Sumi Biswas | President and CSO
Spybiotech Limited

Sumi Biswas is a distinguished immunologist with a specialized focus on the development of vaccines against malaria, particularly those aimed at blocking the sexual development of the malaria parasite in the mosquito vector to prevent transmission. Her research encompasses all stages of vaccine development, from design and pre-clinical testing to GMP manufacture and Phase 1 human clinical trials. Dr. Biswas's current work involves the pre-clinical development and comparative assessment of novel transmission-blocking vaccines and the early-stage clinical testing of promising candidates. Her team collaborates with several industrial partners, including Imaxio, ExpreS2ion, and GSK. Recently, the group has focused on generating recombinant protein and virus-like particle vaccines to induce high-titre functional antibody responses. The team is actively testing simian adenovirus (ChAd63) and poxvirus (MVA) viral vectored vaccines expressing the transmission-blocking candidate Pfs25 fused to a multimerization domain (IMX313) in human clinical trials to evaluate their safety, immunogenicity, and ex vivo efficacy. Additionally, they are progressing a nanoparticle vaccine through GMP manufacturing and into Phase 1 clinical trials. The group maintains strong connections with collaborators in malaria-endemic regions, such as Kenya and Burkina Faso, for further testing of these candidates. In addition to her scientific expertise, Dr. Biswas leads strategic business development at SpyBiotech, where she applies the company’s protein superglue technology to commercial vaccine development. Her ability to integrate scientific knowledge with business acumen and her talent for inspiring teams were crucial in securing initial investment for the company. In 2017, she was recognized as a rising star in BioBeat’s Movers and Shakers list of 50 inspirational women in the biotech industry. Dr. Biswas moved to the UK in 2005 after studying microbiology at the University of Bangalore. She later advanced to become an Associate Professor of Vaccinology at the Jenner Institute, Oxford University’s leading vaccines innovation center, where her team's malaria vaccine candidates are now undergoing human clinical trials.