About Our Team

With advanced training and extensive clinical experience in India and the United Kingdom, Dr Chakrabarti has played a pioneering role in the evolution of haploidentical transplantation in India. His work has focused on developing innovative transplant approaches for patients with advanced hematological malignancies and non-malignant blood disorders, particularly where conventional donor options or treatment approaches may be limited.

A defining aspect of Dr Chakrabarti's academic work is his contribution to transplantation immunology. His research has explored the complex interplay between donor immune cells and the recipient following transplantation, with particular emphasis on immune reconstitution, transplantation tolerance and the immunological mechanisms underlying graft-versus-leukemia and graft-versus-host disease.

His research into T-cell costimulation blockade and Abatacept-based approaches in transplantation has been central to his academic work. By investigating the modulation of T-cell activation and immune responses, his work has contributed to the development of newer strategies for controlling graft-versus-host disease while preserving beneficial anti-leukemic immune activity.

Dr Chakrabarti has also made significant contributions to the field of natural killer cell biology and cellular immunotherapy, focusing on adaptive NK cells, their role in transplant immunology and their potential in anti-leukemic immunity. His early and sustained work in post-transplant virology and viral immunology has examined viral infections following transplantation, including CMV, EBV and adenovirus, and their prevention and management.

With more than 100 scientific publications, Dr Chakrabarti has made substantial contributions to international research in transplantation, transplant immunology and post-transplant infections. He has served on international expert panels, scientific working groups and editorial boards, and as a peer reviewer for several leading journals. At AIBTraCT, he is building a translational programme designed to move discoveries in immune biology and cellular therapy from the laboratory to the bedside.

With specialised training in Clinical Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Dr Agarwal has developed a focused clinical and academic interest in hematological malignancies, haploidentical transplantation and advanced cellular therapies. During her training, she was part of a specialised transplant team that successfully performed over 150 haploidentical transplants and more than 50 cellular therapies, including NK and regulatory T-cell based therapies, in patients with complex and relapsed or refractory disease.

Dr Agarwal has also received specialised training in GMP-based cellular therapy procedures and has been involved in the development and implementation of advanced cellular therapy programmes. She was part of the team involved in enrolling the centre in clinical trials for CAR-T cell therapy in relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphoma and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Her academic interests lie at the intersection of transplantation immunology and cellular therapy. Her research focuses on NK cell biology, post-transplant immune reconstitution, transplantation tolerance and post-transplant infections. She has contributed to research on Abatacept-based haploidentical transplantation and the role of NK-cell cytotoxicity in understanding the balance between graft-versus-leukemia and graft-versus-host disease.

Dr Agarwal is actively involved in the development of innovative cellular therapy programmes, including NK cell-based cellular therapy for refractory leukemia, immune-activated autologous transplantation for high-grade lymphoma and cellular approaches for refractory graft-versus-host disease. She is a member of the GvHD, Post-Transplant Infections and Cellular Therapy Working Groups of the Indian Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ISBMT), and is also a member of the American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and the Indian Society of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (ISHBT).

Dr Agarwal believes that advanced medical care is built on the combination of clinical expertise, scientific innovation and meaningful patient partnership. She is committed to providing personalised, evidence-based care while ensuring that patients and their families are supported with clarity and compassion throughout their treatment journey.