Biotecnika Times Weekly Magazine 2nd April 2019 Edition

April 2nd, 2019.

Vol. 03

NO 72

Headlines:

The CRISPR Patent War Everything You Need To Know Page 2

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HEADLINE

April 2nd, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 72

The CRISPR Patent War – Everything You Need To Know Millions of people suffer from devastating genetic disorders like cancer, sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease and many more.

AN YOU IMAGINE THE PAIN AND SUFFERING THAT COULD BE AVOIDED IF THESE DISEASES COULD SIMPLY BE CURED BY REWRITING THE GENETIC CODE OF PATIENTS? THAT IS HOW PROMISING THE CRISPR-CAS9 GENE-EDITING TECHNOLOGY IS!

By Ms. Urmimala Ray

One of the hottest developments in recent years has been the CRISPR gene editing process. CRISPR stands for “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats” and it’s a way to delete or insert certain genes, or even chemically repair DNA. Its possible applications are arguably endless and there’s a lot of current research happening in chemistry departments all over the world. But there’s one factor some might be missing, and that is the legal side of CRISPR. The US Patent Office is currently conducting hearings on a CRISPR Patent War – a dispute between the University of California and the Broad Institute at Harvard and MIT. Two biochemists at UC Berkeley filed a patent for the process in 2012 and published their work showcasing their process. Feng Zhang from the Broad Institute was also working on CRISPR and filed a patent after the Berkeley team but he paid to have the US Patent Office expedite his review (which is legal) and thus was issued the first CRISPR patent. The debate has become the definition of CRISPR. The Patent Office has said it’s specific to eukaryotes, cells in plants animals and humans, which Zhang’s work involved. The Berkeley team’s work involved prokaryotes, which are only in bacteria and do not have the potential applications that eukaryotes do. The debate between the two uses of CRISPR could shape the future of technology. A patent dispute of this magnitude is likely to affect research globally.

CRISPR in a very short period of time became one of the most exciting scientific breakthroughs in today’s world. If we look back at the early days of CRISPR discovery, we come to know, that neither Francisco Mihika nor Philipp Horvath had the setup to undertake groundbreaking

research. They were merely going about doing routine tasks as part of their jobs or investigating something that just caught the eye. The truth is breakthroughs are most of the times the summation of countless small discoveries. Even you might be working on any small but crucial discovery right now; the manuscript that you write for journals may be picked up someone somewhere in the scientific community to eventually build upon it.

Multiple discoveries about CRISPR were made by many scientists throughout the years and the reason why CRISPR can grow so fast today is that each discovery was communicated to everyone effectively through journals and publications. The scientific community shares one another’s knowledge, successes and failures and science advances as a whole. While Collective progression is an excellent way to accelerate scientific development, it does cause a unique problem – in the discovery of CRISPR it is exactly because so many scientists participated in CRISPR’s development with each having made significant contributions it is impossible to pinpoint a particular person and declare he or she discovered CRISPR. That is the problem that has been unfolding in recent years as scientists scramble to claim patent rights to CRISPR. Many scientists consider their work to be the significant milestone in CRISPR’s discovery but so many important discoveries were made based on previous discoveries which were based on even earlier discoveries. In-

stead of a single scientist discovery of CRISPR, the situation is more of a group of scientists in the discovery of CRISPR. This makes it extremely difficult to conclude who should have the patent rights for CRISPR! Since the technology has so much potential, whoever owns the rights to the process will likely have a billion dollar asset in their pocket.

The CRISPR Patent History The CRISPR mechanism was first published in the year December 1987

by Amemura, Ishino, Makino, Nakata, Shinagawa, Takase, Wachi at Osaka University.

application covers the use of technology to develop phage-resistant bacterial strains for food production, feeds, personal care products, cosmetics, and veterinary products. Since then, patents have been filed by 3 heavily financed Biotechnology start-up companies and half a dozen universities.

UC Berkeley vs MIT – CRISPR Patent War In the US, 2 major competing patent claims have been filed. One on 25 May 2015, grounded in the work led

by Jennifer Doudna at the University of California, Berkeley, and Emmanuelle Charpentier, originally at the University of Vienna and presently at the Helmholtz Centre for Infectious Research in Germany. The application has 155 claims and covers numerous applications for a variety of cell types (US Patent Application No. PCT/US2013/032589).

On 18 Jan 2000, more clustered repeats of DNA were identified in other bacteria and archaea, termed as Short Regularly Spaced Repeats (SRSR) by Mojica, Diez-Villasenor, Soria, Juez at the University of Alicante and University Miguel Hernandez. The term CRISPR-Cas9 was published for the The second was filed for the work of first time by Mojica, Jansen, Embden, Feng Zhang by MIT-Harvard Broad Gaastra, Schouls at Utrecht Universi- Institute on 12 December 2012 which ty in the year March 2002. focused on the use of CRISPR/Cas9 for genome editing in eukaryotic cells.

Later Jennifer Doudna and Jillian A fast-track status was given and the Banfield started investigating CRIS- patent was granted on 15 April 2014 PR at the University of California (US Patent No. 8,697,359). CharBerkeley Regulators debate about what restrictions should be enforced with CRISPR/Cas9, the technology that has become the subject of a major patent dispute.

Dupont had filed the first application to patent the technology in March 2007 (WO/2007/025097). The patent

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April 2nd, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 72

pentier and the UC and Vienna filed a challenge to the patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office, in April 2015. Four years after it entered into a legal battle with the Broad Institute due to a crossover between patents filed by the two parties, the University of California (UC) will soon gain its third patent on the gene-editing technology known as CRISPR. The US Patent and Trademark Office at Alexandria Virginia, Vienna has had hearings about the CRISPR Cas 9 patent interference, with attorneys representing the University of California on one side and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard on the other side just give their case for why they should hold the CRISPR patent.

This is a genome editing technology that people have said will change the world. CRISPR potentially can engineer super crops, snip out genetic diseases from humans and even make designer animal models for research.

Billions of dollars are at stake now, according to experts. The litigious timeline starts way back in May 2012 when a group of biochemist and molecular biologists including Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier filed their first CRISPR patent.

A month later, they published their work in a scientific journal, thus officially kicking off the CRISPR craze.

While Doudna and Charpentier are quickly rising to CRISPR fame so was Feng Zhang from the Broad Institute. Zhang filed his first CRISPR patent in December 2012, and then quickly published a paper famously demonstrating the first use of CRISPR and mouse in human cells. In a perfectly legal move, the Broad Institute paid to expedite the review of their patent and in April 2014, Zhang was the first to receive an approved patent for CRISPR mediated cell editing, even though he submitted his application after the Berkeley group.

Berkeley countered by petitioning for a patent interference, which is a legal proceeding where federal patent court judges determine who made the invention first. The Patent Office did approve Berkeley’s petition but defining CRISPR as a system specifically used in eukaryotes; which are organisms whose chromosomes are found inside a nucleus; such as plants, animals and humans; Not to forget what experts think; that eukaryotes are where the major buck lies at.

if CRISPR has worked for prokaryotes, it would obviously work in eukaryotes too. The UC patent even cited the potential for using CRISPR and cells dozens of times. Berkeley’s attorney in their exact words has said that “no special sauce required” to move CRISPR into eukaryotes.

Doudna’s own words were turned against her, in a defend by the Broad Institute. She had told the press that she expected many frustrations moving CRISPR from prokaryotes to eukaryotes and that she was unsure if it would even work. Zhang’s patent specifically showed how to use CRISPR in eukaryotic cells. There’s a spectrum of possible outcomes from this hearing the simplest is that one side wins the other side loses.

may stand in the way of a much-needed innovation. This ongoing uncertainty is a big problem for commercial applications of gene-editing.

Impact of CRISPR Patent War On Us!

Why should all these CRISPR Patent War matters to a layperson? Of course, it should! We all eat food medicine and get treatments which are products of Biotechnology. Considering that CRISPR’s immense potential for real-world applications such as possibly rectifying mutations that cause cancer and hence curing cancer without chemotherapy. So obviously, whoever manages to claim rights to CRISPR; will be able to control the direction of its development CRISPR Patent War Possible deployment and access to the public.

Outcomes Who knows maybe one day we will depend on medicine or treatments enThe losing team is likely to appeal abled by CRISPR. though and an appeal would take the case out of the hands of patent judges So whether you will eventually pay with molecular biology backgrounds $13.50 a pill for an essential drug or and send it to federal circuit judges 750 dollars a pill will depend on who that are unlikely to have any science is granted the patent. Take, for examtraining at all which may be an unappealing prospect for CRISPR stakeholders. But if Broad institute gets to win this, Berkeley could still get its patent approved, just that it would only cover the prokaryotic uses of CRISPR which look way less lucrative.

Another possible outcome is a sort of tie. The judges declared that both sides filed patents for the same invention and this would kick off a second phase of the case where both sides will have to submit lab notebooks and testimonies to figure out who actually had first thought of the CRISPR technology. There is also a possibility that CRISPR or other gene editing tools will improve so much by the time that judges decide their decision will not really matter.

So, what lies ahead? That depends partly on the appetite of those bankrolling the fight. Neither the UCB nor the Broad Institute is directly paying for this battle. It is being funded by biotech companies instead, which have taken out licenses to the key intellectual property assets in each organization. They have already spent tens of millions of dollars and they are not even in the most expensive phase yet. The costs could easily shoot up to hundreds of millions if the two Doudna and Charpentier’s patent organizations start to sue each other had CRISPR technology used only on grounds of infringement of patent in prokaryotes, such as bacteria. At- claims. If the companies involved torneys argued that the judges would aren’t certain about how large those have messed over the understanding fees will ultimately be, and who they of the word eukaryote. They said that will need to pay licensing fees to, this

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ple, the case of price increase of 5000 percent for Daraprim in 2015, a drug patented and FDA approved in 1953 and it becomes all too easy to see how grants on CRISPR in the 2020s now will affect you and your family’s medical treatments in the 2040s. This is what makes the result of this patent dispute so highly anticipated.

We are still in the developing days of CRISPR technology and there is a lot more to understand and work both in and out of the lab. With the patents, licensing CRISPR may become more straightforward or at least clearer and more organized.

The current atmosphere surrounding CRISPR IP rights may be having a lot of litigation and contention around the core patents. But, one thing is certain, that the pace of innovation to create new nucleases, new ways to edit and more predictability means that the future of these technologies certainly looks promising. The future still remains a little way off—the dust is still settling down.

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April 2nd, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 72

FSSAI Food Analyst Exam 2019 Tentative Schedule FSSAI Food Analyst Exam 2019 official notification is released. Complete notification for 6th Food Analyst Examination 2019 (6th FAE-2019) & 3rd Junior Analyst Examination 2019 (3rd JAE-2019) will be released in May. THE TENTATIVE SCHEDULE FOR THE FAE-2019 & JAE-2019 HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED.

By Diluxi Arya

Candidates willing to apply for Food Analyst Exam 2019 must check the details below. More details of the exam will be updated subsequently.

Particular

Timeline

a) Examination Related The opening of the online portal for submission of application

1st week of May 2019

Last date for receipt of online application

2nd week of June 2019

Date of issue of admit card (online downloadable)

4th week of June 2019

Date of examination – Theory Paper

2nd or 3rd week of July 2019

The announcement of results of Theory Paper

2nd week of August 2019

Date of issue of admit card for Practical Examination

3rd week of August 2019

Date of Practical Examination for Food Analyst

2nd week of September 2019

The announcement of results of FAE-2019

4th week of September 2019

b) Certificate Issuance Related Issuance of JAE-2019 Certificates to qualified candidates

3rd week of September 2019

Issuance of FAE- 2019 Certificates to qualified candidates

1st week of December 2019

HEADLINE

April 2nd, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 72

NIPER JEE 2019 – NIPER Joint Entrance Examination 2019 for MSc & PhD The official notification for the NIPER Joint Entrance Examination 2019 for Master’s & PhD Program.

NIPER JEE 2019 MSC, NIPER JEE 2019 PHD. INTERESTED AND ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES ARE REQUESTED TO CHECK OUT ALL OF THE DETAILS ON THE INSTITUTES INVOLVED, THE SCHEDULE AND MORE ON TIMELINES BELOW:

By Diluxi Arya

NIPER Joint Entrance Examination 2019 – MASTERS Important Points: • Candidates should carefully read and understand the contents of the information brochure before applying for admission.

• The information brochure is subject to alteration(s) and modification(s) without prior notice and the information in this regard will only be displayed on NIPER Ahmedabad website.

• This information brochure is for information only and does not constitute a legal document.

• Candidates must present themselves in person for counselling/ Group Discussion and interview on scheduled date and time.

• Admission fee in full must be deposited at the time of counselling.

• In case of any dispute arising because of any typographical mistake or otherwise the decision of Director, NIPER Ahmedabad will be final and binding on the candidates.

• Candidates are advised to check NIPER Ahmedabad, website www.niperahm.ac.in for updates.

NIPER, AHMEDABAD S.No

Department

1

Biotechnology

10

1

2

Medicinal Chemistry

16

2

3

Medical Devices

10

1

4

Natural Products

10

1

5

Pharmaceutical Analysis

20

2

6

Pharmacology & Toxicology

16

0

7

Pharmaceutics

20

2

102

9

Total

NIPER, GUWAHATI Post Graduate Courses

M.S. (Pharm)

Institutes: • • • • • • • •

NIPER, Ahmedabad NIPER , Guwahati NIPER, Hajipur NIPER, Hyderabad NIPER, Kolkata NIPER, Raebareli NIPER S.A.S Nagar ( Mohali) NIPER, Ahmedabad

Masters Ph.D.

M.(Pharm)

No. of seats

Ph.D. Courses

No. of seats

Pharmacology & Toxicology

15

Pharmacology & Toxicology

02

Biotechnology

10

Biotechnology

01

Pharmaceutics

15

Pharmaceutical Analysis

15

Pharmacy Practice

10

Pharmacy Practice

01

NIPER, HAJIPUR S.No

Department

Masters

1

Biotechnology

16

2

Pharmacy Practice

16

3

Pharmacology & Toxicology

16 Total seats

48

Ph.D.

6

5

6

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April 2nd, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 72

NIPER, HYDERABAD

NIPER, HYDERABAD S.No

Department

05

1

Medicinal Chemistry

26

1

20

03

2

Natural Products

12

4

Pharmacology & Toxicology

15

05

3

Traditional Medicine

4

4

Pharmaceutics

20

03

4

Pharmaceutical Analysis

8

5

Regulatory Toxicology

15

5

Pharmacology & Toxicology

16

6

Pharmaceutical Tchnology(Process Chemistry)

15

6

Regulatory Toxicology

8

7

Pharmaceutics

18

8

Pharmaceutical Technology (Formulation)

6

9

Biotechnology

32

10

Pharmacy Practice

8

11

Clinical Research

8

S.No

Department

Masters

1

Medicinal Chemistry

20

2

Pharmaceutical Analysis

3

Total Seats 7

M.B.A. (Pharm.)

105

Ph.D.

16

30

NIPER KOLKATA Masters

S.No

Department

1

Medicinal Chemistry

7

12

Pharmacoinformatics

16

2

Natural Products

6

13

Pharmaceutical Technology (Process Chemistry)

16

3

Pharmacoinformatics

4

14

Pharmaceutical Technology (Biotechnology)

10

4

Pharmacology & Toxicology

12

1

29

1

Total Seats

Ph.D.

Masters

15

MBA (Pharm)

B.A.M.S.; M.Sc. (Botany)

NIPER, RAEBARELI S.No

Department

1

Medicinal Chemistry

20

2

2

Pharmaceutics

15

2

3

Pharmacology & Toxicology

15

2

4

Regulatory Toxicology

10

Masters

Total Seats

NIPER Joint Entrance Examination 2019- MASTERS ACADEMIC PROGRAM: AVAILABILITY AT VARIOUS NIPERs AND QUALIFYING DEGREES Biotechnology // M.S. (Pharm.)

• Offering NIPER: Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Hajipur, S.A.S. Nagar • Eligibility: B.Pharm.; M.Sc. (Biological Sciences) Pharmaceutical Technology (Biotechnology) M.Tech. (Pharm.)

• Offering NIPER: S.A.S. Nagar • Eligibility: B.Pharm.; M.Sc. (Life Sciences) Pharmacoinformatics (Pharm.)

Total Seats

M.S.

60

Ph.D.

6

• Offering NIPER: Kolkata, S.A.S. Nagar • Eligibility: B. Pharm.; M.Sc. (Organic/Physical/Pharmaceutical Chemistry); M.Sc./B.Tech.

(Bioinformatics); M.Sc. (Biochemistry/Biotechnology/Molecular Biology/Microbiology) Regulatory (Pharm.)

Toxicology

M.S.

• Offering NIPER: Hyderabad, S.A.S. Nagar, Raebarelli • Eligibility: B. Pharm.; B.V.Sc.; M.Sc.(Pharmacology/ Toxicology /LifeSciences /Biochemistry /Medical Biotechnology /Zoology); M.B.B.S.

Pharmaceutical M.B.A. (Pharm.)

Management

• Offering NIPER: Hyderabad; S.A.S. Nagar • Eligibility: B.Pharm.; B.Tech (Chemical Engg. or equivalent); M.Sc. (Chemical /Life Sciences)

188

Ph.D.

3

2

1

1

12

42

It is mandatory to bring GPAT/ GATE/NET score card at the time of counselling/Group Discussion and Interview. Further GPAT/ GATE/NET is an essential qualification for all programme [including M.B.A.(Pharm.) except for the following categories of candidates.

1.4.1 Candidates holding B.V.Sc./ M.B.B.S./B.A.M.S .degree 1.4.2 Foreign nationals Eligibility 1.4.3 Sponsored candidate from The candidate should have valid public/private sector undertaking, GPAT Score and passed the qualify- Govt. departments and rese ing degree with a minimum of 60% arch and development organizations marks in aggregate or CGPA of 6.75 1.4.4 Candidates applying as on a 10 point scale wherever grades NRI or their wards [in case of are awarded or equivalent (Percent- M.B.A.(Pharm.)] age of marks or CGPA so calculated will be based on the norms fixed by How to Apply: the concerned University/Institution or aggregate marks or CGPA scored Applicants shall register online on by the candidate for all years of the www.niperahm.ac.in as per instrucqualifying degree, in case Universi- tions are given on the website. The ty/Institution has not prescribed any process of online registration shall norm for calculating such percentage commence on 01‐4‐2019, onwards and will continue till 15‐05‐2019. or CGPA)).

Instruction for Registration is availFor students awaiting Final year able on www.niperahm.ac.in website. result”

Students awaiting their final year results need to send confidential reTraditional Medicine M.S. sults from official email ID of respective university Registrar before final (Pharm.) counselling to the following Email confidentialresult@niperahm.

• Offering NIPER: S.A.S. Nagar ID: • Eligibility: B. Pharm.; ac.in“.

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April 2nd, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 72

REGISTRATION FEE FOR OPTION‐1 Registration Fee (Pharm.)/M.Pharm./ (Pharm.)

For M.S. M.Tech.

• Gen/OBC/PH/NRI – Rs. 3000/‐ • SC/ST – Rs. 1500/‐ OPTION‐2 Registration (Pharm.)

Fee

For

M.B.A.

• Gen/OBC/PH- Rs. 3000/‐ • SC/ST – Rs. 1500/‐ OPTION‐3 Combined Fee for both of the above streams viz. M.S. (Pharm.)/ M.Pharm./ M.Tech. (Pharm.) & M.B.A. (Pharm.)

• Gen/OBC/PH/NRI – Rs. 4000/‐ • SC/ST – Rs. 2000/ Note: The transaction charges will be applicable as per RBI circular No. DPSS.CO.PD.NO 1633/02.14.003/2017‐2018 dated.

06‐12‐17. Rates as per RBI will be applicable for campaign period.

ONLINE ENTRANCE TEST(Computer Based Test)

Products/Pharmacology & Toxicology/Regulatory Toxicology/ Formulation/Biotechnology/ Pharmaceutics/Pharmacoinformatics); M.E./M.Tech./M.Sc. (Pharmacology/Biotechnology/ Nanotechnology/Computational Sciences/Biochemistry/Toxicology/Zoology/Physiology/ Life Sciences/Microbiology/ Organic Chemistry/Pharmaceutical Chemistry); M.D.(Pharmacology), M.V. Sc. (Pharmacology/Pathology/Biotechnology), MCA. Department: Biotechnology • Offering NIPER: Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Hajipur, S.A.S. Nagar • Eligibility: M.S. (Pharm.)/M. Pharm./M.Tech.

(Pharm.)

(Medicinal Chemistry/ Pharmaceutical Chemistry/Natural Products/Pharmacology & Toxicology/ Formulation/Biotechnology/Pharmaceutics/ Pharmacoinformatics); M.E./M. Tech./M.Sc. (Biotechnology/ Life Sciences/Computational Sciences; Biochemistry/ Botany/Zoology/Physiology/Life Sciences/Organic Chemistry/ Pharmaceutical Chemistry); M.V.Sc.; MCA.

The online test shall be conducted on 9th June 2019, at the following Department: Pharmaceutical centres: Technology (Biotechnology) AHMEDABAD, SURAT, RAJKOT, BENGALURU, BHOPAL, CHENNAI, CHANDIGARH, DEHRADUN, GUWAHATI, HYDERABAD, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, NEW DELHI, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, PUNE, AGRA, VIJAYAWADA, COIMBATORE, PATNA, RANCHI, RAIPUR and BHUBANESHWAR NIPER Joint Entrance Examination 2019- PhD ACADEMIC PROGRAM: AVAILABILITY AT VARIOUS NIPERs AND QUALIFYING DEGREES Discipline of Biological Sciences Department: Toxicology

Pharmacology

&

• Offering NIPER: Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Raebareli, S.A.S. Nagar • Eligibility: M.S. (Pharm.)/M. Pharm./M.Tech. (Pharm.) (Medicinal Chemistry/ Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Natural

• Offering NIPER: S.A.S. Nagar • Eligibility: M.S.(Pharm);M. Pharm; M.Sc.(Life Sciences); M.Tech (Pharm.)(Biotechnology) How to Apply: • Applicants shall register online on www.niperahm.ac.in as per instructions are given on the website. The process of online registration shall commence on 01‐4‐2019, onwards and will continue till 15‐05‐2019.

• Instruction for Registration is available on www.niperahm. ac.in website.

Registration Fee for • Gen/OBC/PH – Rs. 3000/‐ • SC/ST – Rs. 1500/‐ Note: The transaction charges will be applicable as per RBI circular No. DPSS.CO.PD.NO 1633/02.14.003/2017‐2018 dated 06‐12‐17. Rates as per RBI will be applicable for campaign period.

Candidates appearing for final qual-

ifying examination (including NET‐ JRF) can also apply but they must produce a final result on the day of interview failing which their candidature shall be rejected.

ONLINE ENTRANCE TEST(Computer Based Test) The online test shall be conducted on 9th June 2019, at the following centres:

7

AHMEDABAD, SURAT, RAJKOT, BENGALURU, BHOPAL, CHENNAI, CHANDIGARH, DEHRADUN, GUWAHATI, HYDERABAD, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, NEW DELHI, THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, PUNE, AGRA, VIJAYAWADA, COIMBATORE, PATNA, RANCHI, RAIPUR and BHUBANESHWAR.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR ADMISSION – MASTER PROGRAM Date of commencement of Online Registration

01 April 2019

Monday

Last date for online Registration

15 May 2019

Wednesday

31May 2019

Friday

09 June 2019

Sunday

17 June 2019

Monday

8-9, July 2019

Monday – Tuesday

09 July, 2019

Tuesday

Online Delivery of Admit Card to respective e‐ mails/Downloads Online NIPER Joint Entrance Examination (Computer Based Test) Declaration of result (Website‐www.niperahm.ac.in) Group Discussion and Interview for M.B.A. (Pharm.)

M.B.A. (Pharm.) Joint Counselling (Reporting Time 4 pm ) NIPER Joint Counselling for admission to Masters Programmes Orientation & Commencement of classes

10-12 July 2019 29 July 2019

Wednesday – Thursday Monday

IMPORTANT DATES FOR ADMISSION – PH.D Date of commencement of Online Registration

01 April 2019

Monday

Last date for online Registration

15 May 2019

Wednesday

31May 2019

Friday

09 June 2019

Sunday

17 June 2019

Monday

Interview for PhD at NIPER Ahmedabad

13-14, July 2019

Saturday Sunday

Declaration of result at NIPER Ahmedabad website for PhD

15 July 2019 (11.00 am) 15 July 2019 (12.00 pm)

Online Delivery of Admit Card to respective e‐ mails/Downloads Online NIPER Joint Entrance Examination(Computer Based Test) Declaration of result (Website‐www.niperahm.ac.in)

Ph.D Joint counselling Orientation and commencement of classes

29 July 2019

Monday Monday Monday

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April 2nd, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 72

NEWS

April 2nd, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 72

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World’s First Fully Automated DNA Data Storage System Researchers from the University of Washington and Microsoft have demonstrated the first fully automated system to store and recover data in manufactured DNA–a key step in moving the novel tech out of the research lab and into the commercial data-information centers.

THE RESEARCH TEAM SUCCESSFULLY ENCODED THE WORD “HELLO” IN SNIPPETS OF FABRICATED DNA AND CONVERTED IT BACK TO DIGITAL INFORMATION USING A FULLY AUTOMATED END-TO-END SYSTEM.

By Preety Suman

The findings of the study are explained in a new paper published on March 21 at Nature Scientific Reports.

DNA can save digital information at a place that’s orders of magnitude smaller than data centers use now. It’s one promising option for storing the exploding amount of information the world generates each day, from company records and cute animal videos to medical scans and pictures from outer space.

an industrial storage alternative, costs need to decrease for both synthesizing DNA–essentially custom-building strands with purposeful sequences–and the sequencing procedure which extracts the saved data. Trends The team in the UW and Microsoft is are moving rapidly in that direction, investigating ways to close a gap be- researchers say. tween the number of information we are generating that needs to be main- As per the team, Automation will entained and our capacity to keep it. able storage at commercial scale and Including developing algorithms and will make the tech more affordable. molecular computing technologies to encode and retrieve information Automation is another key piece of in manufactured DNA, which might that puzzle, as it would enable storfit all the information now stored in a age at a commercial scale and make it warehouse-sized data center to space even more affordable, the staff says. roughly the size of a few board game dice. “To accomplish this, we needed Under the ideal conditions, DNA to prove that this is practical from an can last considerably longer than current archival storage technology that automation perspective.” degrade in a matter of decades. Some Lead author Chris Takahashi, a DNA has managed to last in less than senior research scientist in the Allen ideal storage conditions for tens of school said, “Information is stored in thousands of years in mammoth tusks artificial DNA molecules generated in and bones of ancient people, and it a lab, maybe not DNA from humans should have relevancy as long as peoor other living beings, and may be ple are living. encrypted before it is sent to the machine. While sophisticated machines The automated DNA data storage such as synthesizers and sequencers system consists of software develalready function crucial areas of the oped by the team that converts the process, many of the intermediate ones and zeros of digital data to the steps until today have required man- As, Ts, Cs, and Gs. Subsequently, it ual labour in the research laboratory. uses inexpensive, largely off-the-shelf But that wouldn’t be viable in a com- lab equipment to stream the necessary mercial setting,”. “You can not have a fluids and compounds into a synthebunch of people running a data center sizer that builds fabricated snippets of with pipettes–it is too prone to human DNA then pushes them into a storage error, it’s too costly and the footprint vessel. would be too big,” he said.

After the system needs to recover the information, it adds additional For the technique to make sense as

compounds to properly prepare the DNA and uses microfluidic pumps to push the liquids into a machine which”reads” the DNA sequences and converts it back to information that a computer can comprehend.

The intention of the project wasn’t to prove how quickly or the system could work, researchers say, but only to show automation is possible.

One immediate benefit of having an automatic DNA storage system is the fact that it frees up researchers to probe deeper questions, instead of spending time looking for bottles of reagents or repetitively squeezing drops of fluids into test tubes.

“Having an automated method to do exactly the repetitive work allows those people working in the laboratory to take a higher view and start to build new strategies–to innovate much faster,” explained Microsoft researcher Bichlien Nguyen.

UW’s Molecular Information Systems Lab research team has already demonstrated the ability to store cat photos literary works, pop videos, and archival recordings in DNA, and retrieve those files without mistakes in a research setting. Till date they’ve been able to store 1 GB of data in DNA, breaking their previous world record of 200 MB. The researchers also have developed methods to execute meaningful computation–like searching for and retrieving only images that contain an apple or a green bicycle–utilizing

the molecules themselves and without needing to convert the documents into a digital format. “We’re certainly seeing a new kind of computer program being created here where you’re using molecules to store data and electronics for control and processing. Putting them together holds some very interesting possibilities for your near future,” said UW Allen School professor Luis Ceze.

Unlike silicon-based computing systems, DNA-based storage and computing systems need to utilize fluids to move atoms around. But fluids are inherently different than electrons and also require completely new engineering solutions.

The researchers are developing a programmable system which automates laboratory experiments by harnessing the properties of water and electricity to move droplets around to a grid of electrodes. The complete stack of hardware and software, nicknamed”Puddle” and”PurpleDrop,” can mix, separate, heat or cool different liquids and operate lab protocols.

The target is to automate lab experiments which are presently being performed by hand or from expensive liquid handling robots–except for a fraction of the cost.

Next steps for the team include incorporating the easy end-to-end automatic system with technology like PurpleDrop and those that enable searching with DNA molecules.

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New Gene Editing Record Made With 13200 Edits In Single Human Cell Since its creation, CRISPR has allowed scientists to perform DNA changes at particular locations in a genome that can be done only once at a time.

NOW A GROUP OF RESEARCHERS AT THE HARVARD UNIVERSITY SAYS IT HAS USED THE TECHNIQUE TO CREATE 13,200 GENETIC ALTERATIONS TO A SINGLE CELL CREATING A NEW GENE EDITING RECORD.

By Preety Suman

Using a modified version of CRISPR, a team of geneticists has successfully triggered 13,200 genetic modifications to a single human cell. That is a new record, by a long shot. This new editing process could be used to strip DNA of useless or dangerous genetic information–or create completely new kinds of life.

The team, headed by gene technologist George Church, wants to rewrite genomes at a far bigger scale than has currently been potential, something it states could finally contribute to the”radical redesign” of species–even humans.

Large-scale gene editing of this sort was tried before. In 2017, an Australian group headed by Paul Thomas peppered the Y chromosome of mice with edits and succeeded in hammering it from existence. That strategy is being eyed as a possible treatment for Down syndrome, a hereditary disorder brought on by an extra chromosome.

genome.

Since CRISPR cuts open the double helix, making a lot of edits simultaneously will kill a cell. This threat has restricted past attempts at large-scale editing. Geoff Faulkner, of the University of Queensland in Australia, states in 2016 he tried knocking out LINE elements in 500 mouse embryos, hoping to determine if this would influence mouse behavior. But no such mice lived to reproduce.

To prevent this problem, the Harvard team instead adopted a variation of CRISPR known as a base editor that avoids cutting DNA and instead replaces one genetic correspondence with a different –say, turning a C to These genetic elements, which are a T. able to copy themselves, are estimat- According to their paper published ed to account for around 17% of our in March to the preprint website Bi-

oRxiv, the team managed to make over 13,000 changes simultaneously in certain cells without destroying them.

“They found a means to do the experiment without causing gross genome-wide instability,” Faulkner says.

Other scientists were impressed, stating the work is not the”enabling” measure for large-scale genome editing it is promoted to be.

Church, however, sees large-scale editing as a way to clean up genomes by simply removing the genetic junk they contain. In 2015, for example, the laboratory zapped all 62 copies of a retrovirus that lurks within the genomes of pigs. Such viruses can reactivate, hence creating monkeys with-

out them is a safety measure toward pig-to-human organ transplants.

A firm spun from the laboratory, eGenesis, is already creating pigs with scores of edits so their organs can be tolerated by individual transplant recipients.

As reported in MIT Review Church says his eventual purpose is to create supplies of human organs or tissues whose genomes are substituted so they are immune to viruses. That process, known as recoding, would entail about 9,811 precise genetic modifications, according to the team.

Church says the laboratory has started the process of recoding supplies of their own cells in the lab. “These are meant to be secure… and universal stem cells,” he states.

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CRISPR Powered e-Transistors For Quick Genetic Mutation Detection

To harness CRISPR’s gene-targeting ability, the researchers took a deactivated Cas9 protein -- a variant of Cas9 that can find a specific location on DNA, but doesn’t cut it -- and tethered it to transistors made of graphene. When the CRISPR complex finds the spot on the DNA that it is targeting, it binds to it and triggers a change in the electrical conductance of the graphene, which, in turn, changes the electrical characteristics of the transistor. Credit: Keck Graduate Institute CRISPR-CHIP – A CRISPR POWERED E-TRANSISTOR MADE OF GRAPHENE IS A NEW DEVICE DEVELOPED BY A GROUP OF ENGINEERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY & THE KECK GRADUATE INSTITUTE (KGI) OF THE CLAREMONT COLLEGES, THAT CAN DETECT A GENETIC MUTATION WITHIN MINUTES.

By Preety Suman

The device, called CRISPR-Chip, could be used to diagnose hereditary diseases or to evaluate the accuracy of gene-editing techniques.

“We’ve developed the first transistor that uses CRISPR to look for your genome for potential mutations,” said Kiana Aran, an assistant professor at KGI who imagined this tech while a postdoctoral scholar at UC Berkeley bioengineering professor Irina Conboy’s lab. “You just put your purified DNA sample on the processor, allow CRISPR to do the search and the graphene transistor reports the result of this search in minutes” Physicians and geneticists can now order DNA to pinpoint genetic mutations underlying a multitude of traits and conditions, and companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA even make these tests available to curious consumers.

But unlike most forms of genetic testing, for example recently developed CRISPR-based diagnostic methods, CRISPR-Chip uses nanoelectronics to detect genetic mutations in DNA samples without first”amplifying” or replicating the DNA segment of interest tens of thousands of times over through time- and an equipment-intensive procedure called polymerase chain reaction or PCR. This implies it could be used to perform genetic testing in a physician’s office or field work setting without needing to send off a sample to a lab.

“CRISPR-Chip has the benefit that it actually points of maintenance, it is one of the few things where you could do it at the bedside if you had a fantastic DNA sample,” explained Niren Murthy, professor of bioengineering at UC Berkeley and co-author of this paper. “Finally, you just have to

take an individual’s cells, extract the DNA and combine it together with the CRISPR-Chip and you will have the ability to tell if a certain DNA sequence is there or not. That could possibly lead to a true bedside assay for DNA.” The CRISPR-Cas9 process is famous for its capacity to snip threads of DNA at precise locations like a set of razor-sharp scissors, giving scientists unparalleled gene-editing capabilities. But in order to precisely cut & paste genes, the Cas9 protein first needs to identify the specific location from the DNA that it needs to alter.

It then opens up the double-stranded DNA to scan through unless it locates the matching sequence that guides RNA and then latches on it.

To harness CRISPR’s gene-targeting skill, the investigators chose a spoonful Cas9 protein–a variant of Cas9 that can get a particular location on DNA but does not cut it – and tethered it to transistors made of graphene. After the CRISPR complex finds the spot on the DNA it is targeting, it binds to it and activates a shift in the electrical conductance of the graphite, which, in turn, alters the electric characteristics of the transistor. These changes can be identified with a hand-held apparatus developed by the team’s industrial collaborators.

Graphene, built of a single atomic layer of carbon dioxide, is so electrically sensitive it can detect a DNA chain”struck” at a full-genome sample without PCR amplification.

“CRISPR brought the selectivity,

graphene transistors brought the sensitivity and, collectively, we had the ability to do this PCR-free or amplification-free detection.”

Aran hopes to “multiplex” the device, allowing doctors to plug multiple guide RNAs simultaneously to detect a number of genetic mutations in a few minutes.

“Envision a page with a lot of research boxes, in our instance transistors, and you have your guide RNA info in those search boxes, and each of these transistors will do the search and report the result electronically,” Aran said.

To illustrate CRISPR-Chip’s sensitivity, the group utilized the device to discover two common genetic mutations in blood samples from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients.

Conboy, the co-author of the paper, states CRISPR-Chip might be an especially useful instrument for DMD screening because the severe muscle-wasting disease can be caused by mutations through the massive dystrophin gene–among the longest in the human genome–and spotting mutations could be costly and time-consuming using PCR-based genetic testing.

“As a practice at the moment, boys who have DMD are typically not screened until we are aware that something is wrong, then they undergo a genetic confirmation,” said Conway, who is working on CRISPR-based treatments for DMD.

“Using an electronic device, you could design direct RNAs throughout the entire dystrophin gene, and then you can just screen the entire sequence of the receptor in a matter of hours. You could screen parents, or even newborns, for the existence or absence of dystrophin mutations– then, if the mutation is discovered, therapy could be started early, until the disease has really grown,” Conboy said.

Rapid genetic testing might also be utilized to help doctors develop individualized treatment programs for their patients, Murthy said. By way of instance, genetic variants make some people unresponsive to expensive blood thinners, such as Plavix.

“If you’ve got particular mutations or certain DNA sequences, then that will very accurately forecast how you will respond to certain medications,” Murthy said.

In the end, since the CRISPR-Chip may be used to monitor whether CRISPR binds to specific DNA sequences, it could also be used to test the effectiveness of CRISPR-based gene-editing practices. For instance, it might be employed to confirm that manual RNA sequences are designed correctly, Aran said.

“Combining modern nanoelectronics with contemporary biology opens a new door to find access to new biological information which wasn’t available before,” Aran said.

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Illumina To Sequence 10,000 Year Old DNA To Analyse Brain Disorders Taking a deep dive into the genetics of human history, Illumina plans to help in mapping individual DNA fragments spanning thousands of years in a search for clues into today’s mental health issues and neurological ailments.

AS PART OF A COLLABORATION WITH THE LUNDBECK FOUNDATION CENTER FOR GEOGENETICS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN, THIS PROJECT AIMS TO UNDERSTAND THE EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISEASES AND ALSO IF ANY INFECTIOUS PATHOGENS OR MICROBES WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF FINDING NEW APPROACHES FOR DRUGS AND PRECISION TREATMENTS.

By Preety Suman

By complete mapping of the DNA from thousands of early Eurasian human remains with data gathered from bones and teeth as old as 100 centuries the Researchers hope to build a large dataset into the genesis of ailments such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.

slev, the Prince Philip Professor at the University of Cambridge and the Lundbeck Foundation Professor in the University of Copenhagen stated that- It has been observed that over the past 10,000 years, humanity has When complete, the publicly avail- experienced some of the greatest lifeable dataset is going to be split into style changes in the history of our two subsets of genomic data: one species. would be a panel of 5,000 ancient human genomes and other would be a Willerslev also stated that- Their panel of ancient DNA from microbes diet changed as they developed from or pathogens associated with human hunter-gatherers to farmers, their settlement patterns changed and there diseases. have been changes in pressure of inThe lead of the Team Eske Willer- fection from the pathogenic micro-or-

ganisms to which we were exposed due to altered living conditions.

He also further stated that- they also know that chronic viral, bacterial and fungal infections might be causative factors in neuropsychiatric diseases, so there is every reason to believe that the analyses of DNA from this period will show substantial trends–giving us the ability to create new, publicly available reference sets to enhance both the scientific and healthcare communities’ understanding of disease evolution.

Learn New Techniques

To power the job, Illumina brings its strongest system, the NovaSeq 6000, with the objective of sequencing up to 20 billion ancient DNA fragments every two days.

Willerslev ended the conversation stating that- While they have conceived this project to explore the evolutionary origins of genetic disorders years ago, it was just not possible to realize before Illumina’s NovaSeq System came on the marketplace.

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Biomechanism Of How Ebola Attaches To Host Cells Discovered According to recent reports, there is a drastic increase in the number of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo which makes it the second-worst outbreak in history following the 2014 outbreak in West Africa where 29,000 people were infected and more than 11,000 died.

THIS LATEST MILESTONE IS AN URGENT REMINDER OF THE NEED TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT AGENTS FOR THIS OFTEN DEADLY DISEASE.

By Swarna Khushbu

The people who are infected with the Ebola virus experience severe illness, including hemorrhagic fever, which may lead to internal bleeding.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is no specific medical treatment for Ebola until today.

The main aim of developing treatments for the disease is understanding the mechanisms of the infection process. Researchers know that to enter a human cell, Ebola takes advantage of a natural process called macropinocytosis, through which it cleans up its environment by internalizing the dead cell debris that surrounds it.

Proteins on a cell’s surface to serve as receptors allowing immune cells to comprehend the dead cell debris and internalize it. The virus interacts with T-cell immunoglobulin proteins and mucin domain (TIM) proteins and uses them to hijack its way into the cella and Once inside, the Ebola virus membrane fuses to the endosome, which has formed around it and releases its genetic content into the cell.

Frank Zhang, associate professor of bioengineering and of mechanical engineering at Lehigh University said that the Viral RNA of Ebola further hijacks the cell mechanism to create proteins and replicate themselves inside. Then it nicks off the membrane leading to the formation of a new virus – while the healthy host cell dies.

Anand Jagota CEO and founder of the Lehigh’s Department of Bioengineering and Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering stated that- While Ebola-host cell attachment has been shown to depend on the molecular biomechanics of interaction between receptors on the cell surface and the outer coating of the virus, the quantitative understanding essential for guiding the development of treatments has not been developed yet.

The Scientists Zhang and Jagota have teamed up in order to understand the biomechanics of Ebola virus-host cell adhesion. The project comprises of Jagota’s experience in computational molecular adhesion mechanics with Zhang’s focus in mechanosensing, or how cells sense and respond to mechanical stimuli. The duo working along with their co-team members Sven Moller-Tank and Wendy Maury in the University of Iowa have developed a simple model that characterizes the biomechanics of Ebola virus-host cell adhesion? findings that could provide new and helpful information regarding the path to creating an effective Ebola treatment. Their research has been published in Scientific Reports in an article titled: “Biomechanical characterization of TIM protein-mediated Ebola virus-host cell adhesion”.

Zhang stated that- they utilized single-molecule force spectroscopy to measure the specific interaction forces between the TIM proteins of a host cell and Ebola-virus-like particles.

It is important for Ebola attachment into a host cell in addition to illuminating the biomechanical parameters, the group also demonstrated experimentally that TIM-Ebola virus connections are mechanically comparable to adhesion molecules (e.g., selectin) ligand interactions. Through a simple mechanical model, the team further demonstrate how molecular binding parameters to determine if they’re sufficient for viral adhesion.

The main idea behind this model is

to show how single-molecule measurements can be combined with other physical properties of the system, such as density of ligand-receptor pairs and membrane stiffness in order to predict whether and to what extent a viral particle will adhere to the cell membrane. The team models attachment as being pushed by adhesion involving TIM proteins and phosphatidylserine on the surface of the virus thought to mediate the virus-host cell attachment and resisted by tissue bending.

Jagota said, “The model’s simplicity has enabled us to highlight the importance of two dimensionless groups of parameters and their possible ability to block adhesion,”.

For instance, in the study, Zhang would bring a virus-like particle to a cell with its TIM receptor expressed, observe their interaction, and pull

them apart to ascertain the mechanical strength of their interaction, or how much force is required to pull them apart.

To understand the interaction between Ebola and the cell mathematical models were used by Jagota which included what amount of attributes represent the Ebola virus, what is its stiffness, its form, what properties represent the cell and the components it presents on its surface.

Jagota concluded that – The expectation is that this quantitative knowledge about the biomechanics of adhesion may be used to predict conditions for Ebola’s attachment,” Long-term, the goal is for this information to help bring about new pharmacological targets and help in the development of much-needed antiviral therapeutics for the treatment and prevention of Ebola.

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Why Some Cancer Cells Die With Treatment & Others Don’t A question – Several cancer drugs work by promoting “apoptosis,” or programmed cell death, some cancer cells readily undergo apoptosis in response to these therapies, but others don’t. Why? RESEARCHERS AT THE MOUNT SINAI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE TEAMED UP WITH IBM RESEARCH HAVE COME UP WITH AN ANSWER TO THE ABOVE QUESTION – THEY HAVE FOUND A CLUE IN THE MITOCHONDRIA, THE COMPONENTS OF CELLS WHICH PRODUCE ENERGY.

By Swarna Khushbu

In short, cells with fewer mitochondria were more likely to react to drugs that promote apoptosis.

With a mathematical model developed by IBM, the team started their examination by exposing several kinds of cells, including breast and pancreatic cancer cells into six different doses of an apoptosis-promoting drug, then they also measured how differences in cell survival changed according to the abundance of mitochondria.

They concluded that 30 percent of the variability in responses to pro-apoptosis drugs could result from mitochondria. The Researchers discovered that Cancer cells with identical genes but different quantities of mitochondria could react differently to medication treatments. Their detailed study was published in the journal Nature

Communications.

In an announcement, co-author Pablo Meyer, Ph.D., team leader of Translational Systems Biology at IBM Research and an adjunct professor at Mount Sinai stated that- Enhancing our knowledge of the relationship between mitochondria variability and drug response may lead to more effective targeted cancer therapies, allowing us to find new ways to attack the issue of drug resistance. The potential role of cancer cells energy facilities in drug resistance has been of interest in the oncology communi-

ty. Last year, scientists at the University of Cincinnati found that genetic abnormalities in mitochondria can affect “autophagy,” the process by which cells recycle elements and use them as energy resources. Those abnormalities may interfere with some cancer therapies.

tes medication metformin.

The Researchers from Mount Sinai and IBM believe their findings will have broad utility in cancer research going forward.

They Mentioned in their study thatlet say For example higher mitochonOther researchers are exploring a dria abundance can be a non-genetic range of options for controlling mi- mechanism of immunity to pro-apoptochondria in cancer cells, including totic therapeutics. Incorporating such targeting an enzyme that repairs dam- knowledge may be an important conaged mitochondrial DNA and inhibit- sideration in developing therapeutic ing mitochondria that are key to cell strategies such as combination therametabolism working with the diabe- pies.

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Thermo Fisher To Acquire Brammer Bio In $1.7 billion Cash Deal Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, the world leader in serving science, and Brammer Bio, a pioneer in viral vector production for gene and cell therapies, today announced they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Thermo Fisher will obtain Brammer Bio for around $1.7 billion in money.

BRAMMER BIO IS A LEADING VIRAL VECTOR CONTRACT DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION ORGANIZATION (CDMO), ALLOWING BIOPHARMA CLIENTS TO DELIVER BREAKTHROUGH MEDICINES TO PATIENTS BY UNLEASHING THE POTENTIAL OF CHEMICAL THERAPIES AND GENE-MODIFIED MOBILE REMEDIES

By Preety Suman

The business has almost 600 employees at chief locations in Massachusetts and Florida.

Brammer Bio is expected to clock in $250 million revenue in 2019 and is expecting a growth rate of over 25% within the mid-term. Thermo Fisher expects the company to become accretive to adjusted earnings per share by $0.10 from the first full year of ownership.

President and CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific – Marc N. Casper expressed his excitement about the deal and said that it will be an add-on to their pharmacy services business – strengthening its grip in the Pharma & biotech industry buy serving all customers.

“Gene therapy is a place of increasing attention for our customers and

is fast-evolving given its capability to treat a range of genetic disorders. The combination of all Brammer Bio’s viral vector capabilities with our GMP manufacturing experience and proprietary bioprocessing and mobile culture technologies uniquely positions us to partner with our clients to drive the development of the incredibly fast-growing sector. The transaction is perfectly aligned with our Mission to empower our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer.” he further added.

Brammer Bio has executed more

than 100 projects to provide first-inhuman gene therapy clinical trials and establish commercial-ready procedures, and we’re excited to join Thermo Fisher to take our business to another level. Our groups share a dedication to helping our customers succeed in providing cutting edge therapies to patients in need.”

Michel Lagarde, president of Thermo Fisher’s pharmacy providers firm, added, “By leveraging our joint capabilities, together with our commercial scale and customer relationships, we will fortify our position as a reliable

partner to pharma and biotech. We look forward to welcoming the Brammer Bio team to our organization and working with each other to make more life-threatening treatments available to patients.”

This deal is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals and is anticipated to be completed at the end of the second quarter of 2019. Under this deal – Brammer Bio will become a part of Thermo Fisher’spharma services business within its Laboratory Products and Services Segment.

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Automated Non-Invasive Method Of Diagnosing Eye Surface Cancer Australian Researchers have developed an automated, non-invasive technique for diagnosing eye surface cancer, which may lower the need for biopsies, preventing therapy delays and is a far more effective method.

THE RESULT IS AN AUTOMATED SYSTEM THAT CAN SUCCESSFULLY DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN DISEASED AND NON-DISEASED EYE TISSUE, IN REAL TIME, THROUGH A VERY SIMPLE SCANNING PROCEDURE.

By Preety Suman

“The first detection of OSSN is critical as it supports easy and much more curative treatments such as topical remedies whereas advanced lesions may require eye surgery as well as the removal of the eye, and also has the danger of mortality,” said Habibalahi, lead scientist on the project, who works at Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence.

Researchers have developed is a technological approach that uses the power of the two microscopy and cutting-edge machine learning.

“Our hi-tech system scans the natural light given off by specific cells of the eye, after being stimulated by secure levels of artificial light,” explained Habibalahi.

“Diseased cells possess their own unique’light-wave’ signature which is specially designed computational algorithm is subsequently able to spot providing a speedy and efficient analysis,” he said.

Tissue samples from eighteen patients using OSSN were tested.

“We identified that the diseased cells in all eighteen cases. A fast test using our automated system is all that is essential to pick up early warning signs of OSSN,” explained Habibalahi.

A key advantage of the innovative setup is the OSSN diagnosis foregoes the need to get a biopsy done.

“This benefits both the patient and the physician. Biopsies of the eye could be traumatic and may also be expensive and time intensive with samples needing to be sent to a lab for testing,” Habibalahi explained.

In addition to this early detection and non-invasive advantages, the technology can precisely map the position of abnormal tissue borders on the eye.

“Next steps would be to create our integrating our method into a standsystem functional and achievable in a ard retinal camera setup — like that clinical setting. We hope to do this by used by opticians and optometrists

when undertaking routine eye exams,” he explained.

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SMART Toilet For Early Detection Of Heart Failure Nicholas Conn, a postdoctoral fellow at RIT and founder and CEO of Heart Health Intelligence, is part of the university team that has developed a toilet-seat based cardiovascular monitoring system. CREDIT: A. Sue Weisler/RIT INTRODUCING A NEW TOILET SEATBASED MONITORING SYSTEM DESIGNED TO IDENTIFY & REPORT SYMPTOMS OF CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE AT YOUR HOME, WITH THE PRIME AIM FOR THIS PRODUCT BEING – REDUCING HOSPITAL READMISSIONS.

By Preety Suman

Developed by researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology, the detectors embedded in the high tech chairs will be privy to an individual’s heartbeat, blood pressure and oxygenation levels, as well as the quantity of blood pumped from their heart with every beat.

The intent of this university’s spinout, christened Heart Health Intelligence, would be to provide an FDA-cleared apparatus that could be bought by physicians and passed on to patients as soon as they are discharged.

Scientists analyzed the data obtained from regular check-in’s and designed the product to alert the healthcare providers of any worsening conditions before symptoms arise so that cos effective interventions can be provided.

By analyzing the information from routine check-ins, the organization expects to alert health care services of any worsening conditions before symptoms arise so that they can offer

less-costly interventions.

while the cost of supplying 150 of the RIT’s Venture Creations business inorganization’s smart bathroom seats cubator and has started preclinical reAs per stats, about 45% of patients would only total about $200,000. search and human-subject testing. are readmitted after 90 days of hospital discharge.

A few days ago, the business joined Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reduces obligations to hospitals using too many readmissions, for example, patients recovering from a heart attack, heart failure or coronary artery bypass operation, in addition to people with disabilities, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, and total hip or knee replacements.

Conn estimates the loss for a single hospital readmitting 150 patients may top roughly $500,000 per year,

Figure 1. A toilet seat–based cardiovascular monitoring system (left) is integrated into an individual’s daily routine without requiring any change in habit, thereby addressing patient adherence. The system captures a comprehensive set of clinically relevant measurements automatically (right).

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Household Hold Dust Chemicals Can Make You FAT! The Duke University Researchers say that endocrine-disrupting chemicals present in household dust promote the maturation of fat cells in a cell model and might contribute to greater growth in children relative to their age.

LEAD SCIENTIST CHRISTOPHER KASSOTIS, PH.D., A POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH ASSOCIATE IN THE UNIVERSITY’S NICHOLAS SCHOOL OF THE ENVIRONMENT STATED THAT- THIS IS SOME OF THE FIRST RESEARCH EXPLORING LINKS BETWEEN EXPOSURE TO CHEMICAL MIXTURES PRESENT IN THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENT AND METABOLIC HEALTH OF CHILDREN LIVING IN THOSE HOMES.

By Swarna Khushbu

According to Previous studies, it has been demonstrated that chemical exposures can promote the accumulation of triglycerides and increased obesity in animal models. Many observational studies have found a link between exposure to endocrine-disrupting according to Kassotis, chemicals believed to contribute to obesity and increased weight in people.

They gathered 194 house dust samples from households in central North Carolina. Then they extracted the chemicals from the dust from the lab.

In order to promote fat cell development in a cell model, these extracts were tested for their ability They found that low concentrations of dust extracts could promote precursor fat cell proliferation and fat cell growth.

From the studies done by EPA, it is noticed that children are estimated to consume between 60 and 100 mg of dust each day.

Kassotis also stated that- they found that two-thirds of dust extracts could promote fat cell development and half encourage precursor fat cell proliferation at 100 micrograms or approximately 1,000 times lower amounts than what children consume on a daily basis.

The researchers then measured over 100 distinct substances in the dust and looked at the relationship between their concentrations and the extent of fat cell development. It was found that 70 of the chemicals had a significant positive relationship with the progression of dust-induced fat cells, and approximately 40 Chemicals were linked with precursor fat cell growth.

Kassotis stated further that this suggests that mixtures of compounds occurring in the indoor environment may be driving these consequences.

Several substances have been found by the researchers which were significantly elevated from the dust of

homes of children who were overweight or obese.

They are continuing to study these compounds, some of which are found in common household items such as laundry detergents, household clean-

ers, paints, and cosmetics, to determine which ones could possibly be related to obesity.

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Lab-Grown Meat Created Using Tissue Engineering Tissue engineering specialists at the University of Bath are developing animal cells on blades of grass because they play their part in assisting the UK to understand how to effectively scale up production of cultured meat.

TO CREATE CULTURED OR LAB-GROWN MEAT, THEN A BIOPSY IS OBTAINED FROM AN ANIMAL LIKE A PIG OR COW THEN STEM CELLS WITH THAT SAMPLE ARE SET IN A BIOREACTOR IN A LAB, WHERE THEY’RE FED A SOLUTION OF SUGAR, AMINO ACIDS, VITAMINS, AND MINERALS.

By Preety Suman

This mix of nutrients and cells in particular conditions will allow the cells to develop into mature muscle cells which can form cultured meat.

Meat-eaters can soon get slaughter-free meat products if this process can be scaled to an industrial level.

The present feel of cultured meat which makes it best suited to sausages and burgers. But, it is estimated that products like steak and bacon rashers will likely be developed in the future.

Directed by Dr. Marianne Ellis, the UK’s leading expert in this subject, the job is focusing on the effective scale-up of cultured meat.

Lab-grown meat goods are not available yet in the UK however, a number of organizations in the united states have created edible products such as a hamburger, and meatballs.

Dr. Ellis said: The UK is just one of the key essential players worldwide on the scale-up so that’s what we’re working on as engineers, developing systems to increase the cells on a large scale.

In terms of when we are very likely to see it in the supermarkets, probably the most innovative company at the moment is Mosa Meat and they’re calling four to five decades.

Presently, it’s extremely expensive and energy intensive to create cultured meat along with the team at Bath is working on decreasing the costs and energy required with the aim for cultured meat to be the exact same cost as traditional meats at supermarkets.

The researchers believe there are quite a few advantages of lab-grown meat, specifically helping address the world’s future food needs in addition

to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as part of efforts to tackle global warming.

Dr. Ellis added: “The huge benefit of ingesting something such as cultured meat is the fact that it addresses our international needs and our global challenges of food safety and addressing climate change. Our global population is growing and our cur-

rent food production approaches will We’ve got the opportunity also to not scale to make what we will need tackle our climate issues because this to feed everyone.” method when compared with conventional beef production has much less 60 million tonnes of additional pro- greenhouse gas emissions, has less tein to feed the population by 2050 water use, has less land use and deand it cannot be done the way it is creased energy use so it actually addone now. It can be carried out any- dresses those two crucial global chalwhere in the world — it can be done lenges.” where it’s really hot and where it is really cold.” she said.

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Breakthrough Discovery To Fight Diseases In Plants Research Team from La Trobe University have identified specific locations within plants chromosomes capable of transferring immunity to their offspring.

PROVIDING NEW WAYS AND BENEFITS TO FARMERS OF PREVENTING DISEASE IN CROPS THE RESEARCH TEAM FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD (UK) HAS IDENTIFIED FOR THE FIRST TIME, PARTICULAR LOCATIONS (LOCI) WITHIN A PLANT’S CHROMOSOMES THAT IMPART DISEASE RESISTANCE TO THEIR OFFSPRING BY UNDERGOING A REVERSIBLE BIOCHEMICAL MODIFICATION KNOWN AS DNA METHYLATION, IN RESPONSE OF PATHOGEN ATTACK.

By Swarna Khushbu

According to the article published in the journal eLife, the researchers have identified four DNA loci that control disease resistance against a common plant pathogen known as downy mildew. This resistance was not associated with any negative effects on expansion or resistance against other environmental pressures.

Dr. Ritushree a Research Fellow Jain from La Trobe University stated that when plants are repetitively attacked by pathogens, they develop a ‘memory’ called priming in plants of the encounter which permits them to fight effectively when attacked again.

Dr. Jain precisely explained that

these findings will provide a possible benefit to farmers.

Dr. Jian also stated that Not only could this substantial discovery lead to new methods for preventing disease in important crops but it might also help reduce our reliance on pesticides.

Professor Jurriaan Ton a head researcher from the University of Sheffield’s P3 Plant Production and Protection Center stated that findings in the study pave the way for more research into how epigenetics can help

improve disease resistance in food world. crops.

The research was conducted by the Professor Ton stated that they are University of Sheffield in the Unitthinking to use this research to car- ed Kingdom in collaboration with ry out further research to understand La Trobe University, PSL University how these epigenetic loci control a lot Paris and the Technical University of Munich located in Germany. of different defense genes.

Mr. Ton further stated that they are The paper published in eLife: Idenalso keen to participate in more trans- tification and characterisation of hylational studies, to be able to find out pomethylated DNA loci controlling whether epigenetics may be used to quantitative resistance in Arabidopsis prime disease resistance in crops that are vital to food supplies across the

NEWS

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Zika Virus Genetic Study To Fast Track Vaccine Research By looking at the genetics of Zika virus, a new method has been found by the Scientists at The University of Queensland and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute to fast-track research which could lead to new vaccines.

THEY HAVE FORMULATED A NOVEL TECHNIQUE TO IDENTIFY ZIKA MUTATIONS THAT HELP IN VIRUS REPLICATION IN MOSQUITO HOSTS WHILE NEGATIVELY IMPACTING ITS ABILITY TO REPLICATE IN MAMMALS.

By Swarna Khushbu

Dr. Yin Xiang Setoh from UQ’s School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences stated that – this technique would supercharge research on Zika and that can lead to birth defects and other similar viruses.

Dr. Yin said, “We utilized deep mutational scanning to survey each the possible amino acid mutations in what is called the envelope protein of the virus, which is responsible for how it binds with, enters and exits host cells”.

He also said that they found two mutations that resulted in a virus which grew well in mosquito cells, but very poorly in mammalian cells, revealing the amino acids that are critical for Zika virus to survive in mammals.

Head of the QIMR Berghofer’s Inflammation Biology laboratory Professor Andreas Suhrbier stated that

the new technique enabled scientists to perform evolutionary virus selection in a matter of days a process that would take tens or hundreds of years in nature.

Professor Andreas Suhrbier stated that- This technique is used in combination with modeling, will give us an insight into why evolution has chosen a particular path.

Virology lab at UQ Associate Professor Alexander Khromykh stated that, With the help of this rapid technique, they can now investigate how Zika virus can reach the placenta and cross in the fetus in order to isolate the viral genetic factors accountable and it may also help in providing crucial knowledge for creating a successful Zika vaccine.

Continuing further he stated that- In“We’re raising the curtain on evo- deed, Zika virus that was engineered lutionary processes and speeding up to contain the two mutations showed natural processes such as never be- great potential as a vaccine. fore.”

He added that at exactly the same Lead researcher and head at RNA time they might have the ability to

identify the genetic factors behind virus replication and transmission by mosquitoes which would help us reveal how Zika is transmitted.

Professor Alexander Khromykh further stated that this technique may also be applied in the investigation of the development of the disease and the transmission of a range of similar viruses which are transmitted by mosquitoes ticks and other invertebrates.

“It took us a few years, and of course a substantial collaborative effort, to get to this stage and we are incredibly excited to see what is next.”

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Researches Target acyl-CoA Level For Treating Heart Failures Our hearts get the energy necessary to function well By burning fats and glucose.

IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS STATEMENT, A COMPOUND HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED

BY THE RESEARCHERS AT OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY THAT PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN FAT METABOLISM BUT THAT REDUCES WHEN THE HEART GETS STRESSED. RESTORING IT COULD LOWER THE RISK OF HEART FAILURE.

By Swarna Khushbu

Doug Lewandowski a Ph.D. Researcher who focuses on cardiac metabolism from Ohio university stated that – Before any physical signs or symptoms of heart failure emerge, chronically stressed cardiac cells undergo changes to adapt, but the alterations do not necessarily make things better.

Lewandowski’s team members found that deficiencies of a reactive fat compound called acyl-CoA interrupt the heart’s energy production cycle which leads to toxic fat accumulation that impairs its ability to function and pump properly. The researchers also analyzed mouse models of heart failure, in addition to human heart tissue obtained from patients before and after left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. The acyl-CoA level is approx 60% lower in a heart with complexities compared to normal ones.

An enzyme called acyl-CoA synthetase (ACSL1) catalyzes the uptake and activation of long-chain fatty acids that is a process which creates an acyl-CoA. The team analyzed mice that overexpress the ACSL1-encoding gene by exposing them to stress conditions. The mice created normal levels of acyl-CoA, fatty acid trafficking was enhanced, and heart failure risk was reduced or delayed, the team reported.

The hearts retained their ability to burn fat and generate energy by maintaining the fat compound acyl-CoA The scientists observed that In hu-

man heart cells the levels of acyl-CoA returned to normal in post-LVAD samples which makes sense because whenever the failing heart has extra help from the pump device, it does not have to work as hard under stress.

Various new targets which might help tackle heart ailments have come to light lately. Imperial College London Researchers pinpointed a protein named MAP4K4, which sends stress signals during a cardiac arrest that eventually result in heart damage.

Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute found the GPR68 protein as a potential drug target that can help

dilate blood vessels and keep the heart healthy.

Lewandowski stated that – He and his team members are planning to examine how increasing acyl-CoA levels results in heart protection and they hopeing to use advanced imaging to monitor fat metabolism in patients hearts targeting the normalization of acyl-CoA through gene or drug therapy or, possibly, dietary protocols which could open new possibilities to prevent or mitigate heart failure.

CAREER ADVICE

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Quick Tips To Help You Compile A Good PhD Thesis Has that time of your life come wherein you need to transform all of the years’ hard work into an impressive Ph.D. Thesis? Then you are the perfect place.

I KNOW YOU WILL BE SUPER NERVOUS & TENSED, RUSHING UP WITH THE FINAL PHD THESIS COMPILATION WITH THE DEADLINE OVER YOUR HEAD. BUT WORRY NOT.

By Dr. Nidhi Hukku

This article can help you calm your nerve down. Writing a thesis brings with it the feeling of accomplishment of practical assignments along with the anxiety of shaping that productiveness into a presentable and concise framework. For most of the students, this last phase of degree involving PhD thesis writing brings a state of excitement accompanied by apprehension as they are usually unaware of the style they should follow to design perhaps the most important document of their life. Here are a few tips which may help you to plot your significant piece of independent writing for which you may like to feel proud of, for years to come.

1. Prepare a checklist It is very crucial to have a distinct picture in mind before initiating with the central task of compiling a thesis altogether. Organize and prioritize tasks and construct a checklist which you can do manually or using various apps or project management tools available online.

2. Having a clear awareness for thesis format is the first step towards building up a virtuous thesis.

To begin with, you should be entirely clear with the norms and requirements for Ph.D. thesis format (if any) in accordance with your organization/ institution. It is certainly not recommended to edit the whole document once it is structured. It is advisable to prepare a checklist in terms of the essential layouts that should be met up complying the organization’s protocols. This may include total no. of pages in the thesis, font style and size, headings style, line spacing or page spacing, page numbering, page margins, the format of tables and graphs, total no. of thesis copies need to be deposited etc..

3. Put together a list of absolute must packs

Here, of course, we are not discussing about packing your stuff for vacations rather compiling of all the essential documents for writing the doctorate thesis on your working table. You need to gather all the protocols, reference research papers, data collection, and analysis reports, certificates of analysis (if outsourced), electron micrographs, summaries, research publications if any along with reviewers’ comments, conference or poster presentations at one place before commencing the thesis writing.

Review this material as many times as you can to ripen the precision which may show up in your writing later.

4. Writing a rapid draft can give you a kick start Have you ever stood right in front of the mirror trying the wonderful clothes and accessories to be worn for some special event? Just in the similar way you need to write a rough draft compiling whatever best you have in terms of experimental results obtained during your research work.

This requires having more and more discussions with your mentor so that you may figure out collectively what should be included in the thesis and what needs to be skipped. This is quite significant and analogous to formulating a frame in which the right image can be incorporated. Once your rough draft is set, you get yourself available in the right direction to follow.

5. Now time to act technically

Your swift draft will assist you to • Avoid adjectives and adverbs for decide how many chapters are needed framing an unambiguous sciento present all the research details and tific technical piece of writing. data in the right way. Once it is decidIt acknowledges the existence ed you may start up writing with the of significant events and results chapters. You definitely don’t need to leaving no room for doubt and pen down the chapters in chronologicomparison cal order. That means you have all the • Common errors like dangling freedom to start with the writing of modifiers, the inconsistency of any chapter probably for which you matter or subject-verb disagreehave just wrapped up the experimenment shall be killed out while tal work. That can help you to reduce writing time in writing of that particular chap- • Spelling mistakes should be takter as it is much easier to recapitulate en care of as they imprint a bad the recent findings. Don’t forget to impression on the reader about come back to this chapter and restructhe proficiency of the author. ture to make it coherent and consist- • Don’t use any quotes in the main ent with the rest of the chapters. By content now you will be able to allocate an impressive and relevant title for the 7. An abstract is the entrance gate ongoing chapter. to the world of your research findings.

6. Writing style describes your personality Always remember more notable is your abstract more motivating it will Nevertheless, a flawless writing be for a reader to go through the main style must be chosen for structuring context. Foremost abstract should the thesis. If you think you do not comply with the word limit your orpossess good writing skills, don’t be ganization prescribes. It should incoranxious as a little effort and a right porate in the first start exactly what click of putting the words in an im- is the problem which encouraged pressive manner can make you master you to pick up your Ph.D. work folof an exemplary Ph.D. thesis. lowed by what the literature comprises in relevance to undertaken work.

• Incorporate flair while you write. If the previously cited obstacles have • Avoid any intricate or jargon been resolved to a certain extent by words and try to replace them your contribution of work and the with everyday English equiva- approach you adopted throughout to lents. resolve those hindrances. A very brief • Prefer active to passive whenever you can. Choose the first person to the third person while forming the sentences.

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CAREER ADVICE

description of the methods and tech- B. Main text niques used can be mentioned. Finally the resilient consequences your Introductory chapter/ Introducresearch work could bring in that par- tion ticular field i.e. the impact your thesis It may sound unrealistic but you may might have in the concerned area. choose to write this chapter at the end.

8. Bibliography the savior for your Once you are clear with all the minor and major details your thesis is going thesis. to include it will be not more than a Never allow yourself to miss any child’s play to introduce what your references cited in the main text to thesis is all about. You have to frame be mentioned in the bibliography. the introduction as if you are creating Cross-checking all the references a narrative to make readers underin the bibliography is a must and it stand from start to end the aims and should be done right from the begin- scopes of research work. Don’t forget ning to prevent an occurrence of ex- the reader is going to find the context tra stress which could pile up intend in the core work in accordance with in order to generate a perfect bibli- the introduction. Introduction in the ography. You may do it manually or beginning and conclusion or summausing various reference management ry to be placed at the end will work to soft wares. EndNote, Bookends, Ref tie up the thesis together. You need to Me, Paper Pile are few such soft ensure that you highlight your origiwares which can be used to manage nal work in a succinct way prompting citations in a convenient way. Using the reader to read further after going these soft wares will enable you to through the introduction. save time and labor of manually entering the citation information. Ref- C. Review of literature erences cited in the bibliography provide the authenticity to your research Although it is challenging to frame ideas and protocols. Try to augment this chapter but remember it is among bibliography by adding relevant and the most important contents of the genuine paper or abstract references thesis. Here you need to assess all from more reputed journals or books. the literature available in context to the studies undertaken by you. It of9. Three major pillars in building fers the reasons to support and defend your topic of research keeping all the up of a strong thesis surveyed relevant prevailing literature You may visualize your thesis in in the background. Summarize the three main sections (may depend on whole established literature in such a the format specified by organization/ creative way so as to prove your work is efficient enough to fill up the fisinstitution): sures present in the existing studies or knowledge. Ensure that you update A. Preliminaries literature review throughout during research work. You have availability • Title page of many search engines these days • Abstract which may help you in downloading • Acknowledgments the research papers, abstracts for free.

• Content page(s) Few of them are PubMed central, Sci• List of tables ence Gov., Google Scholar etc.

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D. Core chapters No matter how many chapters you need to describe the entire work, they should be well composed having a precise flow of narrative explaining each topic in detail. Chapters should be structured in a way so as to depict the main aim, material, and methods, results and discussions eventually leading to showcase your significant accomplishments. Ensure to append matter where it enhances the value of results and not where it merely bulks out your content. Following considerations should be emphasized while designing the most important part of your thesis: • Figures should be clear and properly scaled • Tables should be correctly formatted • Graphs should be accurate and scaled

Don’t miss to maintain a backup timely. Keeping a digital backup of all the rough drafts, tables of contents, figures, references and data entries will prevent the likelihood of mess or chaos during or at the end of this fundamental phase.

12. Don’t feel daunted over reconsidering and rewriting the rough drafts Rough drafts are just like the staircase which will eventually lead you to the composed and precise thesis. So don’t back off reading, rewriting and, getting them corrected and rectified by your research guide. Restructuring and rewriting may sound tiresome but undoubtedly it is easier to rewrite than to start from the blank page. You shouldn’t mind as it is going to polish up your thesis to the finest level.

You can take the help of a friend or colleague to help you with checking style and sense. It is correctly said that the most beautiful part of writing is that you don’t have to get it right the first time.

Give subtitles after choosing an illustrative title for each chapter. Break up into further subsections taking it to the paragraph level. This strengthens 13. Publications: an honor to your the structures besides outlining the work methodologies and results obtained in your data. Bibliography and appendi- Adding a list of Publications to your ces also play an important role. thesis is placing a cherry on the cake because it will leave the reader with 10. Plagiarism blows it down contentment that your work has already been considered and accepted.

Copying the facts and protocols can be considered if quoted with accurate You may take up thesis writing as references. Apart from that, you need a challenge having all faith in your to be cautious about copying the data wisdom and skills. Always believe in or evidence from the available sources saying “What is not started will nevon the internet. Plagiarism constricts er get finished”. So give yourself the the quality of thesis and is not accept- opportunity to improve and sparkle at able beyond certain limits which may every step finally producing the best vary according to the standards of the document reflecting your hard work institution. and uniqueness.

11. Saving data timely is a must

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VOICE OF BIOTECNIKA

Exercise Isn’t The Best Way To Lose Weight !

Agree or Disagree?

WEEKLY PODCAST

Episode 24 Science is a wonder if you stop to ponder about it. Everything happening around you has a scientific explanation. But can everything be explained? To decipher this thought we welcome you all to another jaw-dropping session on Voice of Biotecnika which will divulge 10 incredible scientific facts, that we are sure you didn’t learn in school.

Knowledge has no end. There are many anomalies that happen around us and we are certain there is absolutely no scientific explanation for the same. Scientists give crude guesses and make assumptions to justify what they perceive. But still, none of them seem convincing. With the evolving world comes ever-evolving science and we wish we had learned more about such facts in school.

It would definitely have caught my attention in each lecture and I am sure you feel the same. Dear listeners, We request you to lend your ear to the very end of our session today.

Voice of Biotecnika by Rashmi Sanyal

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