Dr. Maneesh Paul, the Lead Co-inventor and Program Director of Enmetazobactam, is a clinical microbiologist who pursued basic and applied research discovering novel anti-infectives and characterising several microbial genes and proteins. He has translated scientific accomplishments and leadership through patents and publications.

He received his master’s degree in medical microbiology from Kasturba Medical College- MAHE and went on to undertake research for his Ph.D. from Gulbarga University supported by Jean-Claire Lee of Harvard Medical School, Boston USA.

As a Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, USA, he is trained in infectious diseases, specifically in molecular mechanisms of the pathogenesis of neonatal microbial meningitis esp. the E. coli (with Dr. Kwang Sik Kim), and M. tuberculosis (at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health with Dr. William Bishai).

Dr. Paul was also a Postdoc with Dr. Sirkka Asikainen at Umeå University, Sweden studying the role of A. actinomycetemcomitans in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis collaborating with Dr. Casey Chen (Uni. S. California, USA), Dr. Scott Hultgren (Uni. Washington, St. Louis, USA), Dr. Staffan Normark (Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden), Pirkko Pussinen (Uni. Helsinki, Finland) and many others.

Dr. Paul was the ORISE Fellow with Dr. Margaret Bash at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, USFDA, MD, USA working on reverse vaccinology of N. meningitidis and as an Industrial Fellow in the anti-infectives new drug discovery program at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd, India.

For the longest time (since 2006) Dr. Paul has led the anti-infectives discovery research group at Orchid Pharma, India, and co-invented several pre-clinical candidates in anti-bacterial and anti-fungal space, including leading the Enmetazobactam program and out-licensing it at phase 1 to Allecra Therapeutics GmbH that is now approved by the USFDA, and EMA for Marketing (2024). This is the first India-invented NCE to have been approved by the two major Regulatory Agencies.

He led post-graduate evidence-based medical research at St. Martha’s Hospital, India in addition to continuing to advise several companies (2013-2018).

Dr. Paul has led trans-disciplinary research at Acharya Group of Institutions, Bengaluru (2018-2022),  and enabled the process of Acharya Institutes becoming a research-based campus (proposed University) of academic excellence.

He became an AMR stewardship champion at the Gordon Conference (Ciocco, Italy) through the Antibiotic Action initiated by Dr. Laura Piddock.

He has served as a member of the AMR Committee (until 2022) of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA, USA).

He is currently (2024-2026) appointed as a member of the Strategic Advisory Committee of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Initiative in Antimicrobial Resistance – PACE -AMR (Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy).

He founded Microvioma to address the challenges of AMR through Innovation, and Community Stewardship through AMRACE (AMR Action Collaborative Engagement). Microvioma also has a focus on finding innovative microbiota-based solutions towards Healthy Ageing, and Autism.