January 30th, 2018.
Vol. 02 NO 5
SCHOLARSHIP - PAGE 2
NEWS - PAGE 4
APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS OF RS 8 LAKHS + INTEREST FREE LOANS TO STUDY ABROAD – 2018
BIOCON, NOVARTIS INK PACT FOR NEXT GENERATION BIOSIMILAR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
NEWS - PAGE 8
ADMISSIONS, JOBS
PROGRAMMABLE DROPLETS THAT COULD ENABLE MORE EFFICIENT, COST EFFECTIVE BIOLOGY EXPERIMENTS
WOMEN SCIENTIST SCHEME-A
DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY |MINISTRY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
By Preety Suman
DST Women Scientist Scheme – A (WOS-A) : Fellowship of Rs. 55,000/- p.m Women Scientists Scheme-A (WOS-A) provides platform to women scientists and technologists for pursuing research in basic or applied sciences in frontier areas of science and engineering. The scheme plays pivotal role in gender mainstreaming as it not only prevents brain drain from S&T system but also train and retain women in the system. The scheme initially offers opportunity to work as bench-level scientists and ultimately open new avenues for permanent position in Science & Technology. Scientific Disciplines: The support available in 5 disciplines under WOS-A namely, i) Physical & Mathematical Sciences (PMS), ii) Chemical Sciences (CS), iii) Life Sciences (LS),
iv) Earth & Atmospheric Sciences (EAS), and v) Engineering Technology (ET) Support : This scheme will provide a research grant with an upper limit of Rs. 30 lakh (for Ph.D. or equivalent)), Rs. 25 lakh (for M.Tech/M. Pharm or equivalent) and Rs. 20 lakh (for M.Sc. or equivalent) for a well-defined R&D project proposal for a period of three years. This grant will include the fellowship of the applicant and cost of small equipments, contingencies, travel, consumables etc. Institutional overhead charges will be extra. Eligibility: 1. Persons already in employment need not apply. 2. Women scientists, less than 27 years of
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SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
age are not eligible. 3. Women scientists, with a minimum of Post Graduate degree, equivalent to M.Sc. in Basic or Applied Sciences or B.Tech. or MBBS or other equivalent professional qualifications, are eligible for this scheme. The amount of fellowship for such candidates will be Rs. 30,000/- PM. 4. Women scientists, with M.Tech. or MD/ MS, DM/MCH in Medical Sciences from recognized Universities can also apply. The amount of fellowship for such candidates will be Rs.40,000/- PM. 5. Women scientists having Ph.D. Degree in Basic or Applied Sciences will be entitled for fellowship of Rs.55,000/- PM. 6. Age relaxation of 5 years would be given to candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC and physically challenged category. Last Date of Application : The Scheme is open throughout the year. Therefore, there is no last date of application. Procedure for Applying : Only online submission of Project Proposal is allowed in WOS-A
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Vol. 02 NO 5
January 30th, 2018.
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Get Assured Opportunity for Research Career Under INSPIRE Faculty Scheme January 2018- Applications Invited
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Ministry of Science and Technology Department of Science and Technology INSPIRE Faculty Scheme: a component of “Assured Opportunity for Research Career (AORC)” under INSPIRE Call for Applications – January 2018 (Session – I) Applications/Nominations for the session January-2018 are invited for INSPIRE Faculty Award. INSPIRE Faculty Award Scheme opens up an opportunity for research career for young researchers in the age group of 2732 years. The upper age limit as on 01 January 2018 is 32 years for General Category and 35 years for SC and ST candidates only. •
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Eligible candidates, either in Direct (A) or Nomination (B) mode, should apply only through online. Please visit the website: www.online-inspire.gov. in and follow the process prescribed therein. After submission of online application, the candidate must obtain a printout of the application thus submitted for their records only. The Last date of submission application ONLINE will be 28th February 2018. Use of more than one Mode shall call for rejection of application. Detailed Guidelines of the component are available at the Websites: www. inspire-dst.gov.in and www.online-inspire.gov.in.
14th Advertisement- 2018 (1) INSPIRE Faculty Scheme: a component under INSPIRE The Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, has launched the “Innovation in cience Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE)” [http://www.inspire-dst. gov.in] program in 2008. The program aims to attract talent for study of science and careers with research. INSPIRE includes many components. INSPIRE Faculty Scheme offers a contractual research awards to young achievers and opportunity for independent research in the near term and emerge as a future leader in the long term.
Desirable Candidates who are within top 1% at the School Leaving Examination, IIT-JEE rank, 1st Rank Holder either in graduation or post-graduation level university examination (which are used presently for identifying INSPIRE Scholars at under-graduate level and INSPIRE Fellows for doctoral degree) Mode of Applications: • •
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a) Eligibility: Essential •
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Indian citizens and people of Indian origin including NRI/PIO status with PhD (in science, mathematics, engineering,
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pharmacy, medicine, and agriculture related subjects) from any recognized university in the world, Those who have submitted their PhD Theses and are awaiting award of the degree are also eligible. However, the award will be conveyed only after confirmation of the awarding the PhD degree. The upper age limit as on 1st January 2018 should be 32 years for considering support for a period of 5 years. However, for SC and ST candidates upper age limit will be 35 years. Publication(s) in highly reputed Journal demonstrating research potential of the candidate. Candidates who are employed in regular/contractual position within India may apply for NSPIRE Faculty Award towards improvement and enhancement of his/her career prospects but upon selection, the candidate needs to resign (no lien or deputation or any type of leave would be accepted) from the current job and organization for the implementation of INSPIRE Faculty Award.
Three routes i.e. Direct, Nomination and Institution mode are available for applying by the eligible candidates, Candidates, who intended to apply Direct or Nomination Mode, may apply online only. Application Formats with detailed guidelines are also available at the websites: www.inspire-dst. gov.in for information. To apply ONLINE, please visit the website: www. online-inspire.gov.in and follow the process prescribed therein. After successful submission through ONLINE, the candidate must obtain a print of the application thus submitted. Under `Institutions Mode’, candidates may directly approach reputed academic institutes and the host academic Institute shall be required to adopt their own internal process and mechanism as available before forwarding names of shot-listed candidates for final selection by the Apex Committee. Nominations from academic institutions or Industry R&D through Vice-Chancellors/ Directors of Institutions/ Head of Institutions/ Presidents and Fellows of Science Academies or Eminent Scientists from India and Abroad based on personal knowledge. Nominations to be sent to Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi. Eligible candidate who wishes to consider in “Direct” and “Nominated” route, may also send applications directly to Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi for consider-
ation. b) Mode of Application: •
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Two routes i.e. Direct and Nomination mode are available for applying by the eligible candidates. Candidates, who intend to apply Direct or Nomination mode, may apply only online. Detailed guidelines are available at the website: www.inspire-dst.gov.in for information. To apply online, please visit the website: www.online-inspire.gov. in and follow the process prescribed therein. After submission of application through online, the candidate may obtain a print of the application thus submitted for personal use only. Nominations can be from academic institutions or Industry R&D through Vice-Chancellors/ Directors of Institutions/ Head of Institutions/ Presidents and Fellows of Science Academies or Eminent Scientists from India and Abroad based on personal knowledge. Nominations need to be sent to Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi.
c) Method of Selection: •
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A three-tier selection process i.e. Discipline-based Expert Committee in case of candidates under `Direct’ and `Nomination’ mode which is followed by selectin through the Apex Level Committee. Finally, INSPIRE Faculty Council selects the candidates in all two routes of selection modes. Indian National Science Academy (INSA), New Delhi in coordination with DST will be implementing this INSPIRE Faculty Scheme up to the selection of candidates for awarding INSPIRE Faculty Award. Discipline-wise committees of INSA would evaluate and screen the candidates who apply on Direct and Nominated Routes without support from host-institutions. The Apex Committee shall finally select short-listed candidates for offering INSPIRE Faculty Award under this Scheme and decision of the Apex Committee for selecting candidates in this Scheme shall further be considered at the INSPIRE Faculty Council whose decision is final to offer INSPIRE Faculty Award. Candidates, who have not identified host institutions at the time of their application, should do so immediately after their final selection. All selected candidates should avail the INSPIRE Faculty Award within 3 months of their final selection.
d) Amount & Duration of each INSPIRE Faculty Award: •
Each selected INSPIRE Faculty shall be eligible to receive a consolidated amount equivalent to the scale of the Assistant Professor of an IIT as Fellowship amount. In addition, a Research Grant of Rs 7 lakh per year for 5 years shall also be provided to each successful candidate.
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The INSPIRE Faculty Award is for a maximum period of 5 (five) years. Each INSPIRE Faculty Awardee shall be regulated as per guidelines available at the website: www.online-inspre.gov.in and www.inspire-dst.gov.in. Candidates need to visit the website and read the guidelines for reference before applying in INSPIRE Faculty Award scheme. In case the INSPIRE Faculty finds a permanent position during the tenure of the position, the Fellowship amount shall be discontinued from the day the INSPIRE Faculty joins in permanent position but he/she may continue with the INSPIRE Faculty Scheme availing Research Grant for the remaining period to carry out research at the new position. The INSPIRE Faculty is eligible to apply for any competitive grants from funding agencies during the tenure of the INSPIRE Faculty position and would be favorably considered by DST for future support at the end of 5 years based on performance and technical merit.
e) Roles and requirements of Host Institutions: •
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Host institutions should be encouraged to provide a congenial atmosphere for the awardees to excel in their work, and should view them as potential assets for faculty development. Under no circumstances the “INSPIRE Faculty” Award is renewable after 5 years. Host-institutions are expected to consider “INSPIRE Faculty” for permanent positions in due course, subject to meeting institutions’ performance assessment criteria. Under Nomination mode, In-breeding by host-institution is generally not encouraged. However, in case host-institutions are willing to nominate their own PhD students under this Scheme, specific justifications and commitment for development of independent directions of research should be clearly delineated. Access to all common infrastructural facilities, acceptable laboratory and office space (independently or on shared basis), computing, library access, etc., Information on whether desirable new areas/directions of research are being introduced through this scheme. Information on whether the INSPIRE Faculty will be allowed to supervise PhD students, hire research fellows, independently or jointly with a permanent faculty member.
Last Date: Eligible students choosing ‘Direct Mode’(A) or ‘Nomination Mode (B)’ must apply online only in the prescribed format on or before 28 Feb, 2018. Application Deadline – on or before 28 Feb, 2018.
Vol. 02 NO 5
January 30th, 2018. January 2018 2) The last date to apply for the scholarship will be 31.03.2018 3) Students going abroad for undergraduate studies, seminars & conferences and are not eligible for this scholarship. For queries on the K. C. Mahindra Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies Abroad please contact Mr. Kieran Rodrigues on rodrigues.kieran@mahindra.com or call on (022) 2289 5526
Apply for Scholarships of Rs 8 Lakhs + Interest Free Loans to Study Abroad – 2018 Since its inception, the K.C. Mahindra Education trust has promoted education mainly by way of scholarships and grants to deserving and needy students. Some of these were instituted way back in the mid 1950s while others were founded more recently, a proof of its continuous efforts to bring about social and economic development through a literate, enlightened and empowered populace. About the Scholarship: Since 1956, K. C. Mahindra Education Trust has granted interest-free loan scholarships to deserving students to pursue post-graduate studies abroad in various fields. Every year, we offer scholarships, as given below: 1) A maximum of Rs.8 lakh per scholar, awarded to the top 3 K.C. Mahindra fellows 2) A maximum of Rs.4 lakh per scholar, awarded to remaining successful applicants Note: 1) The application process for the 2018 scholarship program will begin at the end of
Application Deadline: 31.03.2018
tion of your program Number of Scholarships Available: Five (5) scholarships Eligibility: In order to qualify for this scholarship you must: • • •
The scholarship will contribute AU$5,000 per year towards the annual tuition fee of your program. Value and Duration: AU$5,000 per year for the standard dura-
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Not eligible? Discover more RMIT scholarships offered in 2018 including:
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If you have attended the RMIT Summer School program in India and are commencing an RMIT program in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering or Biotechnology, you could be eligible to apply for this scholarship.
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be an Indian citizen apply from India have attended the RMIT Indian Summer School Program have an excellent academic background (must have a minimum score of 70% from a Section 1 institution or 75% from a Section 2 or 3 institution). commence a RMIT program in: Computer Science Information Technology Engineering Biotechnology
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Indian Summer School Science Scholarship @ RMIT University, Australia
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Science, Engineering and Health scholarships for Indian students (undergraduate) Global leaders scholarships for Indian students Scholarships for international students
(https://www.biotecnika.org/2018/01/ indian-summer-school-science-scholarship-rmit-university/) How to Apply: • • • •
Select an eligible program. Submit an application to study at RMIT. Receive an offer to study at RMIT Submit an application form for this scholarship.
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The scholarship will be paid at AU$5,000 per year for the duration of the program. Scholarship will only be paid for the normal full-time duration of the program. Applicants with a conditional offer will need to meet the conditions of their offer before they can be awarded the scholarship. Scholarships are only available to study in the following disciplines: Computer Science Information Technology Engineering Biotechnology Scholarship selection is based on academic merit. The Scholarships are competitive, with academic achievement forming the basis for scholarship selection. Applications will be considered and scholarships offered until all scholarships have been allocated. Unsuccessful applicants will not be contacted. Scholarship awardees will be involved in promotional activities for RMIT. The scholarship payment towards tuition fees will be credited two weeks after commencement.
For full terms and conditions please view the International Scholarships Terms and Conditions document(PDF). For further information: For any questions regarding the scholarship please contact india@rmit.edu.au Open Date: Applications are now open. Closing Date: 30 May 2018
Terms and Conditions:
NEWS
Unique Blood Test Screens for 8 Different Cancer Types Earlier detection is key to reducing cancer deaths. Detecting cancers as early as possible is a critical part of an effective treatment and the earlier doctors figure out what’s wrong, the higher the chances of survival for the patient. The past few years have seen a bevy of experimental tests called liquid biopsies that hold the promise of detecting and tracking tumours from a simple blood draw. Many of these tests are designed to detect a single kind of cancer by spotting tumour-associated mutations in DNA sequences found floating freely in the blood. The scientists have developed a one-stop blood test to fish out different types of cancers early on, even before symptoms begin to make an appearance. The test was able to detect disease in about 70% of more than 1,000 people who had already been diagnosed with cancer. The $500 test named CancerSEEK is a unique noninvasive, multianalyte test that simultaneously evaluates levels of eight cancer
proteins and the presence of cancer gene mutations from circulating DNA in the blood. “The use of a combination of selected biomarkers for early detection has the potential to change the way we screen for cancer, and it is based on the same rationale for using combinations of drugs to treat cancers,” says Nickolas Papadopoulos, Ph.D., senior author and professor of oncology and pathology. “Circulating tumor DNA mutations can be highly specific markers for cancer. To capitalize on this inherent specificity, we sought to develop a small yet robust panel that could detect at least one mutation in the vast majority of cancers,” says Joshua Cohen, an M.D.-Ph.D. student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the paper’s first author. “In fact, keeping the mutation panel small is essential to minimize false-positive results and keep such screening tests affordable.”
By Disha Padmanabha
The test is composed of a detection panel that focuses on eight proteins and 16 gene segments. Specificity in targeting was important as false-positives can cause unnecessary hardship on patients. In the recently published study the test returned only seven false-positive results when used on 812 healthy control subjects. This equates to a 99 percent specificity rate. The test was also trialed on 1,005 patients with diagnosed cancers at various nonmetastatic stages. On average, the test was found to be 70 percent successful but some cancers were more effectively picked up than others. Breast cancer was the least positively identi-
fied with a success rate of only 33 percent, but ovarian cancer was extraordinarily well identified, with a 98 percent rate of success. It basically works like other blood-based cancer detection tests like the prostate specific antigen test, which is sometimes used to screen for prostate cancer. Both CancerSEEK and a PSA test look for proteins. But the PSA looks only for one kind; CancerSEEK looks looks for eight, and will also look for small pieces of DNA floating around
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January 30th, 2018. in a person’s blood. When these DNA fragments come from a tumor cell, it’s called circulating tumor DNA; another term used has been cell-free DNA. The challenge is there are only a very, very small number of these ctDNA fragments to be found. “A novelty of our classification method is that it combines the probability of observing various DNA mutations together with the levels of several proteins in order to make the final call,” says Cristian Tomasetti, Ph.D., as-
sociate professor of oncology and biostatistics, who developed the algorithm. “Another new aspect of our approach is that it uses machine learning to enable the test to accurately determine the location of a tumor down to a small number of anatomic sites in 83 percent of patients.” Although the current test does not pick up every cancer, it identifies many cancers that would likely otherwise go undetected. “Many of the most promising cancer treatments we
have today only benefit a small minority of cancer patients, and we consider them major breakthroughs. If we are going to make progress in early cancer detection, we have to begin looking at it in a more realistic way, recognizing that no test will detect all cancers,” says Bert Vogelstein, M.D., co-director of the Ludwig Center, Clayton Professor of Oncology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. The next steps for the Johns Hopkins re-
search team include ensuring that the test works in patients who are not symptomatic. The rates of false positive and negative results will need to decline significantly, as either false reading would put patients in danger. Scientists agree that if this test does continue to improve, it could be a huge breakthrough.
Biocon, Novartis Ink Pact for Next Generation Biosimilar Development Program Asia’s premier biopharmaceuticals company, Bengaluru based Biocon has now announced a global partnership with Sandoz, a Novartis division and the global leader in biosimilars to jointly develop and market biosimilars, or generic versions of existing biodrugs, in markets around the world. Biocon and Sandoz — which has already developed a slate of 5 biologic knockoffs — will go to work on immunology and oncology programs together. They plan to share development, manufacturing and regulatory costs while splitting the profits on “a number” of new therapies. Under the terms of the agreement, both companies will share responsibility for endto-end development, manufacturing and global regulatory approvals for a number of products, and will have a cost and profit share arrangement globally. Worldwide commercialization responsibilities will be divided and each company’s strengths will be leveraged within specific geographies. Biocon Chairperson & Managing Director Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said: “We are pleased to announce our collaboration with
Sandoz for developing a set of next generation biosimilar products. This synergistic partnership will enable us to scale up our capabilities for an ‘end to end’ play in the global biosimilars space. We remain committed to pursue our mission of developing biopharmaceuticals that have the potential to benefit a billion patients across the globe.” Dr. Arun Chandavarkar, CEO & Joint MD, Biocon, added: “Biocon has worked at the leading edge of science and has demonstrated its capabilities in developing high quality biosimilars. Our credibility has been further endorsed by the recent USFDA approval of our Biosimilar Trastuzumab, which is also the first in the US. Our collaboration with Sandoz will bolster our existing global biosimilars portfolio comprising biosimilar antibodies & insulin analogs and will enable us to address the next wave of global biosimilars opportunities.” Sandoz CEO Richard Francis remarked that the deal “bolsters our leadership position in biosimilars and positions us to continue to lead well into the future.” Francis
By Disha Padmanabha
continued “Biocon is a great complement to our proven biosimilar capabilities at Sandoz. Through this collaboration, we are reinforc-
ing our long-term commitment to increase patient access to biologics.“
Final Tally In: 42 Million Protein Molecules Are Present in a Single Cell Proteins are one of the primary functional units in biology. Protein levels within a cell directly influence rates of enzymatic reactions and protein-protein interactions. Protein concentration depends on the balance between several processes including transcription and processing of mRNA, translation, post-translational modifications, and protein degradation. Consistent with proteins being the final arbiter of most cellular functions, protein abundance tends to be more evolutionarily conserved than mRNA abundance or protein turnover. Protein levels directly influence cellular processes and molecular phenotypes, contributing to the variation between individuals and populations. Although biologists have studied protein abundance for years, the findings were reported in arbitrary units, sowing confusion in the field and making it hard to compare data between different labs.
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“It was hard to conceptualize how many proteins there are in the cell because the data was reported on drastically different scales,” said Brandon Ho, a graduate student at the University of Toronto. The most comprehensive proteome-wide abundance studies have been applied to the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae, whose proteome is currently estimated at 5,858 proteins. Despite the comprehensive nature of existing protein abundance studies, it remains difficult to ascertain whether a given protein abundance from any individual study, independent of other abundance studies, is reliable and accurate. Given the influence that changes in protein levels have on cellular phenotypes, reliable quantification of all proteins presents necessary for a complete understanding of the functions and processes that occur within a
By Disha Padmanabha
cell. Therefore, researchers, through extensive data analysis of yeast cell protein abundance, have now produced reliable estimates of the number of molecules in each protein of a cell and, thus, the total number within a single cell. The team led by scientists at the University of Toronto has established a “reliable estimate” of 42 million for the baseline number of those molecules in such a cell. Led by biochemistry professor Grant Brown of the university’s Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, the team focussed on cancer biology and the study of how cells respond to different kinds of drugs that are used in cancer treatment. Looking at how the changes in “protein landscape”
are important when treating cells with an anti-cancer drug and for determining who is predisposed to disease. To convert these arbitrary measures into the number of molecules per cell, Ho turned to baker’s yeast, an easy to study single-cell microbe that offers a window into how a basic cell works. Yeasts are also the only organism for which scientists have a complete picture of all the proteins encoded by the 6,000 yeast genes, having measured their abundance across the board in 21 studies to date. No such datasets exist for human cells where each cell type contains only a subset of proteins encoded by the 20,000 human genes.
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Vol. 02 NO 5 The wealth of existing yeast data meant that Ho could put it all together, benchmark it and convert the vague measures of protein abundance into “something that makes sense, in other words, molecules per cell,” said Brown. The analysis reveals for the first time how many molecules of each protein there are in
January 30th, 2018. the cell, with a total number of molecules estimated to be around 42 million Most of the proteins exist between a range of 1,000 and 10,000 molecules and some exceedingly bountiful at over a half million copies. Meanwhile, others are visible in fewer than 10 molecules in a cell. Techniques and insight from this study will likely lead to new attempts to quantify pro-
tein molecules in human cells – and thus to insights into the mechanisms involved in protein-implicated diseases. “This study will be of great value to the entire yeast community and beyond,” said Robert Nash, Senior Biocurator of the Saccharomyces Genome Database that will make the data available to researchers worldwide. He
also added that by presenting protein abundance “in a common and intuitive format, the Brown lab has provided other researchers with the opportunity to re-examine this data and thereby facilitate study-to-study comparisons and hypothesis generation.”
Microbiome Could Help Predict Development of Cancer-Related Blood Infections
Microbiome: we live in harmony or at least indifference with the vast majority of these microorganisms. That’s for the best – the American Academy of Microbiology estimates that you may have as many as ten times the number of non-human cells in your microbiome as you have human cells in your body. In other words, you are composed of more them than you. Now, a new study exploring possible indicators of cancer-associated blood infections has named microbiome to be a helpful determining factor. It may be that an imbalanced microbiome along with a leaky gut and not an unhygienic central line is the cause of some bloodstream infections. “Basically, we wanted to see if the composition of a cancer patient’s microbiome could predict who would go on to develop bloodstream and Clostridium difficile infections,” says Bryan Nycz, third year medical student at the CU School of Medicine and the paper’s first author.
The study involved the collection of 42 patient samples. These samples were collected during a 2012 outbreak of Clostridium difficile (C. diff). First, in this population, the composition of the microbiome differed based on a patient’s type of cancer and type of treatment – in other words (and as expected), the location and type of cancer, along with cancer treatments like chemotherapy and antibiotics, affected the diversity and makeup of patients’ microbiomes. Additionally, as expected, the microbiomes of patients who had received bone marrow transplants and subsequent therapies were most affected. Second, the composition of a patient’s microbiome did not necessarily predict which patients would develop C. diff infections. However, the scientists point out that the relatively small sample size may have contributed to not discovering a significant connection between microbiome composition and C. diff infection. Third, the composition of a patient’s mi-
Scientists Call Halt to Cancer Cell Proliferation by Shutting Down Enzymes
The interactions between proteins and biological membranes are important for drug development, but remain notoriously refractory to structural investigation. Further, turning these proteins or enzymes so as to say, that are important for the survival of growing cells is a promising strategy to fight cancer. But to be able to shut down only one specific enzyme out of thousands in the body, drugs have to be tailored to exactly fit their target. This has been particularly difficult for membrane proteins, as they only function when incorporated into the membrane lipid bilayer, and often cannot be studied in isolation. A new study by a collaborative team of scientists at Uppsala University, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and University of Oxford has now been able to demonstrate that shutting down a particular enzyme could curb the growth of cancer cells. The team achieved this by developing a new technique that shows how drugs inhibit the new cancer target dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH). The Erik Marklund group at the Department
By Disha Padmanabha
crobiome did, in fact, predict whether that patient would develop a blood infection. Specifically, the six patients who developed bloodstream infections had significantly reduced microbiome diversity than patients who remained free of infection. Additionally, when Nycz and his scientific mentors examined the types of bacteria implicated in these infections, three of the six patients who developed bloodstream infections had been infected with types of bacteria that were specifically abundant in their microbiome samples. Historically, the widely-accepted term for this type of infection in pediatric oncology patients is “central line associated bloodstream infection” or CLABSI. However, the current study argues that not all bloodstream
infections in this population are introduced via central lines and that CLABSI may thus be an inaccurate term to describe these infections. “It’s way too early to suggest that pediatric oncologists make predictions or manipulate patients’ microbiomes,” says Nycz. “But our results add to a growing body of literature suggesting that the microbiome matters during cancer treatment. In this case, microbiome diversity and composition may help us identify patients at greater risk for blood infections.“
of Chemistry, Uppsala University, has together with the groups of Sir David Lane and Sonia Lain at Karolinska Institutet used computer simulations together with native mass spectrometry, a technique where a protein is gently removed from its normal environment and accelerated into a vacuum chamber. The researchers used this highly accurate ‘molecular scale’ to see how lipids (the building blocks of the cell membrane) and drugs bind to DHODH. The team also found that DHODH binds a particular kind of lipid present in the cell’s power plant, the mitochondrial respiratory chain complex. “This means the enzyme might use special lipids to find its correct place on the membrane,” Michael Landreh explains. “Our simulations show that the enzyme uses a few lipids as anchors in the membrane. When binding to these lipids, a small part of the enzyme folds into an adapter that allows the enzyme to lift its natural substrate out of the membrane. It seems that the drug, since
By Disha Padmanabha
it binds in the same place, takes advantage of the same mechanism,” says Erik Marklund, Uppsala University. “The study helps to explain why some drugs bind differently to isolated proteins and proteins that are inside cells. By studying the
native structures and mechanisms for cancer targets, it may become possible to exploit their most distinct features to design new, more selective therapeutics,” says Sir David Lane, Karolinska Institutet.
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A Fungi Fix: Self Sufficient Concrete that Fixes Itself It’s hard to imagine modern life without concrete. Thanks to its incredible strength and versatility this man-made material is used to build everything from superhighways to kitchen countertops. Also, if you’ve got an older concrete floor, you’ve got cracks- its…. natural. Concrete structures suffer from serious deterioration. Cracks are very common due to various chemical and physical phenomena that occur during everyday use. Concrete shrinks as it dries, which can cause cracks. It can crack when there’s movement underneath or thanks to freeze/thaw cycles over the course of the seasons. Simply putting too much weight on it can cause fractures. Even worse, the steel bars embedded in concrete as reinforcement can corrode over time. Very tiny cracks can be quite harmful because they provide an easy route in for liquids and gasses – and the harmful substances they might contain. Even a slender breach just the width of a hair can allow enough water in to undermine the concrete’s integrity. And considering the aging nature of much of the infrastructure that are in place, we may be soon reaching a time when a large number of structures will need either massive repairs or a complete rebuild, both of which are costly and lengthy processes. Ingeniously simple and inspired by nature, this “self-healing” concrete could mean cracked roads and potholes will soon become
a thing of the past. Yes, the solution to all our infrastructural problems is fungi! A new technique uses fungi to fill the cracks in concrete—creating a self-healing concrete. “The idea was originally inspired by the miraculous ability of the human body to heal itself of cuts, bruises and broken bones,” Congrui Jin, mechanical engineering professor at Binghamton University—State University of New York, said in a statement. “Our work is to explore a revolutionary self-healing concept in which fungi are used to promote calcium mineral precipitation to heal cracks in concrete infrastructure,” she said. “The fungal spores, together with their nutrients, will be added into concrete during the mixing process. When cracks appear and water finds its way in, the dormant fungal spores will germinate, grow, and precipitate calcium carbonate to heal the cracks. When the cracks are completely filled and ultimately no more water can enter inside, the fungi will again form spores. As the environmental conditions become favorable in later stages, the spores could be wakened again.” The researchers’ plan involves embedding spores of a certain fungus, Trichoderma reesei, into the concrete while it’s manufactured. The fungus can stay dormant for months or years, consuming virtually no nutrients.
Eventually, when the concrete cracks, the spores are exposed to air and water, and they become active. The fungus grows inside the concrete, producing calcium carbonate as a byproduct. While calcium carbonate—better known as limestone—isn’t exactly concrete, it does fill the cracks and prevent the concrete from further degrading. Such a system would dramatically extend the lifespan of concrete structures. The research is still in fairly early stages
with the biggest issue being the survivability of the fungus within the harsh environment of concrete. However, Jin is hopeful that with further adjustments the Trichoderma reesei will be able to effectively fill the cracks. “There are still significant challenges to bring an efficient self-healing product to the concrete market. In my opinion, further investigation in alternative microorganisms such as fungi and yeasts for the application of self-healing concrete becomes of great potential importance,” said Jin.
PCR Anywhere You Need It: Biomeme’s Haulable PCR is Here A Mobile phone is capable of performing a wide variety of stuff. At any given moment, it can be a camera, a game console, a GPS, or a flashlight, just to name a few of its many guises. But Max Perelman, the CEO and co-founder of the Philadelphia-based digital health start-up, Biomeme, wants to add another. He wants to turn the average iPhone into a tiny laboratory. The technology Biomeme has developed essentially turns a smartphone into a portable laboratory for low-cost DNA testing. It has multiple uses to help diagnose and prevent diseases that affect people globally, such as diabetes and malaria. The Biomeme team essentially has taken the real-time PCR machine—which can cost thousands of dollars—and made it portable. Yep, you heard that right. Biomeme co-founders Jesse van Westrienen, a trained biologist, and Marc DeJohn, an engineer, conceived of the idea while working together at a New Mexico startup that was developing its own diagnostic tests. Along with Perelman, they began making prototypes in vanWestrienen’s mother-inlaw’s basement. Perelman pitched the idea to various investors before hearing about and applying to the DreamIt Health incubator. And they were accepted. The Biomeme PCR system works by processing a crude sample using an M1 Sample Prep Test Kit, which allows researchers to extract DNA or RNA in about one minute.
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The processed samples are then transferred to a shelf-stable Biomeme Go-Strip, a 3-well strip that is standard in PCR reactions, and is directly placed into a small, portable thermal cycler docked with an iPhone. The user controls thermal cycling reactions with the Biomeme mobile app, and data is automatically synced to the Biomeme online portal for access anywhere.
By Disha Padmanabha
Perelman says, “With all of our developers and partners – you name it, and we have folks using the sample prep to extract [it].” The flexibility lends itself to a variety of applications. “Hundreds of different groups have been using our system, for applications as wide as high school students collecting ticks across the US and speciating [them] and testing for Lyme-related pathogens,” says Perelman, “to folks looking for endangered and invasive fish species in waterways.” He points out that Biomeme is also particularly helpful in international research, when samples cannot be transported across borders to be analyzed. Another advantage of Biomeme is its cloudbased data storage and access. Imagine “an organization with teams of users, and they have multiple devices — dozens and dozens of devices — deployed,” Perelman describes. “The teams can work together and share protocols and test results across the devices, and
then users centrally can be managing all of their results and comparing results across the devices.” The “two3” thermocycling device including the iPhone SE costs $3,995, and M1 Sample Prep Test Kits are sold separately based on researcher needs. While that may seem steep, it represents the convenience, flexibility, and speed with which the Biomeme system can process a sample. According to Perelman, “[the sys-
tem] ultimately costs the same as collecting a sample and sending it to a central lab. But instead of waiting days to weeks to get the results, [users] are getting them in less than an hour.” Biomeme is currently being used in research applications only. In the near future, however, the team hopes to obtain FDA approval for use as a tool for medical diagnostics.
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January 30th, 2018.
Study Finds Cytokine IL-23 to Play Crucial Role in Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases Interleukin-23 (IL-23), an IL-12 family cytokine, plays pivotal roles in pro-inflammatory T helper 17 cell responses linked to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Despite intense therapeutic targeting, structural and mechanistic insights into receptor complexes mediated by IL-23, and by IL-12 family members in general, have remained elusive. However, an international group of scientists have now found that the cytokine IL23 is heavily involved in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, thereby opening the door to new therapies targeting the molecule. Prof. Savvas Savvides of the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research, who led the study said, “We were surprised to find that both IL-23 and its receptor change drastically to create an intimate cytokine-receptor interface. In this interface, the receptor uses a functional hotspot on IL-23, enabling it to recruit an essential co-receptor for pro-inflammatory signaling. The binding site of the co-receptor on IL-23 also emerged as an unexpected finding. What we have now discovered about the pro-inflammatory complex mediated by IL-23 appears to be a new
paradigm in the field.” Focusing on the immunomodulatory cytokine IL-23 they discovered that its pro-inflammatory activity, which underlies a wide range of inflammatory diseases, critically depends on structural activation of the cytokine by its receptor, IL-23R. The results of the study are published in the leading journal Immunity. An estimated 125 million people worldwide are affected by psoriasis and another 100 million by rheumatoid arthritis, while the presence of inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis) in ethnic populations and previously unaffected geographical regions is growing at alarming rates. Since the first description of IL-23 about a decade and a half ago, the structural and molecular basis for the mechanisms underlying the pro-inflammatory activity of IL-23 remained unclear. Prof. Savvides and his team have now shed light on the unique way that IL-23 interacts with at least one of its receptors. In general, cytokines activate receptors. But surprisingly, in the current study, the op-
posite appeared to be true. Prof. Savvides (VIB-UGent): “These initial research milestones from our program on IL-23 will be the cornerstone for further research in our own labs and elsewhere. After
all, many questions still remain unanswered. For instance: how does IL-23 bind with other possible co-receptors? Furthermore, our insights are expected to fuel the development of new therapeutic strategies against IL-23.”
New Enzymes Critical for Cell Functioning Discovered Nitric oxide has been found to be produced by virtually every cell type in the body and plays an important role in controlling the normal function of cells as well as in regulating larger scale processes such as the nervous and immune systems. NO has effects on neuronal transmission as well as on synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system. In the vasculature, NO reacts with iron in the active site of the enzyme guanylyl cyclase (GC), stimulating it to produce the intracellular mediator cyclic GMP (cGMP), which in turn enhances the release of neurotransmitters resulting in smooth muscle relaxation and vasodilation. Nitric oxide via cyclic GMP can also regulate protein kinase G activity, protein phosphorylation and numerous other biological processes. Now, researchers at Case Western Reserve University have discovered previously unknown enzymes in the body that convert NO into “stopgap” molecules—SNOs—that then modulate proteins. The newly discovered enzymes help NO have diverse roles in cells. They may also be prime therapeutic targets to treat a range of diseases. “Nitric oxide has been implicated in virtually all cellular functions, and too much or too little is widely implicated in disease, including Alzheimer’s, heart failure, cancer, asthma and infection,” says study lead Jonathan Stamler, MD, professor of medicine
at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and President, University Hospitals Harrington Discovery Institute. “The prevailing view in the field is that too much or too little NO is due to activity of enzymes that make NO, called NO synthases. However, the new findings suggest that NO synthases operate in concert with two new classes of enzymes that attach NO to target proteins, and raise the possibility of literally hundreds of enzymes mediating NO-based signaling.” The groundbreaking study finally explains how NO can have so many different functions in cells. By converting NO into different SNOs, cells can achieve different results. The study found that the enzymes work together to control proteins through a process called S-nitrosylation. The team describes a chain reaction. First, NO synthases make NO. Then, a new class of enzymes—SNO synthases—convert NO into SNOs, that attach to proteins and modulate their function. A third class transfers the SNOs to additional proteins that control numerous additional cellular functions, including growth, movement and metabolism, and also protect cells from injury. Without SNO synthases, cells can’t use NO. And there are potentially hundreds of different SNO–generating enzymes that make thousands of different SNOs. NO signaling in cells is essentially designed to make SNOs—lots of them.
By Disha Padmanabha
“This opens the field to new understanding and opportunity, as hundreds of enzymes likely carry out signaling inside cells through this process. Each of these enzymes could potentially be targeted specifically in disease,” Stamler said. With so many enzymes in the new model, it now makes sense why drugs that increase NO levels are not interchangeable. “The assumption is that they all work the same way to increase NO. But our findings suggest that NO itself is just the first step. It’s all in what the cell does with NO and which SNO it’s converted into,” Stamler said. “Administration of NO cannot replicate the function of SNOs carried out by these new enzymes.” The researchers further hope to identify individual SNO synthases in different tissues
and their specific roles in disease. The new enzymes could serve as therapeutic targets for drug developers. “The assumption has been that one has to block NO production to stop this from happening. But the treatments don’t work,” Stamler said. Since NO has such sweeping effects inside cells, blocking it has major side effects. Under the new model, researchers could target disease-specific SNO synthases working downstream of NO. “Now we know that we can block S-nitrosylation without altering NO production,” he said. “This provides a new horizon of therapeutic opportunities, and changes perspective in the field.”
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Programmable Droplets that Could Enable More Efficient, Cost Effective Biology Experiments Fluids behave very differently on the micrometric scale than they do in everyday life and microfluidic systems deal with very small volumes of these fluids, down to femtoliters (fL) which is a quadrillionth of a liter. A microfluidic chip is a pattern of microchannels, molded or engraved. This network of microchannels incorporated into the microfluidic chip is linked to the macro-environment by several holes of different dimensions hollowed out through the chip. It is through these pathways that fluids are injected into and evacuated from the microfluidic chip. But the catch is that this means that they are mechanical, and they break down all the time. A massive part of the costs in healthcare—both in development of pharmaceuticals and in lab tests—is spent on the tedious of work of manually moving around small amounts of liquid. A single blood test in the United States costs an average of $1,500. A biologist in a lab will spend 30–50% of their time simply moving liquids, and will go through a massive amount of disposable lab equipment in the process. “Biology is moving toward more and more complex processes, and we need technologies to manipulate smaller- and smaller-volume droplets,” says Udayan Umapathi, a researcher at the MIT Media Lab, who led the development of the new system. “Pumps, valves, and tubes quickly become complicated. In the machine that I built, it took me a week to assemble 100 connections. Let’s say you go from a scale of 100 connections to a machine with a million connections. You’re not going to be able to manually assemble that.” With his new system, Umapathi explains, thousands of droplets could be deposited on the surface of his device, and they would automatically move around to carry out biological experiments. “The operator specifies the requirements for the experiment — for example, reagent A and reagent B need to be mixed in these volumes and incubated for this amount of time, and then mixed with reagent C. The operator doesn’t specify how the droplets flow or where they mix. It is all precomputed by the software.”
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The model uses a printed circuit board, a printed electronic gadget that comprises of a plastic board with copper wiring kept over it. It is designed with a variety of terminals. In the model, the analysts coat the board with a substantially denser cluster of little circles, just a micrometer high, produced using a hydrophobic (water-repellent) material. Beads skate over the highest points of the circles. The specialists are additionally exploring different avenues regarding structures other than circles, which may work better with specific natural materials. The team’s aim was to plan a covering for the surface of the circuit board that would lessen grating, empowering beads to slide crosswise over it, and that would keep natural or concoction atoms from adhering to it, so they won’t debase future investigations. This system has a hydrophobic surface with beads saved on it normally attempt to accept a round shape. Charging a cathode pulls the bead descending, straightening it out. In the event that the cathode underneath a leveled bead is progressively killed, while the anode alongside it is slowly turned on, the hydrophobic material will drive the bead toward the charged terminal. Moving beads requires high voltages, somewhere close to 95 and 200 volts. However, 300 times each second, a charged cathode in the MIT analysts’ gadget interchanges between a high-voltage, low-recurrence (1-kilohertz) flag, and a 3.3-volt high-recurrence (200-kilohertz) flag. The high-recurrence flag empowers the framework to decide a bead’s area, utilizing basically a similar innovation that touch-screen telephones do. In case the bead isn’t moving quickly enough, the framework will naturally support the voltage of the low-recurrence flag. From the sensor flag, the framework can likewise appraise a bead’s volume, which, together with area data, enables it to track a response’s advance. Umapathi believes that digital microfluidics could drastically cut the cost of experimental procedures common in industrial biology. “If you look at drug discovery companies, one pipetting robot uses a million pipette tips in one week. That is part of what is driving the cost of creating new drugs. I’m starting to develop some liquid assays that could reduce the number of pipetting operations 100-fold.”
By Disha Padmanabha MIT researchers have developed hardware that uses electric fields to move droplets of chemical or biological solutions around a surface, mixing them in ways that could be used to test thousands of reactions in parallel. Image: Jimmy Day
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ADMISSIONS Mathematical Ecology; Human Ecology; Behaviour and Sociobiology; Conservation Ecology; Evolutionary Biology, Ecophysiology, Plant Molecular Biology and Development, Imprinting, Molecular Oncology, Cell Biology. Neurobiology of diseases, Nervous System Development; Learning and Memory and Synaptic Physiology; Cognitive Neuroscience and Computation in visual and motor systems. Eligibility:
IISc Integrated PhD Programmes Admissions – 2018
Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology/Biotechnology/ Chemistry/ Physics/ Mathematics/ Pharmacy/ Veterinary Sciences/ Agriculture as applicable to individual disciplines, under the 10+2+3/4 system, are eligible to apply to this program.
Integrated Ph D Programmes:
Candidates with BE/ B Tech degrees who qualify in the Mathematics/ Mathematical Statistics paper in JAM are eligible to apply for the Mathematical Sciences.
The Institute offers exciting opportunities to motivated and talented Bachelor’s degree holders with a keen sense of scientific enquiry for pursuing advanced research in frontier areas of Biological, Chemical, Physical and Mathematical Sciences leading to a Ph D degree. Experience shows that students entering this program save nearly a year compared to those who go for a 2 year Master’s degree program elsewhere and then join the Institute for a Ph D program. Each year, the Institute admits 50 to 60 students (15 to 18 in the Biological Sciences, 15 to 18 in the Chemical Sciences, 15 to 18 in the Physical Sciences and 12 to 15 in the Mathematical Sciences) under this program. The program consists of flexible course work, an internship-type laboratory training (wherein ample opportunities exist for the candidate to acquire basic experimental skills and familiarity with advanced techniques for research), a research project to demonstrate the attainment of a high degree of scientific ability followed by advanced research leading to a Ph D thesis on a specific topic. Eligibility, Selection Procedure, Online Application Instructions given below: Biological Sciences: Department/Centre/Unit: Biochemistry, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Molecular Reproduction, Development & Genetics, Molecular Biophysics, Microbiology & Cell Biology, and Centre for Neuroscience (BS). BASIC QUALIFICATION FOR ELIGIBILITY: First Class in Bachelor’s or an equivalent degree in Physical, Chemical or Biological Sciences (including Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical, Veterinary Sciences and Agricultural Sciences). Areas of Research: Biomembranes – Physical and Physiological Studies; Structure-Function of Nucleic Acids; Gene Structure and Function in Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes; Microbial and Human Genetics; Recombinant DNA Technology; Molecular Virology and Mechanisms of Disease Processes; Enzymology, Protein Chemistry and Engineering; Cellular and Applied Immunology; Molecular Endocrinology and Reproductive Biology; Conformation of Biomolecules and Biopolymers; Protein and Virus Crystallography; Structural Biology;
Candidates with BE/ B Tech degrees who qualify in the Biotechnology paper in JAM are eligible to apply to the Biological Sciences. Candidates who seek admission to the Integrated Ph D programmes at IISc should qualify in JAM 2018 and must submit the IISc online application during February/March 2018. The JAM result must be updated online in the Applicant’s Interface immediately after the JAM results are announced.
are held during 28 to 30 May 2018. Selection – For Biological, Physical and Mathematical Sciences selection will be based on the combined performance in the Test and in Interview. For Chemical Sciences, selection will be based only on the performance in the Interview. Candidates written the following papers in JAM are eligible for the discipline(s) to which they seek admission. • •
Biological Sciences Biological Sciences (BL) or Biotechnology (BT) or Chemistry (CY) or Mathematics (MA) or Physics (PH)
Notes (a) The interview letters for the short-listed candidates will be sent by email at least 2 weeks in advance. Such candidates shall make necessary arrangements for attending the interview. No separate communication will be sent by post. TA (second class sleeper class train fare) will be paid to all the candidates who attend the interview. The SC/ST candidates are invited to come to the Institute one week before the interview date and interact with the faculty members of the Institute.
award of the qualifying degree including all examinations, dissertation projects, viva-voce, etc. (i) Only candidates who produce all the mark sheets and degree certificates (original or provisional) issued by the University Authority will be given regular admission. (j) Candidates who are awaiting results but have completed all formalities for the award of a degree should produce at the time of joining, a Course-Completion Certificate, issued by the Head of the institution (The Principal/Registrar). Such candidates will be given only provisional admission, which will be regularized on their producing all the marks sheets and degree certificates (original, or provisional) etc., issued by the University Authority on or before 31 October 2018, failing which, the provisional admission stands cancelled. (k) Candidates who are given provisional admission are eligible for a scholarship only on regularisation of admission (on production of the required documents). They will be paid a scholarship with retrospective effect, i.e., from the date of joining. Please check Online Application Instructions: https://www.biotecnika.org/2018/01/ iisc-integrated-phd-programmes-admissions-2018/
Candidates who have cleared JEST 2018 and seek admission to the Integrated Ph D programme in the Physical Sciences are also eligible to apply. Additional notes (a) The minimum requirement for admission to the Integrated Ph D program is a FIRST CLASS or equivalent Grade in the Bachelor’s degree (as declared by the University) as indicated against each department. (b) The minimum requirement of a FIRST CLASS in the qualifying examination is relaxed to PASS CLASS for SC/ST candidates. (c) Some departments have specific requirements of subjects at the Bachelor’s or 10+2 levels. Candidates have to ensure that they meet these requirements. (d) Those in the final year of their qualifying examination and awaiting results are also eligible to apply. However, they should have completed all the requirements for the award of the qualifying degree, including all examinations, dissertation projects, viva-voce, etc., by the time of joining, i.e., by the end of July 2018. Integrated Ph D Programmes – The disciplines, minimum qualifications and areas of research are listed in the table given below. Candidates can choose to apply to a maximum of 2 disciplines. Selection Procedure: The short-listing of candidates for interview is done based on the performance in JAM 2018. Short listing for Physical Sciences is also done based on JEST 2018. Interviews
(b) Candidates called for an interview have to make their own arrangements for travel and accommodation etc. (c) Candidates called for an interview should bring with them attested copies of all the transcripts (marks cards from SSLC or equivalent onwards, degree certificates of the qualifying examination, etc.) and produce them before the interview committee, failing which, they will not be interviewed. (d) Candidates belonging to the SC/ST category should bring the original caste/tribe certificates, issued by competent authorities for purposes of verification. (e) Candidates belonging to the Persons with Disability (PwD) and Kashmiri-Migrant (KM) categories should produce the originals of the appropriate certificates, issued as per Government of India rules. (f) The offer letter for the selected candidates will be posted on IISc website www. iisc.ac.in/admissions during the second week of June. They can download the offer letter and make necessary arrangements including payment of fees etc. No separate communication will be sent by post. (g) The candidates admitted to the Integrated Ph D programmes should report to the Institute for completing admission formalities on 26.07.2018. (h) At the time of joining, candidates should have completed all the requirements for the
IMPRS-PMPG Doctoral Programme Admissions – 2018 Applications are open for IMPRS-PMPG Doctoral Programme Admissions – 2018. Its a joint initiative of the University of Potsdam and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology. International Max Planck Research School ‘Primary Metabolism and Plant Growth’
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January 30th, 2018. The IMPRS ‘Primary Metabolism and Plant Growth’ (IMPRS-PMPG) is a joint initiative of the University of Potsdam and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology. The IMPRS-PMPG programme has been running since 2007. We are accepting talented graduate students into the programme at regular intervals. For more information, read on and explore the links on the left hand side. Research Focus: Plant growth, seen from a physiological point of view as resource (carbon, nutrients) acquisition and its conversion into plant biomass, is the main focus of the IMPRS-PMPG. The research projects of our doctoral students aim to elucidate plant growth and biomass acquisition from this physiological point of view with primary metabolism as a starting point. Multicellular organisms adjust their growth and development in response to a multitude of endogenous and exogenous cues including nutrient and water availability, activities of bioenergetics pathways, light and temperature. In order to thrive, they must optimize the use of available resources, balancing their needs for energy, biosynthetic building blocks, and reserves. Whereas animals satisfy their demand of organic nutrients by feeding on plants or other animals, green plants produce all of their own organic compounds. A plant’s ability to grow thus depends entirely on its own photosynthetic and metabolic capacity. The rate of growth and development has to be adjusted to the metabolic status of a plant. To achieve this, the metabolic status needs to be translated into an appropriate response. Thus, growth and primary metabolism are highly interconnected via multiple cross-acting regulatory mechanisms and controls. To study the relationship between primary metabolism and growth, we are following a systems-oriented approach, using Arabidopsis thaliana and other model plants. Our research combines cutting-edge analytical techniques, molecular phenotyping (-omics) technologies and physiology with bioinformatics and modelling approaches. Research is at the core of the doctoral programme. IMPRS-PMPG students conduct their research projects under the supervision of our faculty members, within their groups and departments. You can find more information about the faculty of the IMPRS-PMPG, their research interests and links to their websites on the IMPRS Faculty page. Doctoral Training within IMPRS-PMPG: Our IMPRS is an interdisciplinary doctoral programme devoted to scientific excellence in plant biology, with a focus on plant systems biology and plant genomics. Research is at the core of the doctoral programme. The programme provides intellectual and technical training through original research, interdisciplinary dialogue, and training of transferable skills. Our doctoral candidates are highly skilled young researchers. The doctoral research projects of our students are carried out in our faculty members’ research groups, under the direct supervision of the faculty member and senior scientists in his or her group. In addition, each doctoral student is supported by an independent PhD advisory committee (PAC). The PhD advisory committee is designed to give guidance to the student and evaluate the progress of the research project
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during yearly meetings. The PAC comprises 2-3 members and is tailored to the needs of the student and his or her thesis project. At least one of the committee members has to be from another department than the student, and the student’s direct supervisor is not a member of the committee. The elements of our curriculum and doctoral training have three major aims: • • •
Support of doctoral candidates and their scientific projects Promotion of interdisciplinary dialogue Development of transferable skills
The doctoral candidates within IMPRS-PMPG come from a variety of scientific backgrounds – biology, biochemistry, chemistry, bioinformatics, physics and mathematics. Their research projects have an experimental or theoretical/bioinformatics focus or combine both approaches. We aim to be as flexible as possible in our scientific and complementary training so that the curricular activities fit the individual needs of each PhD student and his or her thesis project. Students who work on one side of the spectrum – experimental or theoretical – come into contact with the other side of the spectrum during the various weekly seminars at different levels in the MPI-MP and, more directly, the monthly IMPRS seminar where IMPRS students present and discuss their research projects. In addition, the yearly IMPRS retreat provides a valuable opportunity for our students to exchange knowledge and experience and to discuss new research ideas in interdisciplinary teams. Application for the IMPRS-PMPG: Requirements and Procedure The IMPRS-PMPG doctoral programme is open for students from all countries. Once you are accepted into the programme, you will be enrolled as doctoral student at the University of Potsdam. Below you find information about requirements for the doctoral programme and your application. The IMPRS-PMPG application call for doctoral projects starting in summer/autumn 2018 is now open. Degree Requirements: To be accepted as a doctoral student, you must hold a Master, Diplom, or equivalent degree in a subject relevant to our programme. In exceptional cases we may accept students with an excellent BSc (1st class honours; 4-year degree) who may need to attend additional courses and seminars during their first year. Additional requirements will be defined on a case-by-case basis. Language Requirements: The language of the programme is English. Therefore, a very good knowledge of English is absolutely required, both for the selection interview and later for the doctoral programme. A working knowledge of German is very useful for living in Germany but is not required for the doctoral programme. We encourage you to support your application with scores of internationally valid language exams like TOEFL, IELTS, or other tests. This will make the evaluation of your application easier for us. If you do not support your application with an English test we may conduct a telephone interview with you
before the interview workshop in Potsdam. Institution code (DI code) for the TOEFL test: 4240 (Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology) Required Documents: At the end of the online application we ask you to upload the following two documents as PDF: •
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Your CV including a personal statement about your motivation. The personal statement is similar to the cover letter you would write in a written application. We would like to hear about your research interests, your background and career goals. With your motivation statement you can tell us why specifically you would like to join our doctoral programme and convince us that you are an ideal candidate. Your academic degree documents, transcripts and language test. These are documents relevant to your application: your Bachelor and Master degree certificates and transcripts, for example. In addition, if you have taken a language test include a copy of the test certificate. All submitted documents and certificates must be in English or German. If they are not in either language, please submit a copy of the original document and a translation into English. Candidates who are accepted into the programme will have to show the original documents and, if applicable, certified translations into English when they register with the University.
didates will give a 10 minute oral presentation about their previous scientific work (e.g. their Masters thesis) and are then asked questions by the audience for 5-10 minutes. On the second day of the workshop, there will be half hour interviews with faculty and coordinators. We may provide you with one or two publications as preparatory material for the interviews 10 days in advance. During the workshop, you will have the chance to visit research groups and talk to group members. You will also get the chance to meet students from the doctoral programme and get a guided tour to learn more about the Institute and University of Potsdam. Final decisions for the awarding of doctoral fellowships will be within three weeks after the selection workshop. Key Information and Dates for the Application Round: The IMPRS-PMPG application procedure is online only. The link to the application portal is on the right hand side of this page. You can find more information below and on the second page. You can download a PDF with instructions, tips and a field-by-field guide for the online application at “Helpful Hints” on the right. When our application call is closed, the PDF will give you an idea of the information we ask for. Please read all information carefully before you apply via the online portal during application calls. Key dates for the application round 2017/2018
All documents should be converted into PDF format before uploading them. If possible, try to optimize the size of the PDF.
Application deadline: The application portal will close at midnight CET on 12 February 2018.
Please note that we can only consider applications that are complete.
First shortlist (aka “long list”): The first shortlist will be created until end of February 2018. We will contact your referees in late February or early March if you are on this shortlist.
Research Interest: In our application form, we ask you to name three IMPRS faculty members whose research is of interest to you and whose research groups you would like to join should you be a successful candidate. You should explain your motivation for choosing a research group and tell us why specifically you are interested in the research of this group. Moreover, we ask you to write an essay that addresses the research of the group that you would like to join the most. In your essay, you can show us your ability to think independently and creatively about science. You can find a list of our faculty members with brief descriptions of their research on the “IMPRS faculty” page. If you click on the name of a faculty member, you are guided to their websites where you find more information about the research in the faculty member’s group and department. Please note that some faculty members may not be available for new projects during specific application calls. All applications will be reviewed during the application time frame. A shortlist will be created based on the best applications and excellent reference letters. Please do not send references directly to us, we will contact your referees. We may contact your referees before the application deadline, and we may also contact you if we have any questions regarding your application. The best candidates will be invited for our two-day selection workshop. The workshop will take place about 8-10 weeks after the application deadline. On the first day, can-
Invitations for interviews: Decisions about whom we invite for interviews will be made in March. Invitations will be sent out by March 26, 2018. Interview workshop: The selection interviews will be held at the end of April (week starting April 23rd). Application Deadline – 12 February 2018.
Arturo Falaschi ICGEB PhD Fellowship Programmes (Life Sciences)
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Vol. 02 NO 5 ICGEB offers competitive Pre-doctoral Fellowships in Life Sciences to highly motivated scientists wishing to pursue PhD research studies in a world-class scientific environment. Fellowships include participation in a competitive research programme, access to state-of-the-art facilities, participation in ICGEB Meetings, Seminars and Journal Clubs and a competitive stipend, plus full coverage of tuition fees and health insurance. The Arturo Falaschi ICGEB Fellowship Programmes: The Arturo Falaschi ICGEB Fellowships programme offers long and short-term fellowships for scientists who are nationals of ICGEB Member States to perform research in Trieste, New Delhi or Cape Town. PhD Fellowships: ICGEB offers postgraduate studies with the aim of obtaining the “Doctor Philosophiae” (PhD) degree in the life sciences. Thanks to specific agreements, the title can be awarded through a number of academic institutions of international standing, which include The Open University (UK) and the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy, the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi and the University of Cape Town in South Africa. The structure of the three-year PhD course includes intensive laboratory research activities, participation in seminars and communication training during Journal Club sessions, symposia and international meetings. Eligibility: Applicants must be nationals of an ICGEB Member State. Nationals of India and South Africa, ICGEB Host Countries, are not eligible to apply for ICGEB Fellowships in their home country. Degree requirements: applicants for ICGEB Trieste should hold a BSc (Honours) degree; applicants for ICGEB Cape Town and New Delhi should hold an MSc degree. Candidates must have a good working knowledge of the English language, supported by a proficiency certificate (TOEFL, Cambridge Certificate, or equivalent). Not required when scholastic education has been undertaken in English. Candidates for Trieste, Italy must be below the age of 32 years at the time of application (i.e. date of birth after 31/03/1986). There is no age limit for applications for ICGEB New Delhi and Cape Town.
January 30th, 2018. programme. To Apply: Applicants should contact the ICGEB Group Leader/PI of their choice with a motivation letter, to determine availability of laboratory space and to define the research project proposal that will form an integral part of the application. Submission: Please complete this application on line. In addition, please upload a single pdf document containing all requested attachments (see application form below). Selection: All submitted applications will be transmitted to the respective ICGEB Liaison Officer in the country of which you are a national for endorsement. Endorsement is a fundamental requirement for the Fellowship to be awarded. The ICGEB Fellowships Selection Committee will evaluate complete and endorsed applications received by the closing date. The main criteria for selection include scientific excellence of the project, the qualities of the candidate’s CV and potential benefit for the home country. The candidates will be notified of the outcome by e-mail as soon as possible following the closing date for applications. Accomodation: •
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ICGEB Trieste: A Housing Service is run through the Welcome Office – Friuli Venezia Giulia. For further information please see: http://www.icgeb.org/ trieste-housing.html ICGEB New Delhi: A Guest House is run on campus, on a twin-share basis, for a nominal rate. ICGEB Cape Town: Accomodation support is provided to fellows. Arrangements are agreed prior arrival.
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The training and research programme of the PhD courses A meta-disciplinary training programme A coaching, counselling and vocational guidance
We are glad to pre-announce the INVITE call for candidatures. The call officially opens on 15 January 2018 and closes at 16 April 2018. From 15 January 2018 you can start the application on a specific online system. You can already get a lot of information about the call on this website in order to be ready when the call opens. Please, keep in your mind that the call must be approved by the Steering Commission of INVITE and light changes and details might be introduced by the official text. The call in short The University of Verona is looking for 14 PhD candidates of any nationality and of any age who wish to embark on a doctoral programme of the University of Verona. We totally offers 14 PhD positions in all disciplines covered by the PhD Programmes of our university, organised in four Graduate Schools: Arts and Humanities; Legal and Economic Sciences; Health and Life Sciences; Natural and Engineering Sciences. Training and research programme of the PhD courses Each INVITE PhD student will be enrolled in one of the fourteen PhD courses of the University of Verona: Health and Life Sciences • • • • • •
Applied Life and Health Sciences Biomolecular Medicine Cardiovascular Sciences Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences Inflammation, Immunity and Cancer Neuroscience, Psychological and Psychiatric Sciences, and Movement Sciences
Natural and Engineering Sciences • • •
Financial Support: Duration: 3 years PhD course with the possibility of 1-year extension. Monthly stipend: Trieste (Italy): Euro 1,300, New Delhi (India): US$ 1,020, Cape Town (South Africa): ZAR 12,500. Travel: the fellowship includes provision for travel expenses from the student’s home country to the ICGEB lab at the beginning of the fellowship and a return travel provision upon completion of the fellowship. Medical health insurance coverage is provided for the duration of the fellowship. University tuition fee is covered for the entire PhD registration period. Visa/permit of stay application and renewal costs are reimbursed. Support for participation in Meetings and Courses is generally provided by the Group Leader / PI. ICGEB makes no financial provision, nor can it provide administrative support for family members of participants in the
of a scientific field. The training and research programme includes three main components:
Doctoral Programme @ University of Verona | 14 Positions Available The INVITE doctoral programme aims to encourage each student’s intellectual curiosity and support the acquisition of critical thinking skills by training them in the use of innovative theoretical tools and practical methods. The students’ research activities will be finalised by the completion of a specific research project, but added value will be achieved by incorporating two additional generic objectives: to acquire theoretical, experimental and procedural skills; and to direct research towards problems relevant for society, industry, or the general development
Biotechnology Computer Science Nanosciences and Advanced Technologies
In addition to the specific core training offered within the chosen doctoral course, PhD students will be involved in a series of activities, including seminars and specialisation courses, which will help to broaden their knowledge on topics of interest that are relevant for their research projects. Students will be encouraged to attend and/or contribute to international conferences and workshops, in order to enhance their capacity to present and discuss scientific data. Who Can Apply? Few restrictions apply to candidates. •
You must not have lived in Italy for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the call deadline, i.e.
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in the period from 15 January 2015 to 15 January 2018; You must hold a Master’s Degree that grants you the access to PhD programmes; You must not already hold a PhD and must have less than 4 years of research experience.
Research Areas: Health and Life Sciences • • • •
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Genomics, Epidemiology–biostatistics, and Microbiology - PhD programme in Applied Life and Health Sciences Biochemistry, and Clinical Proteomics and Genomics- PhD programme in Biomolecular Medicine Cardiovascular Science - PhD programme in Cardiovascular Sciences Epidemiology, Genetics and Pathophysiology - PhD programme in Clinical and Experimental Biomedical Sciences Inflammation, Immunity and Cancer PhD programme in Inflammation, Immunity and Cancer Neurosciences, Psychological and Psychiatric Sciences, and Movement Sciences - PhD programme in Neuroscience, Psychological and Psychiatric Sciences, and Movement Sciences
Natural and Engineering Sciences • • •
Plant biotechnology - PhD programme in Biotechnology Medical informatics, Biomedical image processing and Bioinformatics PhD programme in Computer Science Nanoscience in translation - Phd Programme in Nanosciences and Advanced Technologies
For further information about the research topics, please contact the people indicated at the bottom of each research area presentation. How to Apply? You must apply electronically by 16 April 2018 through a specific platform. The submission system will open on 15 January 2018. To apply you need to fill in an online application form, upload a CV and some additional documents (Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree certificate, Diploma Supplement), upload a motivation and presentation letter and reference letters. You are also expected to propose a research proposal within 14 different research areas. What are the employment conditions: The INVITE PhD students will be enrolled in the PhD programme starting in the Academic Year 2018/2019 and they will be employed from 1st of October 2018 to 30th September 2021, under a 36-month research contract, as defined by the Italian Law 240/2010 Art. 22 (“assegno di ricerca”). It is a temporary work contract introduced specifically for universities and research organisations, that includes retirement contributions and social charges. The salary will be paid on a monthly basis and is composed by the following components (gross amounts): • •
Living allowance: €2000/month for 36 months; Mobility allowance: €600/month for
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January 30th, 2018. •
36 months; Family allowance: €150/month for 36 months for students with family obligations at the call deadline.
As PhD students of the University of Verona you will have access to a lot of services and social benefits. You can find more information about the
employment conditions on this webpage. Please, visit regularly this website to get upto-date and do not miss the deadline.
https://www.biotecnika.org/2018/01/doctoral-programme-university-verona/
JOBS PROGRAM SPECIALIST POSITION FOR LIFE SCIENCES CANDIDATES @ INTERNATIONAL AIDS VACCINE INITIATIVE (IAVI) The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) is a global, not-for-profit, public-private product development partnership organization whose mission is to ensure development of safe, effective and accessible preventive HIV vaccines for use throughout the world. Over the last 15 years, IAVI has been instrumental in building bridges between diverse sectors, creating a unique end-to-end network of global partnerships with stakeholders in 25 countries that ensure participation across regions and domains to accelerate HIV vaccine design and development, and ensure that a vaccine is made available and utilized by those who need it most. IAVI in India is focused on facilitating unique partnerships and inter-disciplinary collaborations with key stakeholders nationally and globally towards accelerating the design and development of affordable and accessible HIV vaccines and other biomedical tools of prevention to help address diseases of public health interest in India and globally. These partnerships nurture emerging science; support capacity and capability building through trainings, information exchange and technology transfer, and assist in strengthening implementation science capacity to aid in alleviating the health-burden created by these diseases. Job Opportunity: Job Title : Program Specialist Location : New Delhi Reports to : Senior Associate Director, Vaccine R&D, IAVI, India Position Summary: IAVI is currently seeking qualified applicants to engage in the design and coordination of research initiatives/programs in India (along
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with Africa and other global partners). Specifically, the applicant would: •
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Aid in outlining collaborative research activities that are critical to HIV prevention and vaccine research and development. Such research activities would focus on population-based studies across the spectrum of HIV disease including: Community engagement (Socio-behavioral and epidemiology research); Clinical research (Establishment of specific cohorts and biorepository); Translational research towards understanding the disease and delineating host-pathogen interactions for identification of molecular signatures associated with disease progression and control; Product design and development, particularly for vaccines and monoclonal antibodies; (The applicant may have expertise in one or more of the above areas) Work with the team to outline and implement capacity and capability building efforts including specific trainings, technology transfer and knowledge sharing activities in the above-mentioned areas and set up appropriate linkages through industry-academia involvements; Coordinate relations with existing internal and external stakeholders including national and international advisors and experts and assist in writing grants and program proposals. Facilitate implementation, coordination and management of various programs, as requested by the team lead.
The position provides a unique opportunity for a professional seeking prospects to lead a strategic portfolio growth, and design and implementation of innovative technical ap-
proaches. As a technical specialist, the role may offer global exposure combined with opportunity for program management and participation in various programs of national significance. Exemplary Skills Required: •
Evidence of specific training in one or more of the above mentioned areas, ideally a PhD in life science/epidemiology/ other allied fields from a top institution; • Experience (2 – 3 years) in design and implementation of related research studies with in-depth technical and operational knowledge, for example towards research preparedness for research and development of biomedical tools (preferably in HIV), clinical and immune-biology research, and product development; • Outstanding analytical skills; ability to do deep primary research, analyse and draw conclusions; • Excellent organizational skills; strong interpersonal relationship skills; must have excellent communication skills – both written and verbal; • Computer skills, including internet navigation and various office applications; • Maturity and poise to interact with senior leadership and both internal and external stakeholders with ability to navigate conversations; • Enjoy both working independently and collaboratively in a small collegial team environment with honesty, integrity, intellectual curiosity; • A self-starter with the ability to deliver under pressure, and meet deadlines effectively. Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are
representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Specific visions abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and abilities to adjust focus. Work Environment: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Compensation: IAVI shall offer a competitive salary and benefits package commensurate with experience. Duration of Project: 1 year contract with possibility of extension subject to satisfaction of service delivery and funding. To Apply: Please send your CV along with a cover letter to schatrath@iavi.org and mpant@ iavi.org . IAVI is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from diversity candidates.