Biorasi Center of Excellence Spotlight: Oncology

Treatment advances for the wide spectrum of identified cancers have progressed at a rapid rate.

No longer do patients have to rely on chemotherapy, radiation and surgery only. They have more targeted options than ever before.

Today, we have biologics, immunotherapy, checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines and medicines that target specific gene mutations. Patients can also take chemotherapy drugs, which saves them from visiting a hospital or clinic multiple times a week.

Biorasi’s Oncology Center of Excellence remains at the forefront of this exciting field. Our team of clinicians, program managers and other experts stay up to date on the latest developments, from Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) therapy to gene therapy advances. This experience, combined with Biorasi’s worldwide site network and data-driven approach, allows us to guide oncology programs to success—on time and on budget.

“Cancer is a devastating disease and while we strive for a cure, clinical trials in oncology are especially complicated,” says oncology program development associate Omar Ibrahim. “Curing these diseases requires a new approach from a new kind of CRO.”

Here are the team members that make our Oncology Center of Excellence high-caliber:

Kurt Gehlsen, MD, PhD
VP, Chief Scientific Officer at Biorasi

Kurt Gehlsen, MD, PhD

Dr. Gehlsen is an accomplished researcher, executive, and entrepreneur with hundreds of patents and peer-reviewed articles and multiple approved therapeutics to his name. He leads Biorasi’s Medical and Scientific Affairs department, as well as clinical development optimization for sponsors.

Dr. Gehlsen arrived to Biorasi by way of Research Corporation Technologies (RCT), a technology investment and management company, where he also served as vice president and CSO. He has served on Biorasi’s Board of Directors since its inception. He has also worked on the sponsor side, which gives him first-hand knowledge of pharma and biopharma’s immense challenges. His experience will help us stay on the cutting edge of clinical development.

Wayne Bowden, MBA
VP, Program Development at Biorasi

Wayne Bowden, MBA

An accomplished researcher and executive, Wayne has the scientific knowledge to understand the intricate details of clinical research. He also has the business savvy to shepherd those trials to success.

Wayne consults with pharmaceutical companies to optimize clinical trials for innovative new oncology drugs and biologics. He holds a B.S. in neurobiology and neurosciences from The University of Texas at Austin and an MBA in healthcare management from Florida International University.

Omar Ibrahim, PhD,
Associate, Program Development at Biorasi

Omar Ibrahim, PhD

Omar is a key point of contact between project stakeholders, including sites and investigators, vendors and operations. He holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

As a post-doctoral research associate, also at Nova Southeastern, Omar managed multiple research studies in cancer with emphasis on breast cancer, DNA repair and cancer stem cells. His research has been published in BMC Genomics, among other journals.

Omar previously worked as a Quality Assurance Microbiologist for Nutrition Formulators in Miami.

Jithendra Kini Bailur, PhD
Associate, Program Development at Biorasi

Jithendra Bailur, PhD

Jithendra holds a PhD from the University of Tüebingen, Germany. Prior to joining Biorasi, he worked as a Post-Doctoral Associate at Yale and Emory University. He has an extensive experience in Immuno-Oncology research and Clinical trials. He has been a part of number of Oncology trials including combo trials with check point inhibitors (PD-1 and CTLA-4). He was also a part of Investigator initiated study for PD-L1 drug where he was involved in protocol development and was involved in identifying some of the Immune related changes in Myeloma patients.

He has authored several peer-reviewed articles and has been the reviewer of many Immuno-Oncology journals. At Biorasi, Jithendra is a part of the program development team, where he communicates with sponsors, internal stakeholders, vendors, and plays an important role in executing clinical trials.

Over the next few months, our oncology team will share what we’ve learned through easy-to-digest articles and in-depth white papers. Topics in store include effective screening techniques for rare cancers, how to lower dropout rates, and the latest advances in TILs and checkpoint inhibitors. Case studies in the works will show how we helped leading pharmaceutical companies overcome challenges throughout the clinical trial process.