Team

Dr. Pillai

Inventor, Researcher

Dr. Baskaran Pillai, an NRI domiciled in the US, is an inventor, scientific researcher, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. His pioneering research encompasses neuroscience, educational technology, quantum biology, the phenomenology of religion, and others in an amalgamation of Siddha science and medicine with Western biopharma that has resulted in breakthrough innovations in drug discovery for different forms of metastatic cancer, diabetes, and viruses.

Dr. Pillai’s inspiration and commitment to work on cancer drug discovery goes back to the late 1950s when he lost his father to cancer when he was 9 years old. He recalls the pain that his father went through for 5 years battling throat cancer. The success of Dr. Pillai’s drug discovery model has generated several internationally patented novel small molecules for cancer therapeutics. The first small molecule, AB001, received FDA Orphan Drug Designation for 3 metastatic cancers: pancreatic, AML, and Glioblastoma, awarded to his San Diego-based company, Agastiya Biotech. Vopec Pharmaceuticals has now succeeded on the preclinical model and is now stepping into Phase 1 testing of AB001. Thanks to Dr. Pillai’s generosity and philanthropy, Vopec Pharma in Chennai, India, received an opportunity to do cancer drug discovery and research in India through Agastiya Biotech.

During the Covid pandemic, Vopec Pharmaceuticals, in collaboration with Dr. Pillai’s East West Integrative Research Institute, designed three powerful multi-herbal formulations using refined Siddha Ayurvedic preparations directed by Dr. Pillai: Amrta Karuna, liquid Kabasura Kundineer (KSK+) and ImFast. Amrta Karuna, a potent anti-inflammatory and anti-viral herbal blend was clinically tested at Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) in a 42-patient study infected with SARS-CoV-2. Those receiving Amrta Karuna had a 28% shorter hospitalization duration than the control with strong safety and anti-inflammatory outcomes. KSK+ was distributed free of charge to 1000s of people throughout the villages of Tamil Nadu through the charitable giving of Dr. Pillai, Tripura India, and the Rotary Club of Madras. In addition, ImFast’s superior immune-enhancement capability has been confirmed in vitro. Dr. Pillai’s vision is to create a new class of herbal medicine which he terms as Neo-Siddha-Ayurveda, that is scientifically validated for effectiveness.

Besides pharmaceutical research, Dr. Pillai is the founder of Phonemic Intelligence (“PI”) a brain-based educational technology that has been proven to improve the learning and cognitive skills of the human brain. Phonemic Intelligence techniques have been researched at Harvard (fMRI Studies), Brain Science International in San Francisco (EEG Brainwave Studies), SRM University in Chennai (Cortisol Reduction Study) and in the Chicago Public School System (Psychometric Studies). In India, several private schools have introduced PI in different states. However, the Goan government was the first to introduce PI in their public schools in a state-wide implementation with over 30,000 students. A large-scale study of the Goan students’ academic performance using the PI techniques showed a statistically significant improvement in their marks in several subjects, and especially math, in addition to behavioral improvements such as attention and emotional control.

Dr. Pillai has created 1000s of meditation videos to enhance the quality of life for all.

Dr. Dinesh

R&D Head

Dr. Dinesh holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences - Stem Cell Biology from Sri Ramachandra University in Chennai. His 15 years of dedicated stem cell research and drug discovery has resulted in dozens of international and national publications and several patents. Dinesh’s extensive research on stem cells helped in validating Vopec’s molecule’s unique mechanism of action to control the proliferation of cancer stem cells which is responsible for drug resistance and relapse across several metastatic cancer indications. Dinesh’s many years of experience in pharmacological research and toxicology played an important role in speeding up Vopec’s research and regulatory documents.

Dr. Dinesh conducted Vopec’s single-arm, open-labeled clinical study with chronic plaque psoriasis patients, in which he also involved in dose preparation, safety, validation and efficacy studies, resulting in the launch of a chronic plaque psoriasis product sold to Lupin Pharmaceuticals. He also serves as Agastiya Biotech’s (USA) Chief Scientific Officer. As the Head of R&D, Dinesh created Vopec’s DSIR-registered laboratory to support entrepreneurs and foster innovation throughout India.