Kumar Dhanasekharan, PhD

Senior Vice President, Technical Operations at Voyager Therapeutics

Speaker

Dr. Kumar Dhanasekharan currently serves as Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at Voyager Therapeutics, where he oversees multi-modality CMC development, manufacturing, quality control, and supply chain functions encompassing AAV gene therapy programs and non-viral therapeutic platforms.

He has extensive experience building both internal manufacturing capabilities and external partnerships through contract manufacturing and testing networks, ensuring strong operational oversight and strategic collaboration. Dr. Dhanasekharan has advanced numerous protein therapeutics and AAV gene therapy programs into clinical stages, leading process and analytical development as well as Phase I/II manufacturing. He has successfully directed late-stage process characterization, validation campaigns, and BLA-enabling activities.

Throughout his career, he has held key roles in organizations such as SwanBio Therapeutics, Amicus Therapeutics, Genzyme-Sanofi, and Catalent (CDMO), working across a wide range of modalities and biologic molecules. His leadership experience includes C-suite responsibilities, collaborating with executive teams and boards to define long-range strategies, implementing CMC roadmaps, and pursuing accelerated approval pathways.

Dr. Dhanasekharan earned his Ph.D. in Food Science from Rutgers University, focusing on engineering and manufacturing, and holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai. He has delivered more than 50 conference presentations and authored over 10 peer-reviewed publications.