About
Named as one of “20 Women to Watch in Massachusetts High Technology in 2014”, Shikha Barman, PhD, has more than 20 years of experience in the translation of concepts from the lab into clinical and commercial drug products. She is CEO, CTO and a founding member of Integral BioSystems, LLC.
Dr Barman’s expertise is in the design of cell-targeted delivery systems, customised to permeate biological barriers such as the skin, ocular and intestinal barriers. Prior to founding Integral BioSystems as a hybrid CRO/innovation- based company with Boston-area patent attorney Dave Karasic, she was Vice-President of Pharmaceutical Development and Preclinical Sciences at Follica, Inc (Boston, MA, US) responsible for multiple departments in CMC, preclinical DMPK and toxicology, developing dermal products in antimicrobials, onychomycosis, hair growth and acne. Prior to Follica, she was Senior Director of CMC/Pharmaceutical Development at Inotek Pharmaceuticals, Inc (Lexington, MA, US) developing products utilising novel small-molecule PARP inhibitors and A-1 agonists into ocular treatments for glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy and an injectable for a fast-acting treatment for atrial fibrillation. She was also Head of Vaccine and Transdermal Development at Sontra Medical Corporation (now Echo Therapeutics, Iselin, NJ, US), developing products delivered using an innovative transcutaneous ultrasound device (SonoPrep™) developed at the Robert Langer Laboratory at MIT. One of these products is marketed as a continuous glucose monitoring device. At Zycos, Inc, Dr Barman was Head of Gene Delivery, targeting PLG microsphere-based DNA-based therapies for the treatment of HPV and cancer. Lastly, at Focal, Inc, she helped develop one of first lines of biodegradable tissue sealants, now marketed as FocalSeal, by Genzyme BioSurgery.
Dr Barman has 17 issued US Patents and 56 US applications/PCTs, 65 publications and four book chapters.
Dr Barman’s PhD is in Polymer Science and Plastics Engineering from University of Massachusetts at Lowell, an MS in Polymers from University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and a BS / MS in Chemistry from Auburn University, AL, US.