Biotecnika newspaper 20 february 2018

February 20th, 2018.

Vol. 02 NO 8

ADMISSIONS - PAGE 2 PH.D. PROGRAMME (BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES) – 2018 @ S. N. BOSE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR BASIC SCIENCES

SCHOLARSHIPS - PAGE 3 TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH AWARD IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES (TRAIN) @ THSTI | APPLICATIONS INVITED

NEWS - PAGE 8

NEW JOBS AVAILABLE

BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB, SIRENAS PEN MULTI-TARGET COLLAB AGREEMENT

PAGES 9-12

CSIR SUMMER TRAINING PROGRAMME apply for the CCMB Summer Training Programme – 2018

By Diluxi Arya

internships & ADMISSIONS

CCMB SUMMER TRAINING PROGRAMME – 2018 MSc students from any science background are encouraged and eligible to apply for the CCMB Summer Training Programme – 2018.

Eligibility Qualifications: The training program is open to students from all branches of sciences and open to all Indian Universities/Research Institutes.

• • •

M.Sc. Program : Students admitted in year 2017 and will complete their 1st year in June/July 2018 4 Year B.Tech. Program : Students admitted in year 2015 and will complete their 6th Semester in June/July 2018.

5 year Integrated B.Tech.-M.Tech. or MBBS course : Students admitted in year 2014 and will complete their 8th Semester in June/July 2018; MBBS students in any year of their study can apply.

M. Tech. students are not eligible.

Computer science students with flair for biology may also apply.

Training Program: It is not a conventional classroom lectures based training program. Instead, each selected candidate/trainee will be assigned to a CCMB staff scientist who will supervise/

mentor him/her during the stay. Each student is expected to execute a small project work under the guidance of the scientist. At the end of the program, student will need to submit a ‘Project Report’ of the work done, and also would be required to make an oral presentation. The program is mainly intended to give students a real-time exposure/hands-on experience to a research environment, in the hope that it would inculcate in them a zeal for research as a future career.

Although, efforts are made to take into consideration the ‘statement of purpose’/research interest of the selected students (while assigning to different Scientists), but it is generally not possible in many cases; as the allotments are mainly based on the availability of working place(s) in different labs and not the other way around. Therefore, only those students should apply for the training program who are ready to work in any laboratory of CCMB, if selected, irrespective of his/her stated research interest.

Selection Process: A committee nominated by the Director, CCMB, selects the trainees. One of the major criteria used in selection is that the selected candidates should represent the Nation-wide coverage of different Indian states (based on the location of their academic institutions, but independent of their birthplace, sex, cast or religion). ‘Statement of purpose’ and the

‘Recommendation/reference Letter’ are other important considerations in the selection of candidates along with the academic record.

A few seats (~5%) are reserved, each for the children of serving CCMB employees, and for candidates selected by the AcSIR. The number of trainees’ intake varies between 50 – 60 candidates, and mainly depends upon the availability of bench space with different staff scientists of CCMB. On an average, we receive ~1500 applications, of which only 3 – 4% candidates make it to the program.

Application Procedure: Application for the Summer Program 2018 can be downloaded (Zipped pdf file- https:// www.biotecnika.org/2018/02/ccmb-summer-training-programme-2018/). Completed application (Hard copy) for the program

GET THIS NEWSPAPER e-copy VIA WHATSAPP every week

MUST reach CCMB by 28/2/2018. The names of the Selected candidates will be made available on CCMB homepage during the second week of April 2018 (around 15/4/2018); here, it may be noted that no separate intimation would be sent to any candidate, and thus all applicants must look for his/her name in the ‘selection list’ on the CCMB homepage only.

Support / Boarding / Lodging: CCMB will not provide any financial support for boarding/ lodging. All the selected candidates are required to self-finance their stay in CCMB/Hyderabad. The candidates are expected to make their own arrangement for stay in Hyderabad during the training period, though CCMB may consider specific

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GIVE MISSED CALL TO

080-395-34707 1

Vol. 02 NO 8

February 20th, 2018. requests only from outstation students, especially girl students for shared accommodation in CCMB housing facility depending upon the availability of vacant flats/space.

Important Points: •

•

•

•

As is evident from our experience in earlier years, the competition is very high for the few available seats with an average chance of selection being only 3 – 4%.

Applications for Summer Program 2018 MUST be submitted as a hard copy. The application incomplete in any respect will be rejected/not considered.

Requests/applications for the program sent prior to this notification will not be considered. Any such candidate must apply again using the prescribed application form.

There is no FEE for the training pro-

• • •

gram; but all selected candidates have to bear their boarding/lodging expenditure during the 60-day stay at CCMB. The decision of the Selection committee about the selection of candidates shall be final.

Canvassing in any form and/or bringing in any influence, political or otherwise, will be treated as a disqualification.

Selected candidates are expected to have cleared their final exams (1st year in case of M.Sc. students, 6th semester in case of B.Tech. students and 8th semester in case of 5 year Integrated B.Tech- M.Tech. students) before joining the program and thus are required to bring the documentary proof for the same. On the other hand, for students, whose results may be awaited at that time, students would need to provide a certificate from their college certifying that – the student has appeared for the final exams, and that the results are yet

• •

•

to be declared.

All candidates selected for the program will need to spend a minimum period of 60 days in CCMB without any break.

This is one of the most important requirements and accordingly, all candidates need to furnish a certificate from their Head of the Department/Competent authority of the college/institute to this effect (see the Application form for instructions).

Mailing address for application: Dr. Arvind Kumar Coordinator Summer Program 2018 Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) Uppal Road, Habsiguda Hyderabad-500007 (Telangana) Please mention on top of the envelope

“Application for Summer Training 2018” Important Dates: The program is for duration of 60 days (~eight weeks) in the months of May-July 2018.

Last date for receipt of Application in CCMB : 28 February 2018.

List of the selected candidates on CCMB homepage : Second week of April 2018.

(There will NOT be any separate letter of intimation to the selected candidates) Last date for selected candidates to inform their: Acceptance to CCMB/Program Coordinator : 20 April 2018 Tentative date to join CCMB/the program : 10-15th May 2018 (No candidate will be allowed to join after 23rd May under any circumstance)

INTERNSHIPS & ADMISSIONS

Ph.D. Programme (Biological Sciences) – 2018 @ S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences MSc candidates with first class in Biophysics or Biochemistry with valid CSIR-NETJRF/ UGC-NET-JRF / INSPIRE-JRF (Provisionally awarded) are eligible to attend the walk-in interview for the PhD Admissions in Biological Sciences at S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences.

The S. N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, a premier autonomous research institute fully aided by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India invites eligible candidates with consistently good academic record (First Division/Class) to appear in the walk-in interview for admission into the Ph.D Programme in Physical, Chemical & Biological Sciences for the Academic Year 2017-18.

Overview: The programme is fully residential and the students are offered on-campus accommodation and boarding facilities. The Centre charges no fee for the programme. All students joining the centre get contingency grants to meet research contingency expenses that include expenses for attending conferences and training programmes in India. The students also get generous support to attend International Conferences outside India from the Centre.

The Centre has extensive collaborative research programmes with other premier International & National institutions through bi-lateral exchanges in which the PhD re-

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search scholars take active part. The Centre receives various extramural funds from different funding agencies of India and abroad for its different research programmes. The Centre is fully equipped with the state-of-the art infrastructure (experimental and computational) including digital library for advanced research in chosen areas of Physical, Chemical, Biological and Mathematical Sciences.

For research profiles of the Faculty members and facilities available at the Centre, please visit the URL: www.bose.res.in. At present, the Centre has nearly 160 students in its PhD and Integrated PhD (IPhD) programmes. The Alumni of the Centre have gone on to work in academic and research sectors in India and abroad. The Centre offers an excellent atmosphere for academic development of students. The students, after registering with a Research Supervisor, have to undertake a prescribed Course Work Programme as per existing UGC regulations.

The details of the admission procedure are furnished below: Basic Qualification: a) M.Sc. with First Class/Division i.e., minimum 60% in aggregate (55% for SC/ST/ OBC candidates) in Physics, Chemistry, Applied Mathematics, Biophysics or Biochemistry. b) Valid CSIR-NET-JRF/ UGC-NET-JRF / INSPIRE-JRF (Provisionally awarded).

Age Limit : None. However, the last Qualifying University examination (M.Sc.) should have been taken not earlier than 2015.

Fellowship : In line with the rules of Funding Agency (CSIR/UGC/INSPIRE).

Admission Procedure: • •

•

Aspiring candidates are advised to appear for Walk-in interview.

Please bring a plain paper CV with your testimonials giving 10th, 12th, Bachelors and Masters degree details and valid award letter from funding agency.

In matter of admission, the decision of

the Director of the Centre is final and binding.

For any academic/official query, please write to: admission@bose.res.in For any technical query, please write to: admission-help@bose.res.in Walk-in Interview Date : 21st and 22nd February, 2018, Reporting Time : 9:30 am

ICMR-IITKGP- IIMA Med Tech Internship Award (Summer 2018) To tackle health needs of the country, to reach the marginalized population in remote areas, technology can become a huge enabler in ensuring delivery of quality and affordable healthcare. Indeed, technology can potentially enable overcoming the complex challenges faced in ensuring accessible, affordable and appropriate healthcare to all.

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world. The Council has 33 institutes around the country working on priority diseases and regional problems. Besides this there are 12 Model Rural Health Research Unit (MRHRU). Each of the MRHRU’s is linked with one of the ICMR institution/centre for mentoring and is located in close proximity to the state health facility (Community / Primary Health Centre at block level). It is headed by an authorized officer of the concerned mentoring

ICMR Institute/Centre. Also, the scientists/ faculty from ICMR institutes are deployed at MRHRUs. Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IITKGP) is the first IIT to start a School of Medical Science & Technology and a super specialty hospital with technology development focus is coming up fast in the campus. Currently, about forty faculty members, drawn from different departments are working on more than twenty five projects in this area that involve physicians, life science domain experts of collaborating institutions.

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has consistently been ranked as one of the best management schools in the country year after year in the last several years.

Centre for Management of Health Services (CMHS) was setup in June 2004 in recognition of IIMA’s contributions to the health sector in the past and the felt need to strengthen the management of health sector in the context of socio-economic developments of our country. The overall objectives of CMHS are to address the managerial challenges in the delivery of health services to respond to the needs of different segments of our population efficiently and effectively, build institutions of excellence in the health sector, and influence health policies and wider environments.

IIM Ahmedabad’s Centre for Incubation and entrepreneurship (CIIE) helps entrepreneurs turn ideas into viable businesses by incubating, accelerating, mentoring and funding innovative start-ups. CIIE believes that entrepreneurship has an unmatched ability to bring disruptive changes in healthcare and affordable technology in India.

Aim of the Internship Award : The primary aim of ICMR- IIT Kharagpur-IIM Ahmedabad MedTech Internship Award is to promote individuals for undertaking research in the fields of biomedical engineering and translational research in healthcare.

Duration of Internship Award : 8 weeks, extendable up to 10 weeks in special situations Number of Internships :

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Vol. 02 NO 8 IIT Kharagpur, IIM Ahmedabad and ICMR Institutes will support around 20 students for internship program. However the exact numbers will depend on the appropriateness of the applications.

Applications are invited for Summer 2018 MedTech Internship Program About Internship Program With an aim to encourage cross-disciplinary interaction of young students / researchers of medical, engineering and business domain, under the ICMR-IITKGP and ICMR-IIMA MoU, a student exchange program has been introduced. This student-student interaction is expected to enrich either side and make the team come up with new ideas and solution strategy on a given healthcare challenge.

The students will get a first hand experience of developing innovative technologies to meet the health needs of the country. A part of the internship period will be spent at RMRC, Bhuvaneshwar’s mentored MRHRU, Tigiria, Cuttack (Govt of Odisha) linked to the SCB Medical College, Cuttack. The MRHRU and medical college will act as ‘Live Healthcare Laboratories’ for medical technology need assessment, development, testing and validation with ICMR institute faculty acting as mentors. IIT Kharagpur faculty will guide the interns through the process of technology development whereas the IIM Ahmedabad faculty will help in mentoring the business development part of technology.

The medical-technology-business intern

February 20th, 2018. team will work in a strategic area of health and observe the clinical facility, shadow the physician, frontline health worker and/or a patient for a period of around 1 week at MRHRU, Tigiria and/or SCB Medical College, Cuttack. This will be followed by intensive training for technology development at ICMR institute, IIT Kharagpur and IIM Ahmedabad laboratories. The observations collected during their stay at MRHRU/medical college will be useful in building new ideas or reshaping the initial project proposal from a set of project ideas with which interns started their application process. The team along with mentors and students of host institutes will brainstorm all the possible ways in which the need can be addressed. The mentors and mentee will then come up with priority areas where medical technology/ healthcare system model is needed. The teams will then focus on design and development of proof of concept and possible early level prototype at an earlier identified ICMR institute, IIT Kharagpur or IIM Ahmedabad.

At the end of the internship, a report will be submitted by the intern. Three to four of the best designs will be selected and provided support for development of prototype at ICMR/IITKharagpur/IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Ahmedabad incubator.

The interns will also be trained in evaluation of the IP, regulatory compliance, stakeholder validation, methodology for preclinical and clinical testing of the prototype or methodology for validation of the health system model and marketing strategy.

Who can apply?

Students undertaking MBBS, clinical postgraduate degree courses (e.g., M.D., DNB) or Ph.D. students in clinical/life sciences subjects from ICMR institutes or medical colleges/ Scientist B working at ICMR institutes will be working with fellow engineering and business management interns and other students in the labs of the IIT Kharagpur and Centre for Management of Health Services (CMHS), IIM Ahmedabad for short durations. Vice a versa, individuals undertaking BE/ BTech (in a stream of engineering with a potential of having impact on health through technology), engineering postgraduate degree courses (MTech), PhD (engineering) from IIT Kharagpur, MBA students from IIM Ahmedabad will be provided support for a supervised internships at the ICMR institute/medical college. The applicants will be required to provide names of a mentor from their institute.

The internship period of 8-10 weeks is spread over May – June, 2018. It can be extended to Dec. 2018 if and only if there is a requirement in the parent institute of the intern for which documentary evidence needs to be produced.

Awards IIT Kharagpur, IIM Ahmedabad and ICMR Institutes will support around 20 students for internship program.

• Students who are not getting stipends (e.g. MBBS, B Tech, MBA etc) : Sti-

pend of Rs 40,000/- will be provided for 8-10 week period. (Rs 20,000/- per month). Accommodation will be provided free by the host institute. No extra travel allowance will be paid.

• Students who are getting monthly stipend (e.g. MD, MTech, PhD students) will be provided Rs 20,000/- for food and travel.

• Scientist B from ICMR institute will meet expensed for TA/DA through institution budget.

At the end of the internship, a report will be submitted by the intern. Three of the best designs will be selected and provided a budget of Rs 2 lakhs maximum each for development of prototype within next one year. This budget can be used for consumables, travel, and small equipment (not exceeding 15% of entire budget).

How to Apply: The application is to be made online (http://14.139.60.56/medtech/ or http://icmr. nic.in/). After sign up, one can download an offline version of the form which might help in getting the application material ready to complete the online application process.

Date of Commencement of Internship May 07, 2018 (Monday) Application Due Date : 26th February 2018

SCHOLARSHIPS Candidates who have submitted their thesis and are waiting for the award of the degree may also apply. However they should have an accepted first-author publication at the time of application.

Translational Research Award in INfectious Diseases (TRAIN) @ THSTI | Applications Invited TRAIN is a post-doctoral research program initiated by THSTI to impart training in translational research to candidates with doctoral degree in biological sciences. Selected candidates will be involved in large infectious disease research programs/projects involving human cohorts/clinical trials and are expected to work at the interface of biology and clinical research. Candidates will be jointly mentored by biologists and clinical researchers during the course of their fellowship. The focus areas include epidemiology, immunology, pathogenesis, drug and vaccine development, and diagnostics for viral and bacterial diseases (Eg: Dengue, Hepatitis, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis etc.,).

Essential Qualifications: Ph.D in biological sciences with at least one research article in a peer-reviewed journal indexed in PUBMED as first author.

Desirable Qualifications: Doctoral research in the areas of infectious diseases, immunology, and microbiology with exposure to clinical research. Expertise in handling human clinical samples, animal models of disease and in vitro assays relevant to infectious disease research.

Age: 30 years or less.

Emoluments: Rs. 60,000/- per month consolidated in the first two years with performance-based revision in emoluments after second year.

Period: 3-5 years depending on the annual performance reviews How to Apply: Interested candidates are requested to submit the online application on or before the last date. Applications will be screened and candidates will be interviewed up to four times in a year (January, April, July and October) depending on the number of applications.

Deadline for applications for each quarter: March 31st, June 30th, Sept 30th, Dec 31st.

All results will be published on our website and all future communications will be only through email.

Canvassing in any form will be a disqualification

Call for applications will remain open till suitable candidates are found.

The procedure for online application: a. Before filling online application, do keep the following documents handy: i. A soft copy of your passport size photo. ii. A statement indicating your research interests and career goals (max. 500 words) b. Candidates are requested to use Google Chrome internet browser for best results in submission of online application. c. Once online application is submitted, no correction/modification is possible. d. In case of difficulty in filling up the online form, please contact personnel@thsti. res.in e. On successful submission of your application, an auto-generated email containing a reference number will be sent to the email address provided. Please keep a note of the reference number for future correspondence’ f. It is mandatory to fill all fields in the online application form. Incomplete applications will be rejected and no correspondence will be entertained with such applicants

SERB – JC Bose Fellowship Program : 2018 | Get Fellowship of Rs 25,000/- pm + Research Grant of Rs.15.00 Lakh pa The JC Bose fellowship is awarded to active scientists in recognition for their outstanding performance. The fellowship is scientist-specific and very selective.

Eligibility Should be an active scientist with a record of outstanding performance apparent from the award of SS Bhatnagar prize and/or fellowship of science academies (including engineering, agriculture and medicine).

The scientist should be in service at the time of nomination to this fellowship.

The nominee should be an Indian national working in institutions/Universities in India.

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February 20th, 2018.

Duration

single PDF file not more than 10 MB.

The duration of the fellowship will be initially for five years. In case, the fellow superannuates during the term of the fellowship, the fellowship can be continued if a host institution is willing to host the fellowship.

The tenure of the fellowship may be extended for subsequent term of 5 years based on rigorous assessment of research performance during the tenure of the fellowship. A minimum of 25% of the applicants seeking extension will not be granted extension.

The fellowship can be availed up to 68 years of age.

Nature of Support The fellowship amount is Rs. 25,000 per month in addition to regular income.

Research grant of Rs. 15.00 lakh per annum.

Overhead of Rs.1.00 lakh per annum to the host institute.

Nomination The nominations can be sent by the Heads of the Institutions; JC Bose Fellows and Presidents of National science academies.

The nominations are received throughout the year.

Selection Selection of JC Bose Fellows will be made periodically (normally twice a year) by a Search-cum-Selection Committee specially constituted for the purpose, as per the broad guidelines of the fellowship scheme Online Application Procedure For successful online submission of the application the following points may be noted: • • •

•

Nominator should first register into the online website. click here to register After log-in, go to Menu –> Proposal Submission –> Form Submission.

Some of the details of Nominee like Name,email,contact details, area of specialization,educational qualifications, employment details & research experience etc. have to be entered at the time of submission.

Research Contribution in Last 5 years of the Nominee has to be uploaded in

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Documents required (in PDF) should be in prescribed format: •

Recommendation Letter

Contact person Details: The contact details of Programme Officers are given below: Dr. Pravakar Mohanty, Scientist ‘C’ Science and Engineering Research Board 5 & 5A, Lower Ground Floor, Vasant Square Mall,Plot No. A, Community Centre, Sector-5, Pocket-5, Vasant Kunj New Delhi-110070 Tel : +91-11-40000382 Email : p.mohanty@serb.gov.in Frequently Asked Questions: Q1: For whom the J.C. Bose Fellowship is meant for?

A1: The J.C. Bose Fellowship is meant to recognize active scientists for their outstanding performance. The fellowship is scientist-specific and very selective.

Q2: What are the eligibility criteria for applying/availing J.C. Bose Fellowship?

A2: • Should be an active scientist with a record of outstanding performance apparent from the award of SS Bhatnagar prize and/or fellowship of science academies (including engineering, agriculture and medicine).

• The scientist should be in service at the time of nomination to this fellowship.

• The nominee should be an Indian national working in institutions in India.

Q3: What are the areas covered under J.C. Bose Fellowship?

A3: All Areas of Science (in the broadest terms) are covered by this Fellowship.

Q4: What is the nature of support for the J.C. Bose Fellow?

A4: The J.C. Bose Fellow will receive personnel Fellowship of Rs.25,000/- per month and a Research Grant of Rs.15.00 Lakh per annum. Rs.1.00 Lakh is provided as Overheads for the host institute.

Q5: What is the upper age limit up to which the J C Bose fellowship can be availed?

A5: 68 years.

Q6: Can the JC Bose fellow continue the fellowship after superannuation?

A6: The JC Bose fellowship can be continued after superannuation provided a host institution is willing to accept the fellowship and provide all necessary infrastructure and administrative support.

Q7: When can a person apply for the J.C. Bose Fellowship? What is the last date of acceptance of the application?

A7: The nominations for the J.C. Bose Fellowship are accepted throughout the year and there is no last date of acceptance of the nomination.

O8:Who can nominate for J C Bose Fellows?

A8: Heads of Institutions, JC Bose fellows, Presidents of Science Academies can send the nominations.

Q9: What is the duration of the J.C. Bose Fellowship?

A9: The J.C. Bose Fellowship duration is 5 years.

Q10: How/When can the individual start his J.C. Bose Fellowship?

A10: A letter is sent by the Science & Engineering Research Board to the Individual as well as to the host Institute informing the award of J.C. Bose Fellowship. On receipt of this offer letter, the Individual has to send acceptance letter indicating the month when he/ she wants to start the Fellowship, and then the Institute will forward the acceptance letter to the Science & Engineering Research Board.

Based on this letter, the Board will process for necessary approvals and a Sanction Order will be issued to the host institute (and a copy to the J.C. Bose Fellow). When the grant money is received at the host institute, the J.C. Bose Fellow can start his Fellowship.

Q11: How does a J.C. Bose Fellow get his subsequent Grant?

A11: The Grant for the subsequent years is released after receiving Statement of Expenditure (SE) and Utilization Certificate (UC) in the prescribed format (available in the website). The SE and UC are to be submitted financial year wise i.e. from 01st April to 31st March. For the first year it would be from the Date of Start (DOS) to 31st March and subsequently from 01st April to 31st March.

Q12: Is the personal fellowship received in J.C. Bose Fellowship scheme taxable?

A12: Yes, it is taxable.

Q13 : Can a fellow change the host institute during implementation of J.C. Bose Fellow-

ship?

A13: A J C Bose fellow can change the host institute during implementation of J.C. Bose Fellowship. He has to forward NOCs from both the Institutes along with final financial papers indicating balance unspent grant from the old institute and appointment letter from the new Institute indicating the joining date and duration of the appointment.

Q14: What are the guidelines for superannuated fellows availing of the JC Bose fellowship along with any other fellowship/ honorarium?

A14: Superannuated JC Bose fellows can avail the award money provided for SS Bhatnagar Prize/Academy fellowships and honorarium/salary being provided by the host institution in addition to JC Bose fellowship.

However, they are not allowed to avail any other fellowship of a similar kind such as DAE Raja Ramanna Fellowship. Any misinformation in this regard may lead to full recovery of J C Bose fellowship with penal interest from the awardees.

Q15:Is there a provision for extension of the fellowship?

A15: • The fellowship can be renewed for a period of 5 years after rigorous assessment of research performance of the fellow during the tenure of the fellowship. The fellows will be required to submit a document highlighting the research work done during the previous 5 years, with complete list of publications/patents, and manpower trained during the tenure of the fellowship.

The criteria for renewal will be based on research performance. Any other accomplishment such as occupying leadership position will not be counted as factors.

• Minimum exit of 25% of the fellows will be enforced while giving the extension of the fellowship.

Q16 : Is there a flexibility to utilize the research grant?

A16 : A J C Bose fellow can change the host institute during implementation of J.C. Bose Fellowship. He has to forward NOCs from both the Institutes along with final financial papers indicating balance unspent grant from the old institute and appointment letter from the new Institute indicating the joining date and duration of the appointment

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February 20th, 2018.

NEWS Cancer “Vaccine” Beats Tumours in Mice, All Set for Human Trials It has recently become apparent that the immune system can cure cancer. In some of these strategies, the antigen targets are pre-identified and therapies are custom-made against these targets. In others, antibodies are used to remove the brakes of the immune system, allowing pre-existing T cells to attack cancer cells.

Similarly, in the most recent attempt to battle cancer, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have designed a “Vaccine”, which, when injected into a tumor triggers the immune system to kill cancer in mice.

According to this new study, injecting minute amounts of two immune-stimulating agents directly into solid tumors in mice can eliminate all traces of cancer in the animals, including distant, untreated metastases.

“When we use these two agents together, we see the elimination of tumours all over the body,” said senior researcher, oncologist Ronald Levy. “This approach bypasses the need to identify tumour-specific immune targets and doesn’t require wholesale activation of the immune system or customisation of a patient’s immune cells.”

Out of the two immune “agents” used in the study, published in the journal Science

Translational Medicine, one has already been approved for use in humans and the second is currently involved in a lymphoma treatment trial.

In Levy’s two-step cancer vaccine, a short stretch of DNA called a CpG oligonucleotide was first injected into the tumor site.

CpG is something called a Toll-like receptor, a special kind of immune system protein that recognizes invading pathogens. When micrograms of this protein (millionths of a gram) were injected into the mouse tumors, they activated the expression of a receptor called OX40 on nearby T cells that had originally swarmed to the tumor site, but had been rendered inactive.

The second injection contained an antibody that attached to those newly activated OX40 receptors and essentially turned the T cells back “on.” Before their activity was suppressed, those same T cells were primed to respond to the precise antigens produced by the tumor. With a boost from the vaccine, now they were back in action.

Once the process is under way, the scientists report, the tumour-hungry T cells leave the initial site and distribute through the body, attacking any and all other similar tumours they find.

“Our approach uses a one-time application

By Disha Padmanabha

of very small amounts of two agents to stimulate the immune cells only within the tumour itself,” explains Levy. “In the mice, we saw amazing, body-wide effects, including the elimination of tumours all over the animal.”

The team trialled the therapy against several different types of cancers in mice- the first involved 90 animals with lymphoma tumours on both sides of their bodies- in each, only one tumour was treated. The paper details that 87 out of the 90 were cured. The cancer returned in three cases, but went into permanent remission after a second treatment.

Mice carrying breast, colon and melanoma tumours were also treated successfully. Trials were also conducted on mice genetically engineered to develop multiple breast cancers.

In many cases treating the first tumour to appear prevented others arising.

“This is a subject that we are still investigating in the animal models where we can

track T cells by a variety of different methods that are not possible in humans,” Levy explains.

Although the researchers are optimistic of using this approach to treat all kinds of cancer where T cells have infiltrated the tumor, Levy says that they will start with lymphoma because “it is the cancer of the immune system and most likely to respond to this maneuver.” To that end, a trial is already underway designed to investigate the effectiveness of the technique in 15 patients with low-grade lymphoma.

If it’s effective, the treatment may be used in the future on tumours before they’re surgically extracted to help prevent metastases, or even prevent recurrences of the cancer.

“I don’t think there’s a limit to the type of tumour we could potentially treat, as long as it has been infiltrated by the immune system,” Levy said.

In a First, Scientists Grow Human Eggs to Maturity in Lab The rapid pace of research in the areas of fertility and reproduction raises some mind-boggling questions about the future.

Now, in this direction, scientists studying fertility have had a breakthrough- they were able to grow precursors to human eggs to full maturity outside the body for the first time in a fascinating study.

The breakthrough could eventually help women preserve their fertility after cancer treatment, or help those with naturally occurring infertility.

Scientists removed egg cells from ovary tissue at their earliest stage of development and grew them to the point at which they were ready for fertilisation, according to the study published in Molecular Human Reproduction.

“Apart from any clinical applications, this is a big breakthrough in improving understanding of human egg development,” Evelyn Telfer, a developmental biologist and co-author of the paper describing the study that’s been on since the past 30 years.”

Scientists have previously developed mouse

eggs to produce live offspring and matured human eggs from a late stage of development.

But this study is the first time a human egg has been developed in the laboratory from its earliest stage to full maturity, researchers say.

In the course of this study, researchers from Edinburgh and New York describe how they took ovarian tissue from 10 women in their late twenties and thirties and, over four steps involving different cocktails of nutrients, encouraged the eggs to develop from their earliest form to maturity.

They carefully extracted the fragile, immature eggs and some surrounding cells from the follicles, and allowed them to further mature on a special membrane in the presence of more growth-supporting proteins. In the end, just nine of these eggs passed the final test for maturity—they were able to divide and halve their chromosomes so they were ready to join with sperm during fertilization.

way and studying how healthy they are. We also hope to find out, subject to regulatory approval, whether they can be fertilised.”

“Being able to fully develop human eggs in the lab could widen the scope of available fertility treatments,” said Prof Evelyn Telfer.

“We are now working on optimising the conditions that support egg development in this

Prof Daniel Brison, of the department of reproduction at the University of Manchester, said it was “an exciting breakthrough which shows for the first time that complete development of human eggs in the laboratory is

By Disha Padmanabha

possible, more than 20 years after this was achieved in mice.

“As the authors acknowledge, there is much more important research still to do, but this could pave the way for fertility preservation in women and girls with a wider variety of cancers than is possible using existing methods.”

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Vol. 02 NO 8

February 20th, 2018.

Stem Cell-Mediated, Functional Human Kidney Grown Inside of a Live Organism for the First Time The mammalian kidney generates and eliminates waste products and is essential for life.

Annually, 2.6 million people worldwide receive dialysis or kidney transplantation for end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), while around 2.2 million people with ESKD die prematurely, unable to access treatment.

In hopes to remedy this dire situation, scientists at the University of Manchester have, for the first time, developed fully functional human kidney tissue which possesses the capability of producing urine within mice using stem cells.

The study led by Professors Sue Kimber and Adrian Woolf from The University of Manchester signifies a significant milestone in the development of treatment for chronic kidney disease, a long-term condition where the kidneys don’t work as well as they should, affecting the lives of sufferers in various ways.

Researchers at the university, headed by Prof. Sue Kimber started off with human embryonic stem cells grown in a culture

broth specifically designed for kidney development. They then turned these cells into microscopic kidney pieces. They further encouraged the cells to into forming the kidney glomeruli.

These are small units that form the basic filtration components of the kidney. They were created in petri dishes by growing the stem cells in a nutrient broth that contained all the molecules needed to push them down the path to forming the glomeruli.

These cells were then combined with a gel in order to form a scaffolding to hold the glomeruli together, and act in effect like the connective tissue in real kidneys. The tissue clumps were then injected under the skin of mice with their immune systems repressed so as to accommodate these tiny clumps of foreign tissue, and allowed to develop.

A final observation, three months later showed that nephrons had appeared, including many of the associated structures, from proximal and distal tubules to Bowman’s

By Disha Padmanabha

capsule and the Loop of Henle. The team showed that fluorescent dye, injected into the mice, was being filtered from the blood and into the kidney tubules.

“The tubule’s job is to selectively reabsorb key molecules, mainly salts but also things like glucose, to stop them being wasted, and we saw that as well,” added Professor Kimber. “It’s not equivalent to a kidney – we only had a few hundred nephrons and a human kidney has millions – but it has all the elements from blood flow in, up to the exit at the ureter – which takes the urine away.”

“We have proved beyond any doubt these

structures function as kidney cells by filtering blood and producing urine – though we can’t yet say what percentage of function exists,” said Professor Kimber. “What is particularly exciting is that the structures are made of human cells which developed an excellent capillary blood supply, becoming linked to the vasculature of the mouse. Though this structure was formed from several hundred glomeruli, and humans have about a million in their kidneys – this is clearly a major advance.

“It constitutes a proof of principle- but much work is yet to be done.”

Fruit Fly Genome Sheds Light on the Process of Aging rDNA loci, composed of hundreds of tandemly duplicated arrays of rRNA genes, are known to be among the most unstable genetic elements due to their repetitive nature. rDNA instability underlies aging (replicative senescence) in yeast cells, however, its contribution to the aging of multicellular organisms is poorly understood.

The latest study from University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute aims to understand this very mechanism using genome of fruit flies. The study investigates the dynamics of rDNA loci during aging in the Drosophila male germline stem cell (GSC) lineage, and show that rDNA copy number decreases during aging.

Certain sections of the fruit fly genome get shorter with age. But remarkably, some reproductive cells can repair the shrinkage, and this genomic shrinkage may underlie aspects of aging and hint at ways that select cells might thwart it.

In the study, Yukiko Yamashita and her colleagues focused on workhorse genes encoded in ribosomal DNA, or rDNA. The cells, to make enough of these mission-critical machines, require huge loads of rDNA instruction manuals. Most genes are limited to a single genetic location, but rDNA genes are repeated across multiple spots of the genome.

“The end result is that some copies are lost every cycle,” says Yamashita, research professor at the University of Michigan’s Life Sciences Institute and professor of cell

6

and developmental biology at the university.

“They are popping out of the chromosome.”

In fruit flies, chains of rDNA genes are found on the X and Y chromosomes. Compared with young male fruit flies, old males had a shortage of rDNA genes on the Y chromosome­—leaving them with a shrunken Y chromosome, the researchers discovered.

Further, the team also came across how this dearth of rDNA seemed to be passed on from generation to generation.

Geriatric fly fathers (those 40 days old) passed on their reduced number of rDNA genes to their sons, the team observed. These sons had considerably fewer copies of rDNA genes than sons born to younger fathers.

Then came the shocker- they noticed how this rDNA loss reversed itself. At about 10 days of age, sons born to old fathers had recovered enough rDNA to be comparable to sons born to young fathers. The results suggest that rDNA rejuvenation in sons might be a crucial aspect of how stem cells persist from father to son.

Though much more work remains, Yamashita suspects that similar resets might be at work in certain kinds of human cells, including stem cells and cancer cells.

“Of course, we are not flies,” she says. But if pushed to bet, she’d wager that some types of immortal cells in people can perform the same rejuvenating trick to prevent the rDNA declines that come with age.

By Disha Padmanabha

Vol. 02 NO 8

February 20th, 2018.

IIT Madras Student Launches “IIT Startups” in San Fransisco

An Indian Institute of Technology Madras alumnus, Monishi Sanyal has now launched a non-profit accelerator at the Bay Area in San Francisco. Called “IIT Startups”, the accelerator seeks to motivate and support budding entrepreneurs. The initiative will also help to connect the IIT alumni at the Silicon Valley in America.

The accelerator was recently launched at the Computer History Museum, Mountain View, California.

The event was attended by over 400 IIT Startups, Angels, Venture Capitals and Mentors, a release from IIT-M said.

A BTech graduate from IIT Madras and the Governor’s Gold medal Recipient in 1970, Sanyal hopes this initiative will help bridge the gap between academics and industry by providing mentorship and incubation to

budding entrepreneurs, and connect the IIT Alumni in the Silicon Valley.

“This is the first step in our journey. Our next initiative would be to run workshops, provide mentorship, incubation, and connectivity to the 11,000+ IIT communities, advisors, angels and VCs in the Silicon Valley,” he said. Sanyal added that by 2019, the plan is to expand the operations by collaborating with the IIT Research Parks in India.

Prof R Nagarajan, Dean (International and Alumni Relations), IIT Madras, said “Alumni such as Mr Sanyal have been instrumental in shaping the best-of-breed entrepreneurial ecosystem that thrives in Silicon Valley. IITs have benefited as well from the branding and networking opportunities.”

By Disha Padmanabha

UV Light that Could Wipe Out Airborne Flu Microbes Airborne-mediated microbial diseases represent one of the major challenges to worldwide public health. A direct approach to prevent the transmission of airborne-mediated disease is inactivation of the corresponding airborne pathogens, and in fact the airborne antimicrobial efficacy of ultraviolet (UV) light has long been established.

“Unfortunately, conventional germicidal UV light is also a human health hazard and can lead to skin cancer and cataracts, which prevents its use in public spaces,” said lead author Professor David Brenner, from the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Several years ago, Professor Brenner and co-authors hypothesized that a narrow spectrum of ultraviolet light called far-UVC could kill microbes without damaging healthy tissue.

Now, in the latest study, the team at Columbia University suggests that a special form of ultraviolet (UV) light may be able to “zap” flu germs right out of the air.

Quite a long while back, Brenner and his partners conjectured that a limited range of bright light called far-UVC could murder microorganisms without harming solid tissue. “Far-UVC light has an exceptionally restricted range and can’t infiltrate through the external dead-cell layer of human skin or the tear layer in the eye, so it’s not a human wellbeing risk. But since infections and microscopic organisms are substantially littler than human cells, far-UVC light can achieve their DNA and murder them,” said Brenner, who is additionally a teacher of ecological wellbeing sciences at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health.

aureus) microbes, a typical reason for surgical injury diseases however not hurt human or mouse skin.

But recently, Brenner and his colleagues found that a narrow range of UVC light — far-UVC light, around 207 to 222 nm — could kill microorganisms without causing biological damage to exposed skin.

In the study, the team released aerosolized H1N1 virus (which is a strain of the flu) into a test chamber, where it was exposed to very low doses of the light. As a control, they also released H1N1 into the chamber without the light exposure.

They then applied low doses of far-UVC light, and found that the light efficiently inactivated more than 95 percent of the flu virus particles — about the same effectiveness as a conventional germicidal UVC lamp. When the researchers exposed skin cells to the airborne flu viruses that were treated with farUVC light, the viruses were not able to infect the skin cells.

“If our results are confirmed in other settings, it follows that the use of overhead low-level far-UVC light in public locations would be a safe and efficient method for limiting the transmission and spread of airborne-mediated microbial diseases, such as influenza and tuberculosis,” said Brenner.

By Disha Padmanabha

In their prior investigations, Brenner’s group shown that far-UVC light was compelling at executing MRSA (methicillin-safe S.

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Vol. 02 NO 8

February 20th, 2018.

BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB, SIRENAS PEN MULTI-TARGET COLLAB AGREEMENT

By Disha Padmanabha

Bristol-Myers Squibb has now entered a research collaboration involving discovery work related to some undisclosed therapeutic targets with San Diego-based Sirenas.

The research collaboration leverages Sirenas’ expertise in applying ATLANTIS™, its data mining technology, to identify such potential drug candidates derived from Sirenas’ proprietary chemical library isolated from global microbiome collections.

According to the deal, Sirenas will receive

an undisclosed up-front payment, funding for research activities and potential success fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb. In addition, Bristol-Myers Squibb has an option to license compounds identified from the collaborative efforts under a separate agreement that will include potential milestones and royalties paid to Sirenas.

“We believe science-focused biopharma companies can benefit from our innovative

approaches to access breakthrough chemistry in delivering drug candidates for difficult biological targets,” said Jake Beverage, PharmD., Co-Founder and CEO of Sirenas.

“We look forward to a fruitful collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb, one of the finest drug discovery teams in the world, to identify potential new therapies to treat the world’s highest unmet medical needs.”

added, “Sirenas has built a remarkably effective platform that combines powerful computational approaches, deep natural product expertise, and state of the art synthesis to rapidly deliver new drug candidates. We are committed to using computational approaches like ATLANTIS™ with our partners to uncover novel therapies from the profound chemistry hidden in the diversity of nature.”

Phil Baran, Ph.D., Co-Founder of Sirenas

An Ingestible QR Code that Helps Deliver Tailored Medication : Future of Personalized Medicine 3D printers are all the rage in design and manufacturing circles right now. And the general media seem to be enamoured of this technology too, with reports of 3D printers being used for anything from cutting the costs of prototype production to making pizzas for astronauts to developing a frickin’ beatin’ heart .

Inkjet printing is undoubtedly very attractive material deposition and patterning technology thereby receiving such significant attention in the recent years. It has been exploited in biology even, for novel applications including high throughput screening, pharmaceutical formulations, medical devices and implants. Moreover, inkjet printing has been implemented in cutting-edge 3D-printing healthcare areas such as tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Now, in a similar application, it has been used to design and develop edible QR codes which could on enable a new method for the production of medicine- one that can be tailored to fit each patient and has the potential to protect against wrong medication and fake medicine according to researchers at the Uni-

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versity of Copenhagen.

Natalja Genina, assistant professor at the Department of Pharmacy, said, “This technology is promising because the medical drug can be dosed exactly the way you want it to. This gives an opportunity to tailor the medication according to the patient getting it.”

The idea is for patients to be able to use their smartphones to scan the edible QR code and find out information about the medication they are about to take. The patient’s name, drug administration route, expiration date, manufacturer ID and batch number will all be embedded in the QR code.

The study noted that additional information could be included based on the national legislation. Making it a scannable QR code could also reduce the chances of people taking the wrong medication, or tricked into taking fake or expired drugs. These situations will be even easier to avoid once the team determines how to get an everyday inkjet printer to apply the medicine as a QR code.

By Disha Padmanabha Data like the dose, the patient’s name, use by date date, manufacturer info, and instructions on how to take the medicine could all appear on a smartphone screen when scanning the medicine(Credit: University of Copenhagen)

In the future the researchers hope the edible substrate can be produced and sent to medical centers, and that the medicinal ink itself will be printable on standard inkjet printers.

If different medicines were loaded into the printer as different colors, it should even be possible to mix customized drug “cocktails” through software.

Professor Jukka Rantanen, fellow researcher on the study, said, “If we are successful with applying this production method to relatively simple printers, then it can enable the innovative production of personalized medicine and rethinking of the whole supply chain.”

Vol. 02 NO 8

February 20th, 2018.

Cervical Cancer Identifying HPV Assay Approved by the USFDA New Jersey-based BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) has now received the FDA nod for its BD Onclarity HPV assay that detects 14 types of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) from specimens collected for cervical cancer screening or “Pap test” in the BD SurePath liquid based cytology vial.

In addition, the test can also identify HPV genotypes 16, 18, and 45—genotypes that have been associated with the majority of cervical cancers on a global scale.

Results of the primary screening test could help to triage patients whose results come up as abnormal. Together with a physician’s assessment, information gathered from the BD Onclarity HPV Assay could be instrumental in clinical decision-making.

The FDA grants pre-market approvals (PMAs) to class 3 medical devices that, through scientific evidence and research, as-

sure that the product is safe and effective in what it is intended to do. Obtaining a PMA grants the product marketing clearance in the United States.

The BD Onclarity HPV assay is designed for specimens collected in the BD SurePath liquid-based cytology vial for cervical cancer screening. The test is clinically validated for use as a primary screening test, for triaging patients with abnormal Pap test results, and to be used in combination with a Pap test, BD said in a statement, adding it aligns with clinical screening guidelines from the American Cancer Society, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

“Our goal is to provide laboratories and clinicians worldwide with comprehensive cervical cancer screening solutions that address

By Disha Padmanabha

the unique needs of individual healthcare providers and patients,” said Dave Hickey, president, BD Diagnostics Systems. “The addition of the BD Onclarity™ HPV assay to BD’s women’s health and cancer portfolio will enable BD to continue to enhance the standard of patient care, representing the next milestone in cervical cancer screening.”

Dr. Thomas C. Wright, Jr., professor emeritus of pathology and cell biology at Colum-

bia University noted that “The approval of the BD Onclarity™ HPV assay provides clinicians and laboratories an FDA-approved option for HPV primary screening with the BD SurePath™ liquid based cytology vial.

The BD Onclarity™ HPV assay also aligns with clinical screening guidelines from the American Cancer Society, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology and the American Society for Clinical Pathology.”

JOBS CONSULTANTS (SCIENTIFIC) POST VACANT @ ICMR | SALARY OF RS. 70,000/- P.M. If you are an MSc Immunology candidate with the relevant experience and looking for a high paying job, then check out all of the details of the written exam selection procedure at ICMR as per the information posted below: Name of the Position : Consultant (Scientific) Pre-Clinical operations No.of.Posts : 01 Age :

Desirable : • • • • • •

Limited as on date: up to 70 years Consolidated Emoluments : Maximum Rs.70,000/- per month depending upon experience and knowledge

Essential Qualifications : 1st Class Master’s Degree in Medical Microbiology/ Medical Pharmacology/Immunology from a recognized University with 4-6 years of experience in Pharma industry/ Biotech industry /CRO industry / Immunology related to clinical research studies / trials.

• • •

Selection Procedure: •

Nature of Duties:

•

•

•

Tenure : Two Years

PhD in Medical pharmacology/medical microbiology/immunology from a recognized University Strong knowledge of clinical research process and medical terminology.

Understanding of GCP/ICH guidelines.

Knowledge of regulatory requirements and guidelines governing clinical research.

Ability to work successfully within a crossfunctional team Good Scientific writing/Communication skills Knowledge of computer applications or business intelligence tools/data management / data synthesis

•

•

• •

To manage all clinical aspects of study including assessing operational feasibility and recommending study execution plan; developing and managing comprehensive study timelines and metrics To participate in Selection and management/Oversight of external vendors and develops vendor specifications; review vendor reports, budgets and metrics To provide study specific training and leadership to Clinical Research Staff, including CRO, CRAs, Sites and other contract personnel To plan, Execute and Lead study specific meetings To participate in Site monitoring visits

and oversee clinical monitoring activities ensuring compliance with Good Clinical Practices To prepare and/or review study related Standard Operating procedures and Documents To develop and manage study budget and maintain it within financial goals The job may require travel to the trial sites and attending outstation meetings

•

Interview will be conducted to the eligible candidates. However, if more number of candidates are found eligible for the post advertised, Written Test/ Skill Test may also be conducted on the same day before final round of Interview.

The candidates should bring 5 copies of biodata along with all original certificates of educational qualifications (from SSC onwards), experience, Aadhaar Card, Community and PH Certificates along with one set of photocopies of the same duly attested (can be self attested) along with a passport size photograph for attending the Written Test/ Interview.

No TA/ DA will be paid for attending the Written Test/ Interview. The recruited project staff is eligible for leave as per rules and will have to give an undertaking before joining.

tions mentioned below are invited to appear for the Walk-in-Written Test/ Interview as mentioned for the various positions along with 5 copies of their updated Bio data/CV on the respective dates indicated against the notified positions reporting strictly between 09:00 A.M to 10:00 A.M at the following address : Reception hall, Indian Council of Medical Research, Ramalingaswami Bhawan, Ansari Nagar New Delhi-110 029 Date & Time of Written Test/ Interview : 24 February 2018 strictly between 09:00 A.M to 10:00 A.M

Interested candidates for the various posi-

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Vol. 02 NO 8

February 20th, 2018.

CANCER RESEARCH PROGRAM PROJECT POSTS @ NII Applications are invited for the position of Junior Research Fellow/Senior Research Fellow (Project) for the following time-bound sponsored project and if you have an MSc or M.Tech degree then apply as per the details given below: Job Title : Junior Research Fellow/Senior Research Fellow (Project) No.of.Posts : 1

Emolument: The selected candidates may be placed in any of the below categories depending upon qualification & experience.

Junior Research Fellow : Rs. 25,000/- consolidated p.m. plus 30% HRA

search experience.

PS- The Candidate should have qualified any ‘National Level Examination’ such as NET/ GATE etc for applying the above position.

Job Description & Desired Knowledge: •

Senior Research Fellow :

Project Title : “Cancer Research Program” funded by DBT

Rs. 28,000/- consolidated p.m. plus 30% HRA Qualifications: •

Principal Investigator : Dr. Anil K. Suri Professor of Eminence ( aks@nii.ac.in )

•

Junior Research Fellow : M.Sc or equivalent degree in the Biological Sciences.

Senior Research Fellow : M.Sc/M.Tech in Life sciences with two years of re-

•

Junior Research Fellow : Candidates should have knowledge of Molecular Biology techniques, Recombinant protein technology, cell culture, RT-PCR and Cancer Immunology Senior Research Fellow : Candidates should have experience in Cancer Cell line culture, Immunohistochemistry, Real Time PCR, Western Blotting and animal handling.

How to Apply: Interested candidates may apply directly, STRICTLY IN THE PRESCRIBED FORMAT GIVEN BELOW, through e-mail, to the Investigator of the project, clearly indicating the name of the project along with their complete C.V., e-mail id, fax numbers, telephone numbers. Only Short listed candidates will be called for interview and they required to submit attested copies of all their certificates and a Demand Draft of Rs 100/- drawn on Canara Bank or Indian Bank payable at Delhi/ New Delhi in favour of the Director, NII (SC/ ST/PH and Women candidates are exempted from payment of fees) subject to submission of documentary proof), at the time of interview.

Application Deadline – 28th February, 2018

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY FOR MSC LIFE SCIENCES CANDIDATES @ ACTREC ACTREC is hiring for a Junior Research Fellow position and if you have an MSc degree in Life sciences, then you are eligible to attend the walk-in interview that has been scheduled for the position whose details are listed below:

Bristol-Myers Squibb Biocon Research Center (BBRC) & ACTREC. Duration : One year from the date of appointment

Job Title: Junior Research Fellow

Consolidated Salary :

No.of.Posts : 01

Rs. 20,000/- per month.

Name of the Project : To Evaluate the Role of γδ-T cells in Colorectal Cancer Principal Investigator :

The work progress of the candidate will be monitored and extension after 6 months will depend on satisfactory progress of the work.

Qualification: Post graduate degree (MSc.) with minimum 60% marks in Life science or related fields from a recognized university. Candidate should have at least one year experience in cell culture techniques, immunological tech-

Dr.S.V.Chiplunkar Funding Agency :

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niques, handling patient samples, molecular biology techniques etc. *One year M.Sc. degree course will not be considered.

Selected candidate will have to join at the earliest; hence results-awaited candidates will not be eligible to apply for the post.

Application Format: Candidates fulfilling these requirements should pre-register by sending their application in the prescribed format with recent CV and contact details of 2 referees by e-mail to the ‘academic.office@actrec.gov.in’ latest by 17.00 hrs on 23rd February 2018.

The interviews would be held on 28/02/2018 and will be only for the pre-registered candidates. Candidates should report between 09.30 to 10.00 a.m. at 3rd floor, Paymaster

Shodhika, ACTREC, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. No T.A. /D.A. will be admissible for attending the interview.

At the time of Interview the candidate should bring original certificates along with CV with contact details of 2 referees and submit the photocopies (attested) of the certificates, with a recent passport size photograph.

All correspondence should be strictly made only to academic.office@actrec.gov.in’ as indicated.

Walk-In Details: Application Deadline – 23rd February 2018.

Date of Interview – 28th February 2018 Reporting Time – 09.30 to 10.00 a.m.

Vol. 02 NO 8

February 20th, 2018.

LIFE SCIENCE LECTURER / PROFESSOR POST VACANT @ BIOTECNIKA – NOIDA & CHENNAI BioTecNika Info Labs Pvt Ltd – Parent Company which runs India’s Largest Biosciences Career & education Portal is looking for passionate candidates having sound academic qualifications, Excellent Communication skills & Teaching Experience, willing to join India’s Largest Biosciences Career & Education Portal www.biotecnika.org as Academic Support Specialist at Noida location

Name of the Position : Academic Support Specialist ( CSIR QUALIFICATION IS A MUST ) Reference Code : JGJG – ASS182

Location : Noida, Chennai Salary range : Rs 2 Lakh Per Annum to 6 lakh Per annum + Attractive Monthly Incentives

Why Work at BioTecNika ?

If you are looking for a long term stable career in BT industry and want to rub shoulders with the biggest names in Biotech, then BioTecNika should be your destination. A Company Supported by Biotech veterans & Venture Capitalists, Biotecnika has a long way to go and we are looking for you.

SCIENTIFIC OFFICER POST FOR MSC CANDIDATES @ ICRISAT Job seekers with an MSc background in Plant protection like Entomology/ Pathology/ Microbiology and related subjects with relevant experience can apply online for a Scientific Officer position that is available at ICRISAT. Check out all the details posted below on the same: ICRISAT invites applications from dynamic nationals for the position a Scientific Officer – ISD Program. This position is based at ICRISAT’s Headquarters, Hyderabad India.

ICRISAT is headquartered in Patancheru near Hyderabad, India, with two regional hubs and five country offices in sub-Saharan Africa. ICRISAT, established in 1972, is a member of the CGIAR Consortium.

Job Title : Scientific Officer – ISD Program Responsibilities: Coordination of picture collection and image database development •

• • •

Coordinate the extension of picture database on agronomic stresses and crops that can be found in South India (mainly Telangana & Andhra Pradesh) Hiring and training of field staff (picture collectors) Monitor activities of field staff and provide reports on regular basis to the Scientist Picture database maintenance by using a web based tool (web App)

•

Identification of important plant diseases, pests and nutrient deficiencies as well as crop stages

Training and capacity building •

•

Participation and conduct training programs with the Scientist to educate farmers, picture collectors, and other stakeholders in the handling of the different Plantix versions Maintenance of training records and follow up as per requirement and guidance of the Scientist

Plantix App improvement and dissemination • • •

•

•

Support and user field testing and the conduct user surveys Collect and process relevant agricultural information to enhance the usability of new features Establish a network of agricultural experts and consultants to receive feedback on the Plantix App and communication Organize and implement regular user testing with farmers – results should be processed and transferred to the headquarter Dissemination of Plantix in India due to activities like presentations of Plantix to third parties and coordination of meetings with different stakeholders, e.g. agricultural institutions, research centers, government officials, public and private companies, NGOs, farmer

groups, etc.

Follow up of core activities •

• •

Should be active in taking forward all the activities taken up as a part of work delegated by the Scientist which may be dynamic in nature with smaller turnaround times Provide regular feedback on progress of activities and perform activity management across other partner projects Any other activity that evolves during the course of the project including project management, coordination and documentation needs

Essential Criteria: • • • •

Master’s degree in Plant protection like Entomology/ Pathology/ Microbiology and related subjects Good written and oral communications skills in English and Telugu Willingness and aptitude to quickly learn and use new technologies Prior experience in agriculture or allied sectors and working directly with farmers and farmer groups (above 2 years)

Desirable: •

•

Candidate should be tech savvy and should not be reluctant in handling of new tools like mobile phone applications and web based apps Should be fluent in Telugu and English (written and spoken) with excellent

• • • • •

communication skills A proactive and independent approach to work with good experience in multi-stakeholder project coordination.

Experience in organizing capacity building programs especially digitization related in Agriculture Hands on experience of on-farm farmer participatory action research trials Expertise in MS word, power points, excel, Share Point is desirable Knowledge on how the application of Digital Agriculture may enhance productivity, logistics or market access for smallholder farmers and value chain actors.

General: This is a Locally Recruited Staff (LRS) position for two years renewable based on the performance of the incumbent and the institute’s continuing need for the position.

How to Apply: Applicants should apply on or before 28 February 2018, with a letter of motivation, latest Curriculum Vitae, and names and contact information of three references that are knowledgeable of the candidate’s professional qualifications and work experience. All applications will be acknowledged. However, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Application Deadline – on or before 28/02/2018

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Vol. 02 NO 8

February 20th, 2018.

RESEARCH POSITION FOR BIOTECH CANDIDATES VACANT @ JADAVPUR UNIVERSITY Candidates from an MTech Biotechnology background are invited for the position of senior research fellow and the University invites applications (Priced Rs.50/=) to be obtained from the Information Section for the position in the DAE sponsored BRNS Research Scheme as per the details given below: Name of the Position : Senior Research Fellow No.of.Posts : 01

Age : Not more than 32 years (Relaxable up to 5 years in case of SC/ST/OBC/ Women /PH candidates).

Fellowship : Rs. 28000/-+ HRA @ 30% per month Tenure : Till 31 st March, 2020 or termination of the project

Project Title : “Development of Efficient Biomass Conversion Routes for Biofuel Production and Utilization”

Essential Qualification : Candidates must have a first class M.E./M. Tech. degree in Bioprocess Engineering/Biotechnology or Allied subjects from a reputed

university with at least two years research experience in the field of generation of biofuels.

Desirable Qualifications : (1) Practical knowledge on using poly-culture for the generation of biofuels; (2) Practical and theoretical knowledge on microbial interaction (3) should have 2 publications in reputed scientific journals of impact factor of at least 2.

Application Instructions : Interested and eligible candidates may apply for the post and appear in person directly in the interview with application on prescribed forms (priced Rs/-50) to be obtained from the Information section of Jadavpur University.

Originals along with attested copies of marksheets, certificates and testimonials are to be produced at the time of interview. Selected candidates will not be entitled to claim for regular appointment/absorption in this institute.

No TA/DA is admissible for the interview.

Walk-In Details: • • •

Date of Interview – 21st February, 2018 Time of Interview – 11:00 AM Venue of Interview – Office of Prof.

Ranjana Chowdhury, Chemical Engineering Department, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India

www.biotecnika.org

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