Executive Director in Project Management overseeing Companion Diagnostics, the Oncology Phase I pipeline (21 NCE’s) and Oncology Translational Medicine Biomarkers for all drugs to be used in combination with Merck’s leading oncology drug, Keytruda. Dr. Armstrong finished his career at Merck developing a comprehensive chemical management system for the entire corporation from “cradle to grave” for all chemicals ranging from target identification to commercialization. Currently Dr. Armstrong is Executive Vice President of TCG GreenChem as Global Head of Research and Development and Head of Business Development for US/EU. The Process Research Development Team for JanuviaTM was awarded the Solvias Prize in 2004 (Basel, Switzerland), the IChemE Aztra-Zeneca Award for Green Chemistry and Engineering in 2005 (London, UK), the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in 2006 (Washington D.C.) and the Prix Galien Award (the highest award given for pharmaceutical research and is considered to be the “Oscar” equivalent) in 2007 (NYC, NY). In 2005 Dr. Armstrong was chair of the preeminent Gordon Research Conference on Natural Products. Dr. Armstrong was awarded the Thomas Alva Edison award in 2008 for his patent on the asymmetric hydrogenation process for the preparation of Sitagliptin, the active ingredient in JanuviaTM. In August of 2010, Dr. Armstrong, along with two other chemists at Merck, were presented with the 'Heroes of Chemistry' award (Boston) by the president of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Armstrong has more than 40 publications, over 70 invited lectures around the world and 12 patents.
Dr. Subho Roy, Vice President – Chemistry
Dr. Roy is one of the key members responsible for the growth of the company. He has been with the company since 2002. He has more than 16 years of Industrial experience. He is a specialist in new process development and process optimization. Dr. Roy has several publications to his credit and holds seven European patents. He has played a key role in conceptualizing and designing of the Kilo Laboratory. After a brief stint with AVRA Laboratories, he joined University of Kansas for his post-doctoral work under Dr. Gunda I George from 1999 to 2002. Dr. Roy did his PhD from Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, India.
Dr. Goutam Saha, Vice President – Chemistry
Dr. Saha is a part of the core team responsible for the growth of the company. He has been with TCG Lifesciences since 2001. Prior to joining TCG Lifesciences he worked with the Florida Institute of Technology as a Research Scientist. He was also a visiting professor at Osaka University, Japan. He has published 17 papers in international journals. Dr. Saha is a PhD from the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, India.
Dr. Shantanu Dutta, Associate Vice President – Chemistry
Dr. Dutta is a key member of the scientific leadership team at TCG Lifesciences. He is an accomplished scientific professional with 13 years of industrial & 16 years of research experience and expertise in Organic, Bio-Organic, Medicinal and Combinatorial Chemistry. He has a strong track record of delivering preclinical leads for clinical development in both integrated drug discovery programs as well as CRO services. He re-joined the company in 2015, after a year’s tenure in GVK Biosciences, where he played scientific and strategic leadership role. Prior to that, Dr. Dutta has a long association of more than 10 years with TCG Lifesciences, when he successfully managed some of the key collaborations and built strong client relationships with high quality delivery and scientific excellence. He has a number of publications and presentations published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals. He also has several awards and honors to his credit. Dr. Dutta has post-doctoral research experience from The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA. He has earned his Ph.D. from Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, India and his masters in Organic Chemistry from Jadavpur University, India.
Dr. Sanjoy Kumar Mahanty, Associate Vice President-Business Development
Dr. Sanjoy Kumar Mahanty is a part of the core Business Development team in the US. He joined TCG Lifesciences in 2015. Dr. Mahanty has 22 years of experience in academia and business development in the Biotech/Pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining the company, he worked with Regado Biosciences Inc. as Executive Director, Biology, a Senior Scientist, Pharmacology at Inspire Pharmaceuticals, and Manager, Cell Biology at Paradigm Genetics, Inc. Dr. Mahanty has an extensive experience in drug discovery & development in the areas of scientific research, management, business, financing, contract negotiation, new target identification, and preclinical & clinical testing. He has 18 co-authored peer-reviewed publications, one book chapter, and 10 patents to his credit. Dr. Mahanty has Post-Doctoral Research Experience from Harvard Medical School, Boston, and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA. He holds a Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry and M.Sc. in Lifesciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
Dr. Brian Moloney, Vice President, Business Development
Dr. Brian Moloney is resident in San Diego, California, and covers Business Development for TCG Lifesciences for the US West Coast, and Europe. Brian has almost 30 years of experience in the Agrochemical, Biotech/Pharma, and CRO industries, in both Operations and in Business Development. Prior to joining TCGLS in April 2018, Brian was with WuXi AppTec, eMolecules, BioDuro, Evotec, and AgrEvo/Sanofi. Brian was a pioneer in the combinatorial chemistry and automation fields, and has authored many scientific papers and patents. A fungicide designed and synthesized under Brian's direction has been commercialized. Brian obtained his Chemistry BSc at Leicester University, England, his PhD from Cardiff University, Wales, and did his Post-Doctoral studies at Stanford University, California.
Dr. Subrata Chattopadhyay, Director – Biology
Dr. Chattopadhyay is one of the key members responsible for the initiation and growth of the Biology division of the company. He has been with TCG Lifesciences since the inception of the Biology division of the company in 2003. He has more than 15 years of Industrial experience and 30 publications in peer reviewed journals. Initiating his postdoctoral career in RIKEN, Wako-shi, Japan as a postdoctoral researcher, he joined National Institutes of Health, MD, US as a Fogarty International fellow and was a Post Doctoral Research Associate at the University of Rochester Medical Center, NY, before joining the company in 2003. Dr. Chattopadhyay did his Ph.D. in Biophysics and Molecular Biology from the University of Calcutta, India, and he was a Calcutta University topper in his undergrads.
Gopal Sirasani, Ph.D., Director, Business Development of TCG GreenChem, Inc. (NJ, USA)
Bo Qu, Ph.D., Associate Vice President, Head of Technology and Process Chemistry
Chaitanya (Chait) Wannere, Ph.D. & MBA, Senior Director, Analytical Development of TCG GreenChem, Inc. (NJ, USA)
https://www.tcgls.com/about-us/leadership-team/
