Babita Adhikari

About Babita Adhikari

Senior Scientist in cell biology and immunology with 8+ years spanning academia and industry, including 5+ years developing robust, disease-relevant cell-based and immune assays to advance therapeutic candidates through preclinical pipelines. Proven ability to independently design tiered screening strategies and investigate mechanism of action using primary human cells and complex cellular systems (immune cells, epithelial/endocrine models, organoid differentiation). Strong hands-on expertise in flow cytometry, ELISA/HTRF, confocal microscopy, plate-based imaging assays, and cross-functional execution in fast-paced, matrixed environments (including CRO/academic partner management and mentoring).TECHNICAL EXPERTISE• Primary human cell culture including immune cells such as DC, monocytes, macrophages, T cells; human sample handling (blood, PBMC isolation, serum; fecal samples) • Functional assays (in vitro/ex vivo): microplate cell assays; immune assays; cytokine profiling • Flow cytometry: multicolor flow cytometry (BD/Attune cytometers) • Immunoassays: ELISA, ELISpot, HTRF-based assays; MSD multiplexing • Molecular biology: qPCR/RT-PCR/dPCR; Western blotting • Cell engineering: CRISPR; stable cell line generation • Protein/interaction biology: recombinant protein expression/purification; immunoprecipitation; protein–protein interaction assays • Imaging: confocal microscopy; image analysis • In vivo experience: animal model work; tissue dissection, homogenization, immunophenotyping

Experience

1. Senior Scientist

   Pendulum Therapeutics

   Jun 2023 — Present · San Francisco, CA, US

Education

• University of California, San Francisco

  Postdoctoral Scientist, Gut microbiome

• Kathmandu University (KU)

  Bachelor's degree, Biotechnology

  2009 — 2013

• Kansas State University

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Molecular Biology

  2015 — 2020