Academia Plus

In this chapter of Career Stories, we bring you the story of Vivek Mishra, who is the founder and CEO of Fibroheal Woundcare Pvt. Ltd. In this candid chat, he talks at length about his entrepreneurial journey, what went into building his venture and the lessons he learnt and took with himself from the Academia to the Industry.

What lessons did you learn from your undergraduate course in Pharmacy and Management and how did you incorporate both in establishing this start-up?

I was an average student with decent skills during my college days. I realised later that I was always instrumental in getting things done during my undergraduate days, even if it was something as simple as a mass bunk. I had the skill to percolate things. Now, after a decade, I can relate to it, but back then, I was unaware. With the goal of being financially independent, I wanted to pursue a masters in Pharmacy. However, an incident later led me to pursue an MBA. Even though I pursued an MBA, I ended up being in research and running a hardcore research-driven company. Looking back, probably I played by my strengths unknowingly. I was good at managing things, consequently, pursuing a management degree provided the foundation for my career. Today, my management degree enables me to make a significantly greater impact on people’s lives and address a wider range of issues, surpassing what I could have achieved with an M.Pharm. Some pivotal lessons I learned from my graduation are- identifying an area of interest, the main skill set, how to communicate effectively, and how to utilise that to create an impact in people’s lives. Engaging in such speculation at an early stage will aid in making an informed decision about choosing a career path, instead of simply succumbing to herd mentality and feeling compelled to pursue an MBA or Ph.D. just because others are doing so.

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, life is just about exploring and figuring out what you will enjoy doing. Prior to making a decision, it is essential to consider these factors with a 5-to-10-year outlook in mind. After my MBA, I worked for two other firms, British Biologicals, and Metahelix LifeSciences. Eventually, Fibroheal was established in the year 2017.

You mentioned you worked in a few companies before this start-up. What made you start something of your own venture?

My motivation was straightforward. I wanted to solve a problem. Everybody has had a wound that takes a while to recover, whether it was a cut, an injury, or a bruise. I wanted to find a solution to this problem. As a Pharmacy graduate, I have consistently been captivated by the realms of biomaterials, wounds, and surgical materials during my academic journey. These topics have continuously piqued my curiosity and kept me engaged in exploring their various facets. There’s a popular saying that action is the foundational key to all success. Similarly, the increased frequency of things in my life can be attributed to my motivation and willingness to take action. As a specific example, I began encountering more information about silk. My lack of knowledge about silk led me to explore this versatile biomaterial. When I went to buy a saree for my mother, I discovered the process of reeling and the variety of silks available. We also ran into a lot of people who were into this idea as well. For instance, we met Bharat, who had founded an animal healthcare firm, Vetcare. He shared our interest in silk and connected us with a prominent plastic surgeon; this was the catalyst for the creation of Fibroheal. It is rightly said that when people who share similar interests and energy come together it leads to fresh perspectives of solving a problem. Having worked in a professional setup, I approached Fibroheal with a solve-one-problem-at-a-time strategy. This led to the growth of Fibroheal and created an impact. During the start-up’s establishment, I was not clear where I was heading. Nevertheless, I was certain that silk is a remarkable biomaterial as supported by several publications and studies. The sole clarity we had was conducting research related to silk and, eventually, executing it. This is how we got to where we are now.

Based on your experience, can you please give us a step-by-step process of how to go about a start-up idea, especially in science?

Firstly, you have to identify in which field you’d like to dedicate your next ten years. I won’t say 30 years or a lifetime, but at least 10 years, because building a good sustainable company that offers a healthy work culture requires dedication. Fibroheal is now in its sixth year. After identifying the field, you need to ascertain whether there is a market demand or whether you possess the patience or potential to establish a new market. Every mother feels that her child is wonderful. Similarly, you may perceive your technology as excellent. However, it is essential to critically analyse the market acceptance. Identifying industry pain points is crucial for the successful adoption of your science, technology, or product. This is called the inversion strategy which involves looking at a problem backwards.

Post which you can come up with solutions for that particular problem. It can be a direct product to the customer, to hospitals, to academia or research, or even self-service. At this stage, the execution of a concept is a crucial component. Initially, how and at what speed you are executing will not be clear. Think of it like carrying a candle in a dark forest. Once you take the first step, the subsequent steps and the path forward will be visible. No mentor or expert will be able to assist you in this process since it demands a leap of faith. They will only come for the post-mortem to show you what went wrong.

Once you have a good understanding of it, you should obtain a patent or an Intellectual Property Right (IPR) to protect it.

You mentioned in a previous interview the importance of networking in start-up. What other skills are necessary at a graduate level and master’s level and how can one acquire these skills?

Networking is a crucial skill in this field, but it can be a double-edged sword, serving both as an agonist and an antagonist. In this industry, professionals are always eager to explore fresh ideas and innovative solutions. As a platform catering to students and connecting academia with the industry, I can draw a parallel with a similar experience. For instance, if either I or my HR team receives a CV (Curriculum vitae) that solely highlights previous professional experiences, we probably won’t respond. On the contrary, when individuals express their interest in your work and emphasise all pertinent facts and figures, the situation is different. In our case, the prevalence of diabetes, ulcers, and wounds in India, and how Fibroheal impacts wound healing both in India and globally creates a lasting impression. When there is a vacancy, we typically search for CVs using specific keywords. Therefore, customising your CV to match the employer’s requirements can significantly boost your chances of being accepted. However, it is essential to acknowledge that there might be an 80% gap between your past work experiences and the specific needs of the company. There is a difference between academic standards and industry standards since the industry is more practical and solution-oriented. Employers will look at the email from a fresh perspective if you include the major problems faced by the industry, market research, and if possible a potential solution to it. Even when highly qualified candidates with Ph.D. or Post-Doc backgrounds apply, some of the key criteria that industries consider may be missing in their applications.

To use the area of wound healing as an example, we know that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has been utilised for years owing to its antibacterial property. So, you can come up with some applications of it, like nanoparticles, which can be integrated into our products. This shows your inclination towards doing something which is not just a mere job. There are plenty of organisations that will give you a job, but if you want to make an impact, there are only a few, and you need to actively seek out individuals who possess these problem-solving capabilities.

It is an asset to be constantly upbeat and full of energy since employers today are seeking people with a lot of excitement and energy. When you are optimistic and energetic, possibilities will start to present themselves. Instead of boasting about your accomplishments, talk about what the firm is doing and emphasise how you will strengthen their team. After the ‘Start-up India‘ movement, there has been a noticeable rise in various industry-related events such as seminars, workshops, and conferences taking place not only in Tier-I but also in Tier-II cities. These platforms serve to address and discuss current developments within the industry. Overthere you can interact with people who are solving some genuine problems which can be environmental or even day-to-day issues like traffic-related problems. Interacting with those who are skilled at solving problems will help you acquire the skill to recognise a specific issue and come up with a logical solution. To establish a stronger connection with these people, you might also apply to volunteer as a student at a college.

What does team building for a start-up constitute? Any nuggets of wisdom on how to go about that?

Each department must be extremely transparent in order to build a team. R&D asserts that they have the solution, but production raises the question of what happens if the goods aren’t provided. Sales claims that without their efforts, there won’t be any revenue from sales. Marketing, on the other hand, takes responsibility for all marketing and communication efforts that drive sales. Meanwhile, finance asks what the plan is if they can’t secure the necessary funds. We cannot decide which department is the best. In my opinion, all the departments are like the five fingers, and if you can bring them all together to form a fist, you can create a great business. In order to achieve a shared vision, complete openness and honesty are crucial among all departments. The company’s name, reputation, solutions, and products should be the first priority over individual interests. To foster unity, transparency is essential, and regular meetings are necessary to encourage open communication and resolve any potential disputes effectively. For instance, if an employee needs to visit a bank during business hours, they can inform their respective department head and arrange to compensate for the missed time on another day. This highlights the importance of open communication within every team and organisation. Additionally, to foster a healthy work culture, it is essential to address employees’ needs, such as ensuring timely and regular compensation- an aspect that is often overlooked in many start-ups.

What does a typical day as the CEO of Fibroheal look like?

I start my day usually between 9-9:30 with a cup of green tea. On Saturdays, I am out in the field meeting customers, clients, and various vendors. Every other day, we have a meeting with the departmental heads where there is a face-to-face discussion. Production will question R&D, R&D will question marketing, and marketing will question finance. These meetings are devoid of formalities, as expected in professional set-ups. These are conducted in vernacular languages and are called scrums. As a result, any task has a two-day turnaround time since everyone is accountable to one another. For instance, if you suggested something today and it isn’t completed by tomorrow, it will be addressed in the meeting the day after tomorrow.

After this I answer emails. One of the rules I follow is to leave 50% to 60% of my time free in case any department needs me. A crucial aspect I prioritise in my daily activities is reserving time for a broader perspective. For example, currently, I oversee a team of 40 employees but aspire to expand it to 80. I understand that focusing solely on the existing 40 won’t allow for the successful integration of the additional 40. As a result, my daily schedule doesn’t follow a fixed blueprint. A significant portion of my time is dedicated to meeting people and ensuring that no problem is overlooked or left unresolved. My approach is to find solutions to challenges, and if necessary, take a decision to close the matter. I frequently have meetings with clients, customers, and vendors. I am also up to date with what’s happening in this field of study. We have to accept the fact that even the ‘Chief Everything Officer’ is not aware of everything. At the end of the day, he is also a human being who has his own shortfalls and weaknesses. To ensure progress in these areas, I actively engage with individuals who are contributing to the growth of the company. Through increased interactions, we identify weaknesses and brainstorm solutions together. Generally, we call it a day at 6 pm. We ensure nobody stays after that. Working beyond 6:30 PM implies a waste of the company’s resources. This is what a typical day in my life looks like.

What challenges do you face in your professional career and how do you overcome them?

One of the most significant challenges I encounter is effectively managing individual egos. While other issues like funding, approvals, and regulations can be addressed, dealing with human egos is a complex cognitive process that impacts everyone to some degree. It’s common for each person to firmly believe they are right, and this can create obstacles in the decision-making process. Furthermore, at Fibroheal, I encourage a culture where every individual is free to approach me with their perspectives and provide logical reasoning to challenge my choices. Additionally, if someone wishes to resign, I respect their decision, as mutual respect between everyone is crucial, and it can only be achieved through open communication.

Dealing with the complexities of human emotions and aligning everyone towards a common goal is indeed the most significant challenge we face in our organisation. And, fostering a culture of openness, respect, and constant communication can help us overcome that.

What piece of advice would you like to give college graduates who want to become an entrepreneur?

Drawing upon my personal experience, I believe that focus is paramount. Maintaining laser-like focus in all your endeavours is crucial. Sometimes, it might take six months or even a year of consistent effort before seeing tangible results. However, if you persist and continue working on the same thing, the outcomes can be exceptional, setting you apart from most people. Having faith in what you pursue and trusting your gut instincts are essential. Your passion and interests should be guided by your intuition, so follow them with confidence. As a student, it’s natural to make mistakes, and I advise those in their 20s and early 30s to embrace this phase of life and make as many mistakes as possible. Mistakes are valuable learning opportunities, and the cost of making them is relatively low until around the age of 30 to 35, after which they can become fairly expensive. When someone asserts something as true, don’t simply accept it at face value; take the initiative to verify it yourself. Even if you don’t immediately find the answer, the process of seeking knowledge is valuable and contributes to your growth. Embrace the journey of discovery, and don’t be discouraged by occasional misses along the way.

Another crucial aspect is being open to trying out new ideas and embracing the possibility of failure. It’s important not to fear failure because even when things don’t go as planned, there’s always a valuable lesson to be learned. Maintaining an optimistic outlook and learning from failures are vital traits to cultivate. As human beings, our decisions won’t always yield the desired outcomes. However, we should view failure positively as it offers opportunities for growth. In any given situation, if we attempt ten things, it’s likely that six or seven of them will be successful. The challenge lies with the two or three that may not work out as intended. Nonetheless, achieving a success rate of 60-70% is quite commendable and is what we refer to as the ‘Law of wasted efforts.‘ Until the law of wasted efforts reaches 30%, the situation remains favourable and serves as a valuable lesson. For instance, when a tiger hunts its prey, it successfully catches it only around 30% of the time. As entrepreneurs, we should understand and adhere to the law of wasted efforts. It means acknowledging that the path we choose will have its share of failures that we must accept and overcome, in order to succeed.

Furthermore, adapting to changing times and situations is essential. When I started Fibroheal, the goal was to focus on healing burns specifically. However, as we progressed, we expanded our scope to healing wounds in general, embracing a broader objective. Looking back at the initial 2017 objective, one might argue that it was not fully achieved, but that doesn’t imply failure. Unexpected events like the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, posing unforeseen challenges, yet it made our organisation even stronger. Surviving a pandemic for two years demonstrates resilience, and it gives confidence that the business can withstand and overcome future challenges. Remaining open to such situations and being receptive to new opportunities is crucial. Staying focused, committed, not letting failure deter you, and being willing to try out different approaches, even if they lead to mistakes, are valuable pieces of advice I would like to share with students and aspiring entrepreneurs. Embracing adaptability and a willingness to evolve can lead to long-term success and growth in any venture.

Sonam Shinde Author

Career Stories: Chapter 23

14th September 202314th September 2023 Academia Plus

In this chapter of Career Stories, we bring you the story of Sana Jalili, who is a microbiologist by training and an iGEM supporter. She is passionate about science communication and always on the lookout for avenues where she can engage with citizens through different platforms. In this candid chat she shares her experiences with frugal science, speaks in depth about her passions and her journey so far.

Could you share some important milestones in your professional journey so far?

I am a person with a microbiology and academic background. My work has mainly been related to frugal science and synthetic biology. My first milestone was being accepted into the student cohort at the Frugal Science Course, at Stanford University under the guidance of Dr. Manu Prakash in 2020. The second was being part of the Friendzymes Team, and winning a Gold in the iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) competition in 2021 (in the middle of a pandemic). The third is getting felicitated with Anil Sadgopal Award for Popularization of Science, and Contribution to Science Outreach by CUBE-TIFR (Collaboratively Understanding Biology Education) for scientific communication in 2022.

You have done a lot of work regarding frugal science. Could you explain what frugal science is all about and how did you get introduced to it?

In simple terms, frugal science is all about duplicating or reproducing the experiments from a scientific setup to a DIY (Do it Yourself) setup at home. I was introduced to this concept through the Frugal Science Course by Dr. Manu Prakash in 2020 during the pandemic. As we all know, during the COVID-19 lockdown, it was very difficult to even carry out even simple experiments because access to laboratories was restricted. It’s in these scenarios that frugal science becomes truly meaningful. My first Project was working on the Incubator which we showcased as a part of coursework. Then gradually, I was curious to work on similar projects related to frugal science by myself.

How did you actually conceptualize and built a home lab?

The process of building a DIY lab at home started in the middle of the pandemic (2020). The process was difficult but I could somehow pull it through. Me and my mom used to quarrel a lot as my mom really didn’t get the idea of me using normal kitchen equipment like a pressure cooker as an autoclave for sterilizing purposes in the kitchen a.k.a. my DIY lab. I would try to convince my mom that it is only because I want to make food for my bacteria! When I started making media (food in simple terms for bacteria or any living organisms in microbiology), the first and second trials did not work, and I had to redo it multiple times to get it done correctly. I also had to keep in mind the weather conditions around me, especially when considering incubation. I experimented a lot with things at home that could be used as glassware for my experiments- such as perfume bottles instead of the regular test tubes! The process had its own difficulties but I could somehow make it happen.

Making science accessible is a goal of frugal science. Have you seen any real life implications of it?

I have seen the implications of it after the frugal science course. I have seen students after the pandemic wonder if there is any possibility of duplicating some of the scientific experiments in a DIY setup at home because one doesn’t know when the next pandemic might hit us! This has brought about much curiosity within the students and researchers as well. I was grateful in 2021 when it got internationally recognized at Global BioSummit 5.0 proceedings in Open Innovation Track- ‘Innovating Microbiological Media by Frugal Solutions’ and it reached people who were/are curious about frugal methods for DIY microbiology labs.

You are also the promoter for iGEM Asia-Oceania region. What is your personal view on iGEM and why is it important to promote this?

In simpler terms, iGEM stands for International Genetically Engineered Machine and it’s the fusion of biology and engineering systems. It is very important to increase awareness about iGEM because the concept of synthetic biology itself is new in India and its neighboring countries. In iGEM, students can work on synthetic biology using various biological systems or organisms ranging from bacteria to mammalian cells. Students across the world are working on hybrids of biological systems to provide novel solutions to scientific issues. Since it is innovative & novel, they can work on different aspects and showcase their projects globally. It also offers long-term support to projects as industrial startups.

Friendzymes was a iGEM gold winning project – it was done during the pandemic and involved collaboration from students across the world. How was the collaboration like, what were the problems faced and what are your key takeaways from the project?

The birthplace of the iGEM friendzymes was the Frugal Science course that I was a part of, in the student cohort in 2020. After that course, our Friendzymes members started to brainstorm ideas to go ahead in the iGEM competition. The ideas took a bigger shape after our Advisor’s talk (Kahlil) on Project management which was open to other iGEM teams as well to inculcate skills for running an international team in the pandemic. Personally, one of the biggest challenges I faced was the inaccessibility of wet labs as COVID-19 cases were at a peak in Mumbai. Since I did not have access to a lab, I switched to a collaboration (which was silver medal criteria) of competition. Scheduling meetings, and working on Discord/Slack/Mails for communication was my major input as a student member. Apart from that, I came from a pure biology background. I was introduced to GitHub (and I am still learning) which was new to me then. Further, my biggest takeaway from the project is mutual collaboration and socializing about scientific discoveries- ultimately that’s what Science Communication is all about!

Are there any memorable moments during the iGEM friendzymes experience?

It was an international team, and time management was essential. I am grateful to my team members for respecting different time zones and working collectively. Personally, due to some of the emergencies, if I missed discord chats in a week, I needed to go through all messages and stay updated. I would like to thank my team members here, for being cooeprative. Another memorable incident was that- we had an offtopic discord channel, whenever I felt a little stressed, I would visit that page and enjoy all the jokes and memes that were shared. That provided me with a nice balance during the pandemic!

In iGEM there are a lot of industry collaborations with students for their projects. What do you think are the benefits of industry collaborations and what do you think about industry academia collaborations?

In iGEM after your project completion and presentation at Jamboree-which is an annual event that shows all the projects done by students across the world, you are given an option to continue with the project by collaborating with different industries. As a person with a scientific background, it is very important to know how the industry works because it is only then that you can make your discoveries and innovations accessible to the general public – and they can benefit from the science. Industry and academia are like two sides of a coin. A student being in academia might know theoretically what a bioreactor is but would not know the scale and size of it and how that particular instrument is being used to make products that are not visible in the day-to-day life. I feel that it is important to have students explore the industry so that they have a clarity of how the industry works and then they will have a better idea while making a choice between industry and academia. Students have a tendency to stay in academia and not explore the industry at all, hence completely leaving out the industry option for their careers.

Your career is based on communicating science, whether it being in academia or being in iGEM in which communicating science plays a huge role. What are the useful skills that you have picked up communicating science?

Public speaking was one of the key skills I learned during pandemic times (2020-21). After getting a lot of exposure in communicating science I got to learn how to effectively communicate science to students across different age groups. I learned to not use very technical terms or jargon while I am communicating science and to make it more friendly to listen. For example, if I had to explain what a microbe is to a 3rd/4th Std kid, I would start with ‘germs’ – a term that the student would really be familiar with and then continue to build up on that as microbes later. I also gained a lot of respect for the people in science communication because it’s a relatively new field and it involves public speaking, using simpler terms instead of scientific complex words.

What does a typical day in your life look like in between academia, frugal science projects and iGEM?

My day starts at 6 am. I reside in Mumbai and it is a two-hour commute to reach the institute, so I have to catch Mumbai local trains during peak hours. After reaching the institute, I work on experiments, handle microorganisms patiently and carefully, and then take lectures for students. After I’m done my research work and lectures, I come back home around 7 pm or later, again depending on Mumbai local timings. Then, I indulge in planning for the experiments for the next day, plan my teaching activities, or anything else in hand. iGEM meetings usually take place after 8 or 9 p.m. IST. Regular updates on Slack, checking emails, going through research papers occur at the night time. Coming to the frugal science courses, I generally do it during the winter vacations or summer vacations when I have time.

What advice would you like to give students who want to explore frugal science?

Dr. Manu Prakash runs a frugal science course and one can access the course by visiting the website of Stanford University. Apart from that there are a lot of frugalists who have worked with Prof. Prakash so you can try to connect with them on social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter. I joined Twitter and I got enrolled in Frugal Science course in 2020. I would recommend being active on Twitter – there are a lot of frugalists there and you can just let them know that you are interested in working with them. Next would be to join frugal science communities on Twitter. After joining the community myself, I have realized that there are a lot of people who want to build a DIY home lab – however, it is difficult to have a microbiology DIY lab as compared to a physics lab or a botany DIY lab, because it involves- cultivating microorganisms, making media for them, sterilizing equipment etc., so it is a very difficult task. By joining communities you can learn from the experiences of other frugalists. This was how I got to build my path in frugal science networking and collaborations help a lot.

Deepthi Joji Author

Career Stories

Career Stories: Chapter 22

7th September 20238th September 2023 Academia Plus

In this chapter of Career Stories, we bring you the story of Saloni Godbole, who is a scientist-turned entrepreneur. In this candid chat, she talks about her journey as a scientist as well as an entrepreneur and shares insights on how one can embark upon the journey of entrepreneurship in life sciences.

Please take us through your journey. Tell us about your childhood, what motivated you to take Science, study Microbiology?

You have taken me back 10 years from now to when the decisions of choosing a career took place. I was a pretty average to good student in school, who was very active and present – someone the teachers loved and I also in turn liked my teachers. I didn’t like math, so I knew one thing for sure- that when I grew up, I would not be getting into engineering! I always had an idea about my skills and abilities and was very active in extracurricular activities such as painting and handicraft. In fact, till 9th std I wanted to be an artist and I had almost decided to take up fine arts as my career. However, one fine day it struck me that painting is more of a mood-centric hobby that I won’t be able to take up as a job, or an obligation. Then I thought of the second option that I was good at – and that was biology. Thus, with some advice from my mom, I decided to keep art as a hobby and took up science after my 10th standard. 11th and 12th standard were easier as well as interesting- I got introduced to terms like DNA, RNA, microbes, genetic engineering. Eventually through discussions with family friends and acquaintances, I realised that I was more inclined towards microbiology than biotechnology, and that was a subject that could provide me with a strong basis to study biotechnology later on. Hence, I took up microbiology as my bachelors degree. After my bachelors degree I realised that I loved the subject and hence pursued my masters in the same subject.

After my masters, I had realised that the way the subjects are taught in college is not enough to be able to earn a PhD position abroad. So, I took up an internship at Tata Memorial Cancer Research Institute where I was exposed to hardcore research. That experience made me realize that it is not only research that I am looking for– but it is actually applied research. I would not want to only arrive at some conclusions and keep writing research papers, but would like to convert my knowledge into technology that is useful for the masses. That’s when I also realized that I do not need to pursue a PhD immediately and began my journey as a bioscience entrepreneur!

Could you elaborate more on your specific interest in applied research and the realization of not wanting to pursue research in basic sciences?

My coursework during my Bachelors required me to take up a project in the last semester which introduced me to research. What interested me was the fact that in research you take up a problem statement and you arrive at your own ways for solving it. There is no formula here. And while there are certain methods that you follow, there is no right or wrong answer in research; there is always observation and analysis. Later, during my masters I pursued research on biosurfactants producing microbes and we created a technology which an industry actually bought from our college- that’s where I got the initial motivation to convert research into products!

As mentioned before, my internship at Tata Memorial Cancer Research Institute after my masters, also made me realize further that I do not want to pursue pure research. I also realized that in government institutes in India, scientists get a lot of funding to do research, but a most of those funds are channelized towards presenting research papers. So it made me wonder– ‘why is it that in spite of getting funding we are not able to create something which is applicable?’ That is what triggered my interest in developing a product of my own.

How was the idea of Occamy Biosciences born? What were the challenges you faced and how did you address them?

Six months before I left the Tata Memorial Cancer Research Institute, I had already started thinking of starting a company, and therefore engaged myself in networking and finding the right kind of people. Fortunately, there was a senior scientist who also wanted to do something of his own. So, I started talking to him and realized that we both could start a company together- my lack of experience could be compensated by him guiding me. We completed the legal process of registering the company in August 2018. The initial journey was quite tough- we were very naive, didn’t know the nature of the company that should be formed, the guidelines etc.

Since we did not have our own research at that point, we approached scientists who were engaged in developing technologies and bought the technologies from them. We also did extensive analysis of the kind of research and work that was taking place in research institutions- trying to understand whether there was any convertible solution there, especially in places like cancer diagnostics, therapy and drugs.

Then, my co-founder suggested that we should get into the animal husbandry domain because it’s a very neglected domain in India and it’s not as complicated as cancer biology. The idea was that any product which could be made for animals will also sell faster and in turn give us the money required to run our daily operations. However, there were still a lot of challenges- such as setting up a factory, looking for a place, apply for funding/loans from the government etc.

Eventually, we got a loan sanctioned from the bank and built a manufacturing unit. This was March 2020- and while we were all ready to start manufacturing, COVID struck the world. After the pandemic subsided, we did not operate for 3-4 months and suffered some losses.

Looking back, there were many difficulties that came our way but because we were passionate about doing something we went on facing everything with patience and that’s how the journey began. Now we will be entering our fifth year and we are growing as a company.

Can you tell us more about Occamy Biosciences?

Occamy was started with a vision that we are Scientist turned Entrepreneurs. So the idea was to start a company by scientists to come up with scientifically proven products. Our main forte is to come up with products by doing research on the science behind it, prove it within the Indian scenario and bring it to the end-users. If you look at the word ‘Occamy’ it is the name of a character from the series- Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts. Occamy is a peacock-like creature in the series which has all attributes that we would want to associate ourselves with- it is Indian by nature, very original and has the ability to change its size based on its surroundings. So the name resonates with us and our approach of running the company.

The first thing we made was protein supplements for animals. Because we realized that there are a lot of supplements that fulfill a human’s nutritional requirements but there are no such supplements available for animals. After doing some extensive research, we developed products, got them tested and started working with farmers. The first range of products we have created is for cattles – to improve animal productivity and the quality of milk.

Now, apart from animal related nutrition products, we are doing a lot of research to come up with products for humans as well.

Can you describe an incident from your workplace that is really close to you?

During the initial period when we were testing our products, we went to a farmer in Mumbai to give him a trial product to try it on his animal. His buffalo was giving really low milk and it was very old and hence no longer profitable to the farmer. So he was going to give it up for culling. We requested him to try our product for 4-5 days and that if there was no improvement, then he could go ahead with his initial decision. So he agreed and just in four days the health improved so much that the buffalo started giving milk better than what it was. After seeing the benefits of the feed on the animal, he decided to keep it for one more year. This incident made me realize that our work could benefit someone on such a grassroot level.

Another such incident was where there was one old cow which was just lying around, completely losing its hair and skin. With the incorporation of our feed, the health of that cow improved.

There were also some instances when we realized our products have helped improve the quality of milk, which is indirectly also improving human health. There are cases in which adulteration in milk is also causing cancer because milk is adulterated with the chemicals, that the animals are injected with. So somewhere we are trying to reduce these practices, reducing the instances of cancer and other diseases due to adulteration. If we see the impact it really gives us goosebumps and ensures that although it will take some time, we have to be on this path.

What were your thoughts staring out? Did you feel doubtful about entering into the journey of entrepreneurship?

I actually didn’t know that it was something unique. I did it because I liked doing it. In those times, I just followed my heart–something I always wanted to do. When it came to business, initially there were so many times that I really doubted myself. Because until and unless there is financial success you always doubt yourself. The career choices that we make are usually dictated by the money and the lifestyle we want to give to ourselves and our family. There were so many challenges that we faced especially during COVID when our funds were stranded. Meanwhile my friends were growing in their life, having good employment, job security. They were getting married, having children; everything was so wonderful for them. So when there is comparison there is always self doubt. But what worked in my favor is that I’m quite self motivated. More importantly, in my college days I came across practicing meditation. That was a very big support system for me, especially during the pandemic. It really helped me and was the reason that self doubt never really poisoned me. It takes patience and you have to be very persevering. But when you see people appreciating you, that gives you hope.

You have transitioned through different roles in your career. How did you acclimatise yourself through these transitions?

When I started the company I was very naive and I did not know how to behave like a cofounder or a director. I was just being myself. I had a natural inclination of being an entrepreneur. I think it came from my grandparents. Both my grandmothers are very enterprising. With whatever they did they had a business mindset. I think, I somewhere imbibed that mindset to sell – whether it is my art or anything else that I created,

I missed doing research a lot in the initial times when I was not in touch with the lab. I missed that environment of constantly being curious and patient, being okay when your results fail. But I believe that all the skills that are required to become an entrepreneur were developed during my training as a scientist. Becoming an entrepreneur is easy if you are a science student. I firmly believe that life in science teaches you everything you need to become an entrepreneur. So becoming one was easy. But it was in the last two years when I was exposed to other people, startups, and business, that is when I realized that there are certain skills I’m good at and certain skills that I need to really develop to be at par with everyone out there. So I started working on my own self as a cofounder, as an entrepreneur. Till then I was just going with the flow. I’ve taken a lot of effort to understand how business works, what entrepreneurship really is and what it means to be a woman in business. There are so many other things that came to me in the last few years through which the actual learning of being an entrepreneur happened. It was a time taking process but the transition happened gradually. You need to put a lot of effort on yourself to move through the transition.

What do you like the most about being an entrepreneur in your field? What keeps you motivated?

The best part about being an entrepreneur is having the independence to be your own boss. However, it’s a double-edged sword. You have to always keep yourself motivated and ensure that you are on the right track.

My personality is such that I cannot work under someone. I have my own ideas. I can incorporate suggestions but I have to ensure things are done in a particular way only. So with my nature, I realize that being an entrepreneur is the only way because entrepreneurship gives me the openness, and the freedom to be myself; to lead my own self as well as people who are working with me. That is what I love about entrepreneurship.

What motivates me is the fact that we are doing something for the environment, society, for everyone. By doing small things, albeit, over a longer period of time, we are able to create a larger impact on the society. Our work is to make high quality products and ensure that it reaches the farmers. What happens later due to this– the benefits for animals, farmers, society and environment, is the impact that we create. When we look at the benefits and the money we get by doing something that we feel good doing, we feel that we are on the right track.

This is what inspires me everyday–the fact that we are able to do something for our country and for the animals around us. So when we think of the larger picture, that’s motivating.

According to you, what can be done to encourage more women to take up entrepreneurship roles?

I had talked about this recently at the Indian Women’s Science Association-I would think about the changes in two ways: firstly in girls/women, and secondly in the surroundings. According to me the women need to change themselves in a manner that they become confident of who they are. Being confident does not mean being rude. It is about being compassionate yet being strong to fight for what you believe in. Women have to realize if they really are enterprising, which I think they are and they need to explore more.

When it comes to surroundings whether it is society, parents, circumstances, they should also be more open. What society can do is– make it easy for women. For example; you will not see women working in rural areas, because there are no washrooms, no hygienic toilets and no safety. So the surroundings need to change, become more open for women to travel and should be safe and hygienic so that women can explore different places and also get the job done.

Very often it’s also a taboo that women will not get proper marriage proposals if they are into business because no man wants a dominating wife. People should understand that we are not bossing around in our houses, we already are a boss in our office. We can differentiate our family life and our work life. The men should be more supportive; they should be open to doing household chores that would reduce the women’s workload.

So if a rise in entrepreneurship happens, it would be because there is change in the society and in women as well. Now we are in an era where a lot of women are turning towards entrepreneurship.

However, it is first essential to understand ourselves and ask ourselves- Is entrepreneurial approach really our way? Is it something that interests us? It is only when the path truly interests us, that one should become an entrepreneur, not just because everyone around us is becoming one. In a startup not everyone is a leader; you need followers, managers, and everyone in the team plays different roles. So we need to understand whether we are a leader, follower or manager. Some people have really good ideas and they know how to manage people and get the work done. Some of us are good followers; so if there is a command given, we can follow it excellently. Those people are also needed in the team. So let us be confident with who we are and love ourselves for being what we are. Then there will naturally be more startups, entrepreneurs whether it is women, men or anyone else.

Please tell us about your work as a meditation trainer at Heartfulness Institute. How has this practice helped you professionally and personally?

I was first introduced to meditation by a college teacher who I admired. During that time I did it for the sake of it. But then I came across the Heartfulness Institute for meditation. They did a session in our college after which my mom noticed a lot of change in me. Eventually, my mom got interested in it and I was also willing to give it a chance.

At Heartfulness Institute after the introduction of the practice, there are trainers who act like your buddies. You can ask them your doubts, and also meditate with them. My trainer, who was a laser scientist from Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) was a very good inspiration for me. Seeing a scientist practicing meditation inspired me that in future if I want to be a successful scientist I also need to practice meditation. I started going to her and eventually my mom also joined. Slowly we both started seeing a lot of positive changes in us- our sleep cycles and our thought patterns improved. We got a lot of clarity about the work that we were doing. I had an opportunity to volunteer as a trainer in 2016, and that experience was also quite helpful.

I liked the Heartfulness way of meditation because it is based on a scientific approach. It is based on experience- one does it only if they find it useful after a first-hand experience. Because the approach was logical, I followed it. With all the difficulties I had in my career, I was able to make the right decision because of having clarity of thought due to meditation.

Apart from this, a lot of character-building also takes place due to meditation- so that even when things are turbulent around us, we can be at peace. When I started working and having employees, they liked my approach as a mentor-which made me realize that this indeed works! The courage that I have to start a company, the clarity and confidence, are qualities I never had in me before- Heartfulness brought these changes in me. I find myself to be a very evolved person then what I was in college. Meditation empowers me and that’s why I kept doing it.

What career advice would you like to give to students based on your experience?

Take your parents’ help while making decisions related to your career. If your parents are not equipped enough, then you can consult their friend circles, or anyone else that is relevant, but always keep talking to people who are in a domain of expertise that you want to go to. That will give you a lot of clarity.

Also, try to understand what it is that you really like to do; something that your heart desires. All of us have an inclination towards something– whether it is history, music or art. Identify what you love. Ask yourself what activities, topics or tasks make you lose track of time or bring you immense satisfaction. If you have found such a thing, that is something you would want to do as a career. For example, you can be a consultant if you’re good at advising. Find out what you’re good at, keep questioning your own ideas and interests, talk to your friends and discuss with them.

And more importantly it is okay if you are clueless. But if you are clueless and you have to make decisions at that moment, take broader decisions that will allow you to have multiple options in the future. Keep all options open until you realize what you like.

Start by exploring the world around you. By exposing yourself to a variety of experiences, people and ideas you increase the chances of discovering something that truly sparks your interest. Use the internet for the right reasons. Somewhere there will be something that interests you. You can explore it more and maybe then you’ll find your way!

Siddhi Bodke Author

Career Stories

Career Stories: Chapter 21

31st August 202331st August 2023 Academia Plus

In this chapter of Career Stories, we bring you the story of Kirthana Sindhe, who has an extensive experience of working in the pharma industry. In this candid chat, she talks about her journey in the life sciences industry and shares some nuggets on acing the Academia-Industry Transition.

After engineering, what influenced you to choose research and pursue PhD?

After completing my bachelors in biotechnology, I pursued a masters in pharmaceutical chemistry and biotechnology at VIT Vellore. My passion for research was ignited during my masters dissertation at IISc (Indian Institute of Science), Bangalore, which led me to pursue a PhD at JNCASR (Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research). Following that, I gained valuable research experience through a postdoc at UCSF (University of California, San Francisco), where I observed different research mindsets, cutting-edge facilities, and executed projects. Overall, these experiences have enriched my understanding of research.

I see that you have done sMBA. Could you tell us what degree it is? What is the difference between sMBA and regular MBA?

sMBA, or Scientist MBA, is ideal for PhDs seeking to transition into management positions in the industry without pursuing a separate MBA program. This course is offered by Cheeky Scientist which is an organisation dedicated to helping PhDs transition into industry jobs. This program is designed for those interested in management over and above traditional R&D (Research and Development) or scientist roles, facilitating a smooth career switch to industry.

The sMBA program is a self-paced program which consists of video or audio-guided modules. Unlike a traditional two-year MBA, sMBA covers management-level modules at a superficial level without extensive case studies. While a regular MBA is recommended for a deeper understanding of management roles, sMBA is sufficient for transitioning and provides basic business acumen.

Were your goals clear before PhD and what led you to choose industry over academia despite changing track after engineering?

I was always interested in shifting to industry, influenced by my peers and fellow friends who secured placements during my PhD. During my postdoc in San Francisco, I witnessed ideas materialize into start-ups which inspired me to transition into a business role. The fast-paced environment, immediate application of work for human benefit, better pay scale, and ample growth opportunities in industry motivated me to move out of academia. The industry offered a broader vision and diverse career path, making it a rewarding choice. Joining Zumutor Biologics, a cancer immunotherapeutic start-up, aligned perfectly with my R&D experience.

What would you suggest to someone who wishes to transition into industry – to switch after a masters or a PhD? How would you describe the level of support you experienced in academia compared to the industry?

Both paths have their merits. With a masters degree, you enter as a fresher, possibly with lower pay. Additionally, it takes a longer time to advance to higher positions. In contrast, a PhD invests more in education and research, fostering independence and advanced skills. Moving from academia to the industry as a PhD graduate still makes you a fresher in the industry, but around 60-70% of your knowledge and experience can be applied. I would say having a PhD can accelerate your progression in the industry. However, ultimately it’s a personal choice between gaining early industry experience and advancing later or getting deeper into research and transitioning directly to higher positions.

In both academia and industry, I experienced a supportive environment. I would say that irrespective of the setting, it is the people and networking that matter most. I think valuing relationships and reciprocating support are essential for fostering a positive environment. I was fortunate enough to receive support in both realms.

What was your inspiration to start Runninggenes ^®? How do you manage your time effectively while pursuing a job as well as freelancing?

Runninggenes^® is a fitness community platform through which I help others to achieve their fitness goals and guide them to ensure a healthy lifestyle. During my postdoc in the USA, I faced tough times and numerous research failures. I was feeling unfulfilled with a lack of returns for my time investment. So I shifted my focus to fitness. Surprisingly, this pursuit transformed me into a marathon runner. I realized the profound benefits it brought, not just physically, but also mentally. The experience of running marathons instilled immense mental strength in me, enabling me to face life’s challenges with resilience and adaptability. Thus, my motivation to create Runninggenes^® stemmed from this desire to impart such empowering experiences to those around me and I aim to share this gift by impacting over 500 people.

Despite the overwhelming nature of my routine, I manage it efficiently by scheduling my calendar, dedicating eight to nine hours to work, and prioritizing self-development and family time. I try to adhere to them which helps me accomplish most of my tasks. Self-discipline is crucial as it allows me to balance various aspects of life without compromising on other tasks. So I would say focus on all areas of life. If not equally, at least in the right ratios.

Besides my regular full-time job, I do freelancing on the side, albeit not on a large scale. Although I still lead the organisation, my availability is limited due to my primary job. So, I have two other coaches who help me manage Runninggenes^®. While I provide guidance and direction, they assist in day-to-day operations.

How has your research background and additional certifications in the fields of management, leadership and public health contributed to your career?

The certifications I pursued – sMBA and scientific writing, have been beneficial in various ways. They enhanced essential scientific skills like research, communication, and critical thinking, which were valuable in different job roles. As a scientific manager, research skills drive projects, while writing skills play a role in designing a project. Obtaining certifications does not guarantee a job, but how you apply and translate the knowledge gained from them determines their usefulness.

Do industry employers also take into account the courses and certifications we have undertaken? Could you recommend such equivalent certifications in India?

Certifications can be beneficial to some extent. If you possess the right skills and expertise for a specific job, certifications become less crucial and serve as an additional advantage. However, in cases where you lack expertise but aim to upgrade through theoretical knowledge, certifications become more valuable. They might play a primary role in facilitating your transition into those job roles. Ultimately, the significance of certifications depends on your existing skills and their relevance to the job you are pursuing.

The importance of certifications depends on the specific industry job you’re pursuing. For R&D roles, your research skills through a PhD or experience in relevant organizations matter. On the other hand, management positions often value MBA or related degrees. There are various short-term certifications offered by reputable institutions like IIMs and universities, which can be found on platforms like LinkedIn. You can choose certificates based on your job role, interests, and the skills you want to improve from established organizations.

Does a masters in pharmaceutical chemistry (like you did), vis-à-vis a masters in life sciences, enhance/support a robust work experience in the pharma industry?

In my experience, having a background in pharmaceutical chemistry was beneficial for transitioning into the industry. Pharmaceutical chemistry provides insights into small molecules and their application in drug discovery and development, which aligns with the common work pipeline in pharmaceutical companies. Integrating core life science domains such as cell biology, molecular biology, genetics, and protein research further enhances the understanding of the drug development process. This combination of knowledge allows for a well-rounded approach in the pharmaceutical industry.

People without a pharma background may face a lag phase in adapting to the new environment and understanding the drug development pipeline. Nonetheless, planning ahead by making informed decisions about your career trajectory, along with acquiring complementary knowledge and skills, can support a smoother and successful transition into the pharmaceutical industry.

Please provide us a detailed insight into the specific duties of a Scientific Manager, Commercial Marketing Manager, and Senior Strategic Manager, having worked in these roles yourself.

Scientific Manager- At Zumutor Biologics, I was focused on developing novel biologics for prostate cancer. My responsibilities included designing critical assays to understand the molecule’s functionality and allowing it to progress to preclinical and clinical development. I used to liaison between different teams, from discovery to downstream processes, gaining exposure to the entire product development journey. In addition to lab work, I also engaged in meetings and discussions with colleagues and stakeholders. It was a valuable and comprehensive experience that covered the entire spectrum from discovery to application and manufacturing of the product.

Commercial marketing manager- As a commercial marketing manager, I operated at the intersection of science and business. My role involved implementing various training programs, moderating services, and overseeing internal team training. We offered diverse services such as multiplexing assays for biomarker discovery, cell biology assays to study therapeutic compound cytotoxicity, and protein research analysis with an auto 2D gel electrophoresis. I managed the lab’s business, including positioning different biology portfolio products for revenue generation. Additionally, I engaged with stakeholders in academia and industry to explore new opportunities and expand the lab’s footprint across India. In essence, I focused on driving the lab’s business and devising strategies for business development.

Senior strategic manager- As the person responsible for the diagnostic solutions business, my role revolves around developing strategies to enhance revenues of our diagnostic portfolio products. This involves identifying customer segments, understanding top-selling products, and building brand awareness. I also engage with various customers, including doctors in diagnostic labs and pharmaceutical companies. One of the portfolios I handle is histopathology, and we also deal with detection systems and oligos. I focus on positioning our products for future demand and growing our market share in the next two to three years.

Does your current role as a strategy manager demand frequent travel? What are the potential growth opportunities?

Yes, my job involves a significant amount of travel. I oversee and manage the company’s business operations and collaborations with customers across all regions of India. I work closely with the account managers and sales team, to position our products, provide scientific and technical information to customers, and collectively close sales as a team.

There are abundant growth opportunities in this field. For example, I have experience in commercial marketing and strategic management over the past two years. Further, I can choose to specialize in product management, commercial marketing, or product strategy. You see that there are various options to advance to higher positions including moving up the hierarchy, starting from senior manager and progressing to associate director or director positions in larger companies. Alternatively, switching to smaller companies could lead to direct entry as a director, CEO, or other leadership roles.

What are the differences in work culture between a multinational company (MNC) and a start-up? Is it correct to say that implementing one’s own ideas in MNCs can be challenging?

Start-ups have a localized decision-making process with a clear end-to-end view of operations and frequent employee interactions. They typically follow a flat hierarchy. In contrast, MNCs operate across multiple countries and have complex structures with various business verticals. Working in MNCs involves learning collaboration across different regions and departments, thus, emphasizing teamwork. So, both experiences offer valuable opportunities for growth.

Implementing ideas in MNCs is not necessarily difficult, but the approval process for all ideas can be challenging. Global teams often influence decisions, and aligning with the company’s objectives is crucial for the successful implementation of our ideas.

Namanpreet Kaur Author

Science In Context

How a lawyer lost the case to a tree

1st June 20231st June 2023 Academia Plus

In 1993, in a murder trial in Arizona, a lawyer had an interesting remark- he said that he is probably the only lawyer to have lost the case to a tree!

Let us hear that story…

In 1992, on the outskirts of Phoenix, Arizona, a woman was found murdered. There was hardly any evidence left by the murderer. However, there is no such thing as a perfect crime. Read on to find out how forensic analysis led to justice.

At the crime scene, forensic investigators found a syringe, some pieces of clothing and a pager that did not belong to the victim (It’s an old case. Pagers were a thing back then, fellow millennials). Homicide detective Charlie Norton noticed fresh abrasion on a Palo verde tree at the crime spot, and took some bean pods off that particular tree.

A fingerprint search helped identify the victim as Denise Johnson. Denise was a single mother of two and lived in ‘the projects’.

The pager was traced to a truck driver Mark Bogan. When confronted, Bogan said that Denise had requested him for a ride and then tried to steal some things from him when he dropped her. He said that he took his wallet back from her but later noticed that his pager was missing.

Scratches on Bogan’s face did not escape the investigator’s eyes while they were interrogating him. However, no traces of blood or skin cells were found under Denise’s nails. Her autopsy revealed that she had died from ‘asphyxiation due to strangulation’.

When the investigator’s visited Bogan’s truck, there was no evidence to suggest that he was involved in the crime- no fingerprints, blood, or hair. However, in the back of the truck they found two bean pods from a Palo verde tree.

The only way to prove that Bogan was at the crime scene, was to prove that the pods in his truck came from that same tree. And that was tough, because obviously, there is not just one such tree there! Arizona has thousands of Palo verde trees.

Now, DNA forensics involving animals and humans is common place. But plants? Not at all. In 1980, Dr Alec Jeffreys developed the technique called genetic fingerprinting that was used as evidence to solve cases, but plant DNA analysis had never been admitted as evidence before.

This is where Dr Timothy Helentjaris came into the picture. A professor at the University of Arizona, Dr Timothy specialized in plant genetics. Since no one had extensively studied Palo verde trees before, Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP)- a DNA analysis technique used frequently for human DNA, could not be performed. Moreover, not enough DNA could be extracted. Hence Dr Helentjaris used the Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique which works despite low DNA concentration, on any biological sample.

In RAPD, the seeds are removed from the pods and ground to a fine powder. The DNA sample being too low to be analysed needs to be amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) which multiplies the DNA millions of times within a few hours. That sample is then run on an agarose electrophoresis gel and the gel is exposed to UV light to enable visualisation of DNA as short, horizontal bands. The band pattern for every individual is unique. This is the equivalent of a QR code, called a genetic fingerprint.

Dr Helentjaris found that the DNA band pattern of seeds from both pods in the truck, matched each other. Furthermore, they also matched the DNA band pattern of the seeds from the pods that detective Norton had taken from the tree at the crime scene! When a similar analysis was carried out with DNA from other seed pods in the neighbourhood, there was no perfect match, proving their hunch right- about the pods in Bogan’s truck belonging to the tree at the crime scene.

The judge permitted the results of this DNA analysis to be submitted as evidence. Something that was unprecedented. The jury agreed that this piece of evidence wasn’t circumstantial and found Mark Bogan guilty of first degree murder, sentencing him to 25 year imprisonment.

And thus, despite having no obvious evidence of the victim, Bogan’s lawyer lost his case to the unique seed pods of the Palo verde tree!

Avani Jha Writer

Disclaimer: The content of this article is meant for educational and creative purposes only, and will not be directly used for generation of profits. All rights and responsibilities, including the authenticity of the information presented in this article belong to the original authors and their publications (listed below in the Bibliography section), and there is no copyright infringement intended.

Bibliography

Career Stories

Career Stories: Chapter 20

18th May 202318th May 2023 Academia Plus

In this chapter of Career Stories, we bring you the story of Arjit Jere, who is an ecologist and nature educator, who is passionate about raising awareness regarding nature conservation through science communication. In this candid chat, he talks about his journey as an ecologist and educator, while sharing some essential skills required if one has to pursue a career in ecology.

You transitioned from biotechnology to biodiversity after your bachelor’s degree. What incident influenced you to make this transition?

While pursuing bachelors in biotechnology, most of the practicals were laboratory-based, which I never enjoyed. I had the chance to stumble upon biodiversity during the zoology classes in my bachelors course.

We once went to Sinhagad Valley for a field visit, which was a very enjoyable and memorable experience for me.

After graduation, I had a couple of months to decide my professional path. That time, I recollected my visit to Jim Corbett National Park with my family. It dawned on me that observing wildlife was fun and exciting. And, I realized that studying wildlife and biodiversity would be a lot more enjoyable since I always had an interest in observing animals. I remember watching animal documentary shows on the TV channels of National Geographic, Discovery, and Animal Planet. All this changed my outlook and helped me transition from biotech to biodiversity.

Having read your blogs and articles, I must say they are captivating and beautiful. You seem to have a knack for writing about relevant, yet distinct topics. Please familiarize us with your journey of becoming a popular science writer and journalist.

During my school days, writing essays was a favorite pastime. In my first year of undergraduation, I had written for college magazines for interdepartmental activities, on topics revolving around biotech and biodiversity. I realized that writing came naturally to me without much preparation. My interest, as I mentioned earlier, was towards biodiversity and wildlife. I began writing more articles on these subjects. Thus began my career in popular science writing.

I also maintained a blog named ‘My Enthusiast’ where I used to write about scientific discoveries and various topics relevant at that time. For example, I had written about the discovery of a new species of early humans (referring to Homo naledi, discovered in 2013).

I gradually built my skills and confidence in writing. Once I felt ready, I submitted my stories to magazines, few of which were also featured. I was delighted to see my article on the insect antlion getting featured in Saevus Wildlife India magazine.

This achievement not only started my popular science writing career but also gave me the motivation to continue with it.

The reason behind my interest in writing articles about insects is that they are crucial for many reasons; for example, providing us with honey and facilitating pollination. Insects are underrated and ignored in India. When the general Indian public thinks of wildlife, they only consider birds and mammals. Insects are also an important part of the wildlife. Popular science in India should focus on such unheralded taxa. Also, I love studying insects. My research experience was mostly based on them. Hence, I always try to champion their cause.

Thus, mine has mostly been a self-taught journey. However, I have also completed a course in science communication conducted by the Indian Science Communication Society.

I am curious to understand whether pursuing a PhD is in your mind and if you are not planning on that, why is it so? Would love to know your perspective on how and whether a PhD adds value to a career like science communication or ecological conservation.

PhD is not on my current priority list because I want my career to be in science communication or conservation with field research. There are some roles in this career that can be performed without a PhD.

I think a PhD will help only if you are more into technical writing and editorial roles for academic journals. Technical writing is very different from popular science writing. A PhD will prepare you more for the former because you are writing research papers in a very technical style. With a PhD, some of your career options might change because it has heavy research involved. Post your PhD, you have more chances of securing a research-based job rather than any scicomm jobs.

On the contrary, in science communication, you have to continuously improve your writing for popular science. I have seen people flourish in this field without a PhD. Hence, I wouldn’t say that it is mandatory, but it will be an added bonus.

Research aptitude is needed for every scientific field, but for ecology and conservation, your skills and experience in the field work matter more.

You have been a teaching assistant at the University of Alabama, Hunstville. How different is the dedication of the US or West towards teaching the younger generation about the relevance of environment and wildlife conservation, compared to India?

In the USA, I taught a basic biology course which did not involve topics on wildlife conservation. However, I discovered that their syllabus had a strong focus towards biology documentation. They taught the students to use apps like ‘iNaturalist’ wherein you can easily document any observed plant or animal. The focus towards documentation was very apparent in their courses.

In India, in bachelor degrees for specialized courses like biotechnology, conversations surrounding conservation take a backseat. Such topics should be taught with biotechnology and not as a different subject because of their important applications in the latter. For example, there are major subjects of environmental studies based in biotechnology like bioremediation, conservation genetics, and genotyping of animal populations in a particular region. Hence, the curriculum should be more interdisciplinary. This is a recurring problem in India as every subject is taught separately.

At least the situation is changing in top Indian institutes like IISERs, IISc as many interdisciplinary subjects are being taught but that is not the case in every degree college. Hence, interdisciplinary courses are needed to be implemented on a larger scale in India. At the grassroots level, this is only possible when students of different departments in a college are allowed to collaborate and work on joint projects. In many colleges I know, professors are not that keen towards collaborative work. Sometimes, they also don’t allow students to undertake short projects specific to other departments as a learning experience. This narrows down the perspective as well as the scope of the students to perform interdisciplinary projects. Because of this, Indian students do not recognize the interconnections between different fields of science.

In my masters course at Garware College, Pune; my batch was allowed to do their dissertation from external research institutes. My guide was from NCBS, Bengaluru. My dissertation taught me a lot about how research works in big institutes and allowed me to expand my horizons.

There are very few courses in a select few institutes in India for wildlife conservation and ecology for bachelors and masters. This shows an obvious ignorance to these very important subjects. Why do you think this is the case?

In Indian institutes like NCBS and IISC, there are very few top-class courses pertaining to ecology and wildlife conservation. It’s actually the Indian mentality which needs to change and not the lack of necessary material to study these subjects. Indian parents and academicians have a focus towards application-oriented subjects like molecular biology, immunology, biotechnology, etc. as they receive more funding and importance. Naturally, these subjects cause human welfare and improve lifestyle. Because of the application-oriented outlook, these subjects have received more attention than biodiversity.

Conserving biodiversity and ecosystems indirectly helps humans as they are essential resources for survival and a good quality of life for humans. In the last 2-3 years, there is increased awareness towards the importance of having ecology and conservation in the degree courses. I have seen more such courses being available. The situation is not so bad. But, yes the perspectives should be changing because these subjects of ecology, biodiversity, and wildlife conservation are equally important. Only when there is adequate awareness in academic institutes and decision-makers, will we have more of such courses.

Could you explain what entails your job role, and share your experiential learnings as a nature educator at the Centre for Environment Education? Please share your other employment experiences as well.

An advantage of being in Pune is the availability of many different biodiversity sites: hilly areas like Vetal hills (Western Ghats), grasslands, lakes like Pashan lake, alongside many sightseeing areas like Mulamutha river basin.

When I was pursuing my masters course in biodiversity, I used to conduct a science club as a volunteer educator in Jnana Prabodhini School in Pune. It is a school known for science communication and science popularization. They conduct various programmes including science camps. My first experience as an educator was during this one-and-a-half-year stint. Here, I went to Sinhagad and other biodiversity spots with the school students to teach them the concepts of biodiversity and expose them to various plants and animals. It is fun to make children appreciate nature by letting them observe and experience it by themselves.

I also helped to conduct some treks on behalf of CEE at Pashan Lake in Pune and got in touch with them while I was conducting nature trails. My current job at CEE is mostly about planning and conducting nature education events like bird trails at Pashan Lake in Pune. I also invite experts for tree walk events and arrange various nature education activities for children. These include puzzles and crosswords of bird names. These activities are conducted in a unique manner to ensure that kids learn and remember these small tidbits of knowledge. I always strive to find interesting and unique ways to teach children to engage their attention in discussions about nature and wildlife.

Apart from this, I also conduct a nature education course for bachelors students in environmental science from Fergusson College, where I teach them about the biodiversity existing in Pune as well as the importance and various aspects of conservation, and ways to be a good nature educator.

Additionally, I also conduct some informal workshops on mapping, statistics, and odonatology (study of dragonflies) with Dr Pankaj Koparde at MIT-WPU, Pune on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. I take different modules and lectures in these workshops as I am passionate about teaching.

Previously, my research stints took me from Nilgiris in Western Ghats for a landscape ecology project, to the urban scrublands of Bangalore for the social spiders project. It has been enjoyable to work on different projects within ecology and behavior.The experiences have provided me with a varied skill set in the ecology field. I have tried to impart my own views about the project and learn as much from the research as I can. I have been lucky to work with interesting study systems, particularly insects, in different ecosystems under the guidance of some fantastic professors.

Could you share some tips on how you facilitate collaborations with environmentalists and scientists?

Meeting the right people at the right time is crucial. I was lucky in that case because mentors can make or break your career. In this field, many things depend upon your guide and the guidance they impart. Guides and teachers need to be considerate of their students and their well-being.

I have worked with many professors including Dr Pankaj Koparde. I have collaborated with him the longest in the past 6/7 years in various roles. This collaboration has been very instrumental in shaping my journey. I first met him during a molecular phylogeny workshop that was conducted at Garware College. Professionally and personally, we were on the right page straightaway. His own thoughts about research inspired and influenced me a lot. Later, I worked for him as a project assistant on one of the projects as well, which was a very good learning experience for me. I also worked with him on some important surveys related to Covid-19 and am now working part time as a Programme Coordinator at his lab at MIT-WPU Pune.

There are other animal behavior scientists, with whom I have worked at IISER Mohali and Azim Premji University as a JRF. Overall, I have worked with a lot of scientists and the experience has been good so far. They have been very open to different ideas as well as approaches with constant good guidance.

Today, I am a part of many environmental groups wherein we try to come up with different ways of reducing our own carbon emissions and following a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle. Therefore, it always helps to stay in touch with such environmentalists for networking purposes and to experience a sense of community.

What are the different career opportunities in biodiversity and ecology? Kindly share with us some useful experiences that you have gained because of working on the field.

If anybody loves being outdoors and likes observing animals and birds, then a career in ecology and conservation is absolutely suitable for them. One must know that the conservation field is very hands-on. Fieldwork has two main types: on-ground intervention or simply observing a particular species. However, people have the misconception that fieldwork is always great and perfect. That’s not true at all. There are bad days where nothing is discovered nor observed. Sometimes the rains wash away the homes of antlions or other species, which you have been monitoring for some time. This is similar to having a bad day in the lab in research. There are all sorts of ups and downs like a rollercoaster. Luckily foe me, despite everything, my passion and interest in my field have kept me going for the past 10 years.

Academic institutes have openings for JRF/Project Assistant for Ecology projects. Besides science communication, numerous research-based jobs in ecology and wildlife conservation exist. These are monitoring jobs such as being a part of pollution control boards. Nowadays, a new type of job is getting popular: environmental and biodiversity assessments for infrastructural projects. These jobs are useful as there are many green infrastructures that are coming up.

There are also conservation NGOs that go above and beyond with their efforts for social improvement, wildlife conservation and environmental protection. NGOs are a good career option for those who want to work within wildlife but not academia.

Working in the Indian Forest Services is a viable career option too. Their recruitment comes after passing certain national-level exams organized by them. The roles available are Indian Forest Guard.

However, in India, this field only becomes a means of transition, as most of the education and training opportunities are available only at the postgraduate level. The foundation and basic concepts in ecology that can be developed in bachelors courses are lacking in many students. Therefore, we need government intervention and incentives to build many more courses related to ecology, biodiversity, and wildlife conservation at the undergraduate level. Even at the primary school level, students should be exposed to these subjects to inculcate sensitivity towards the wildlife and environment from a very young age. This will make them change their outlook: being more sensitive towards behaving with animals (eg: not unnecessarily buying pets of foreign breeds) and living sustainably.

The financial aspect in this field is also not very lucrative as compared to a research career in a private university or biotech. Hence, understandably parents object to their children taking up these fields. Thus passion, excitement, and satisfaction are important to power through and keep going. For me, nothing beats my unique experience in the field ie. following and studying an animal in the forest. This is a lot more than what money can buy for me actually.

What practical steps should the public undertake to fulfill goals set for climate change, wildlife and environment conservation?

The most basic thing one can do while visiting any natural space (park, lake or a hill) is to not disturb the fauna of that region. Avoid making a lot of noise and littering in that area. You are visiting the home of the animals and plants; you should behave like their courteous guest.

Indians should really consider the consequences of their actions towards fishes, animals, and birds. You don’t see misbehavior towards animals in other countries because their rules are strict with expensive fines. In India, if there are hefty fines and repercussions, only then would Indians listen.

What I have usually observed is that Indians behave very poorly in zoos and sanctuaries. They tease and disturb the animals by making loud noises. These actions are detrimental for the mental state of the animals. Already, animals are under a lot of stress in the zoos due to poor living conditions.

We should stop feeding birds and fishes with unhealthy and processed food items like popcorn, bread, and chips. This leads to them having high cholesterol in their bodies; which is naturally very unhealthy for them. Their digestive systems have not evolved sufficiently to digest the unhealthy oils and other ingredients in these foodstuffs. Therefore, I never encourage anyone to feed animals and birds in zoos and sanctuaries. I have never done it myself and I try to stop people from doing it. I understand that these people do not have ill intentions towards feeding these animals. Thus, I lecture them enough to convince them of their wrong actions.

For climate change, one should have a lifestyle which involves practically implementing ways to reduce one’s own carbon emissions. Small acts like walking to nearby places, using public transport like the metro and the bus services, are effective to reduce emissions. The more effectively these are implemented; it helps us to fight climate change. People should start thinking about this in terms of their own benefit. Consider equating maintenance of environmental health at the level of your own individual health. For example, how people start changing their lifestyle to reduce bad cholesterol levels; that’s how people should act with respect to carbon emissions. This is the only way to make people conscious of nature and act environment-friendly.

Waste management should achieve efficiency in India. The mantra: ‘Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle’ should not be forgotten. All dry waste should be sent for recycling. One good sign is that the composting of wet waste has become very common these days.

Employing these small actions would definitely help us tackle climate change.

Madhura Kamat Author

Science In Context

Entering the cerebral world – learnings from inherent human cells and microbes!

4th May 20234th May 2023 Academia Plus

Neurological disease is the second leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The increasing global burden of brain diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis, implies the need for better therapeutic strategies in the management of the disease pathology. To date, delivery of therapeutic molecules and drugs across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) – the barrier that separates the brain from the rest of the body- remains a challenge. In this article, we will understand the different ways in which this barrier can be crossed if a substance has to enter the cerebral world, especially for therapeutic purposes.

Though the concept of BBB was discovered back in the 19th century by Paul Ehrlich, the understanding of it is still evolving. Initially, the blood-brain barrier was simply considered to be comprised of tight junctions of cells which could not be penetrated. Later studies revealed that there may actually be transporters or gatekeepers, that decide the entry and exit of substances into the brain.

However, we also know that despite the tight regulation of transport into the cerebral world, certain bacteria, viruses and fungi can pass through and cause infection. Some examples include- Meningitis, encephalitis and viral-induced glioblastoma.

A common mode of entry for the microbes is mediated by specialized gatekeepers of the BBB known as receptors. Mimicking these interactions, researchers have tried to develop nano-carriers coated with microbes to send therapeutic molecules across the BBB in order to help in their targeted slow release in different regions of the brain. This approach has been successful and efficient to some extent, however, the approach fails especially in case of Alzheimer’s or stroke, where the integrity of BBB itself is affected and therefore the release of therapeutic molecules can become unspecific.

Nevertheless, leaving the microbes aside for a while, have you ever wondered how our inherent blood cells themselves cross the blood-brain barrier? Could it be possible to mimic their process for drug delivery?

The answer is yes!

Several drug delivery studies have focused on mimicking the entry of blood cells into the brain. In the case of the treatment of brain tumours, for example, the nano-carriers use receptors that are inherently used by the blood cells to deliver therapeutic molecules such as neurotoxins. Such a targeted delivery to the tumor regions reduces the off-target effects of the neurotoxin, killing only the tumor cells.

Now, one may also ask whether the Blood-brain barrier only plays the role of a gatekeeper, or does it have other roles as well?

Further studies on BBB unravel that there is a tight interaction between the different cells of the brain, called neovascular units. pericytes, astrocytes, glial and endothelial cells making a neovascular unit. These neo-vascular units of BBB serve as a junction to relay and transmit important signals to the brain. Thus, the dynamic nature of these barriers opens up new avenues for therapeutic intervention in neurological disorders. Several neurological disorders occur due to the dysfunction of BBB, hence repair and the delivery of therapeutics to the BBB itself could become a therapeutic solution. For example, in diseases like multiple sclerosis, the integrity of the BBB needs to decrease in order to prevent inflammation and curb the disease. Thus, BBB holds a vital role in maintaining the physiology of the brain, beyond being just a ‘barrier’ or a ‘gatekeeper’.

Despite the numerous advancements in the understanding of BBB, the efficiency of drug delivery remains undermined due to the difficulty in modelling the multidimensional structures of BBB. Hence further development of efficient models with recent understandings of BBB structure is required to improve targeted drug treatments for neurological disorders.

Keerthana B Writer

Bibliography

Science In Context

A revisit to the 2022 Nobel Prize in physiology/medicine

6th April 20236th April 2023 Academia Plus

The 2022 Nobel prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Swedish geneticist Svante Pääbo- for his discoveries regarding the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution.

Using modern DNA technologies, Pääbo was able to sequence the Neanderthal genome and discovered traces of their DNA in present-day humans. He believes that a transfer of genetic material could have happened when the Neanderthals and Homo sapiens coexisted in Eurasia, following the migration out of Africa around 70,000 years ago.

The presence of such ancient genes in modern-day humans is not only important from an evolutionary perspective, but may also have physiological relevance. Pääbo believes that it may have impacted and influenced the survival strategies in Homo sapiens. For example, the survival of Tibetans at high altitudes and discrete immune responses to infections could be a result of this transfer of genetic material.

Guneet Kaur Author

Disclaimer: The content of this infographic is meant for educational and creative purposes only, and will not be directly used for generation of profits. All rights and responsibilities, including the authenticity of the information presented in this article belong to the original authors and their publications (listed below in the Bibliography section), and there is no copyright infringement intended.

Bibliography

Career Stories

Career Stories: Chapter 19

3rd April 20233rd April 2023 Academia Plus

In this chapter of Career Stories, we bring you the story of Sunil Nagpal, who is a computational biologist with a strong passion for science communication, which he explores through his Science communication series called #MicrobiomeMondays on LinkedIn as well as Twitter. In this candid chat, he talks at length about his journey as a science communicator, why it is essential for scientists to indulge in communicating their data to the general society and shares his views about the role of data science and machine learning in aiding biology/microbiology research.

Could you take us through your professional journey so far?

My professional journey commenced quite early back in 2003, as I took on the responsibility of tutoring primary and secondary school students while I was in 8th grade. This experience, apart from providing a much needed financial support, was priceless, as it helped shape my skills and interest in social communication. I received my entire school education from Army School, Fazilka (my hometown), where emphasis was profound on the core values of discipline, patience and perseverance. A lot of credit goes to my mother, grandfather and other kind souls who ensured continuity and quality of my education.

Upon completing my undergraduate degree (B.Tech) in Biotechnology at LPU in Punjab, I qualified for GATE 2010 and 2011, that helped me secure a place in the Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in the MS (Research) program. One of the many highlights of my time at IIT Delhi was the student-managed placement cell, responsible for inviting companies to the campus. I had volunteered to serve as the placement coordinator for my department, a decision I would confidently make again if given the chance to revisit those days.

A memorable milestone in my career occurred on December 12, 2012 (12/12/12), when I received a job offer from TCS Research’s Life Science R&D for the role of a Researcher. It has been a decade, and I now humbly hold the title of Senior Scientist and Principal Investigator at TCS R&D, focusing on the Microbiome and Data Science research areas. I am also pursuing industry sponsored doctoral research at CSIR IGIB, India.

The majority of my research endeavors have been computational in nature, encompassing extensive clinical, genomic and metagenomic data handling, machine learning, network biology, and natural language processing, among other fields. The primary objective of our research is to uncover the intricate role that the vast micro-cosmos, or microbiome, plays in regulating the health of humans and their environment. I am particularly drawn towards exploring the vast spectrum of microbial social communication, genome language modeling, and the tumor microbiome.

It may amuse you to know that during my time as a Biochemical Engineering student at IIT Delhi, my exposure to computational research was very limited. However, despite my relatively minimal experience in the field, I was fortunate enough to be hired for a core computational job. Reflecting on my journey as someone who has since interviewed numerous candidates across various domains, I can safely say that hiring decisions often hinge on the attitude and aptitude candidates bring to the table.

More often than not, a candidate’s agility and adaptability in acquiring new and uncharted skills is given a lot of importance. I hope this may bring home a realization and assurance that your educational background does not dictate the scope of your opportunities. With the right mindset and dedication to learning, there is no skill beyond your reach, and no limit to what you can achieve in your professional life.

What piqued your interest in science communication?

Ever since I was a young tutor, I have had a tendency for communication. As a child, I was always captivated by tales, eagerly listening with my palm placed under my chin. During my school years, I was involved in theatre and founded ‘Biotheatre’ in college. To this day, my presentations concentrate on the underlying story that drives a theme and I find great contentment in the moments of telling those tales. My job fuels this interest even further. Every project that we undertake has a fascinating story to be unfolded and told.

How do microbes dictate the nature of pregnancy (term or preterm)?

How does fasting influence the complex interactions among the host microbiota?

How does the tumor- microenvironment influence the microbial ecology?

These are some of the projects that I have actually worked on and I can’t imagine explaining my research to anyone without emphasizing on the curiosity that drives these research problems and how we connected the dots to rightly place even one piece of a puzzle. Science communication has perhaps/likely been a natural development of my profession and overall enthusiasm for recounting tales.

Should scientists consider publicizing their study and its implications as a regular aspect of their job? What are your opinions on this question?

Instead of viewing scientific communication as publicity, I believe scientists should consider sharing their research and its implications as a vital form of expression and outreach. By openly discussing the journey, discoveries, struggles and successes behind their studies, one can not only contribute to society but also foster their own growth. Firstly, this process can help develop essential scientific communication skills, ensuring that even the most complex subjects can be understood by a wider or lay audience. Secondly, sharing research can facilitate connections with individuals who hold similar or opposing views, potentially leading to fruitful collaborations and advancements in the field. And third, positive public image emerging out of one’s eagerness to express their science quite often places scientists as approachable figures who are eager to engage with others and share their expertise.

I would therefore indeed opine that an active dissemination of research findings should be considered an integral aspect of a scientist’s role, for it promotes both personal development and societal progress.

What are the unanswered topics you’d want to see resolved in your field of Computational Biology (Microbiome Science)?

I am particularly passionate about exploring the different ways in which microorganisms communicate socially in their natural or artificial habitats. How do they sense the changes to their environment, and how do they interact with other members of their community when their environment has changed? Could this social network of microbes be manipulated in order to rectify an imbalance, create useful compounds, or produce molecules of interest? I’m fascinated by the social lives of these organisms and will continue to search for answers and insights.

How do you feel that data science and machine learning are going to assist/advance the life sciences (specifically microbiology) research?

If we look back, DS/ML have been assisting life science research for decades. Calibration curves for predicting the concentrations in unknown samples by comparing them to the values of known or standard samples is such a simple and beautiful example of data science and machine learning that every biologist has, quite unknowingly, for ages been practicing in their lab!

The evolution of computers and increasing storage and compute power have made it easier to process and manage data today, much of which in the past was managed manually or painstakingly in legacy Excel sheets. This, coupled with the advancement in technologies like Next-generation sequencing (NGS), generating petabyte scale of genomic and metagenomic data, have only made the influence of data science more profound on life science and particularly microbiological research.

Sharing my own experiences – we have employed Data Science and ML routines to:

1) Develop predictive models for cancer diagnosis using inherent microbial signatures

2) Predict the day of delivery of an unborn child using mother’s microbial profile

3) Develop agent based models for microbial social communication

4) Prepare massive databases of microbial functions to accelerate drug discovery

5) Develop digital twins of human organs like gut and simulate microbial metabolism within said twins for nutritional recommendations, probiotic formulations and more

6) Employ explainable AI to enable predictive prognosis of various diseases including SARS-CoV-2 infection

7) Develop language models of genomic datasets using natural language processing

So, while algorithms and data science methodologies have been around for a long time, it’s only recently that the means to use them at a large scale have become available. I therefore would not get surprised by further cross pollination of ideas from Data science to (Micro)Biology.

Ultimately, data science is just a tool – identifying a problem, finding the right solution, and making sure the machine is picking the right patterns requires domain expertise.

How would you urge young/early-career scientists to pursue a career in scientific communication/journalism? What advice do you wish you had received when you first started out?

I have always been a firm believer of the cosmic realm. Given the immense size of the universe, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed while living on this small pale blue dot, i.e. Earth. Although it is perhaps difficult to explore and understand the entire cosmos during our individual lifetimes, we can still broaden our perspectives by connecting with different timelines. One way to do this is through communication, either scientific or otherwise. If science interests you, sharing your own knowledge or the knowledge that exists, with the public can increase your enthusiasm for the subject. For me, science communication is not a requirement of my job but something I do in my free time as a hobby. Most of my day is devoted to investigating the scientific concepts in genomics/metagenomics and analyzing the data pertaining to them. I consistently lean towards sharing my knowledge and often the excitement about my research. This probably enables me to easily share what I find interesting about microbiomes and related areas. I may not be the best person to advice anyone about a career in science communication, however from my personal experience, I find it highly gratifying. If you are someone who loves to interact with people, if you love to read, love to deliver public talks, if you find yourself with an insatiable appetite for knowledge, then without any doubt a career in science communication will be best suited to cater to each of the above interests, for you!

About the advice that I wish I should have received when I started out – To be true, I started receiving advices only after I started SciComm and those were in fact quite relevant given the juncture at which I was in my scientific communication journey.

One of the most valuable and well placed advice that I continue to cherish is, “Do not get influenced by the magnitude of response to your outreach activities. You started it with an intrinsic motivation, ensure that you continue to do it, without being bothered by either a limited or an extraordinary response”.

Raksha Sharma Author

Science In Context

Role of gut-brain axis in the feeling of satiety

30th March 202330th March 2023 Academia Plus

It is a common knowledge that our brain influences each and every organ of our body, including our gut, but how strong is this connection? Also, is this connection between gut and brain, a unidirectional one or does the gut also have an influence on ‘the Master’-our brain?

The answers for these questions first came to light when a group of scientists conducted an experiment on two mice. One had all its gut microbiota removed while the other’s wasn’t. On keeping them in stress-inducing conditions, it was noted that the former one showed a greater response to stress. This and many other studies have shown that 50% of Dopamine- the pleasure inducing hormone and about 90% of Serotonin- the happiness hormone, are produced in our gut alone by the microbiota present in the gut.

The fact that our gut produces a variety of neurotransmitters and has more nerve endings than our spinal cord is more than enough to establish the exemplary control it has on our mental state. No wonder then, that one feels depressed or anxious when one has indigestion. The connection that exists between our gut, its microbiota and the brain is mediated through Gut-Brain axis – have a look at some of the previous articles related to this topic here.

Our gut is lined throughout by glands that secrete a diversity of enzymes. One such hormone is Cholecystokinin (henceforth referred to as-CCK) which is released from our gut after we have a meal. While this hormone is mainly released to digest the fat and protein components in our food, it also makes sure that the stomach is kept relatively ‘full’ after a meal.

CCK does this by initiating a feedback loop through our gut, which sends a signal to the brain to stop eating food. Interestingly, this entire signaling is mediated with the help of receptors, which are present not only in our gut, but throughout the gut-brain axis as well as in the brain. Through this signal, an activation of the vagal afferent pathway takes place- this is the pathway in our body that integrates all the collected information from different organs in the hypothalamus region of the brain and results in modulating our eating behaviour.

Now you know how you get the feeling of ‘satiety’ after eating a full meal!

Now the next question that one could ask is- does the gut microbiome have any role to play in the production of this particular hormone? Well, not much has been explored regarding this topic… but with the way science is catching up, we may soon begin to understand their involvement better!

Malavika V Writer

Bibliography

Author: Academia Plus

Career Stories: Chapter 24

Career Stories: Chapter 23

Career Stories: Chapter 22

Career Stories: Chapter 21

How a lawyer lost the case to a tree

Career Stories: Chapter 20

Entering the cerebral world – learnings from inherent human cells and microbes!

A revisit to the 2022 Nobel Prize in physiology/medicine

Career Stories: Chapter 19

Role of gut-brain axis in the feeling of satiety