Volume 01 | Issue 06 | 2020

10
T
H
E
MOST INNOVATIVE

Dr. Kaushik Deb

Founder, CEO,
BIOTECH
SOLUTION PROVIDERS
Managing Director TO WATCH IN 2020

DiponEd
Transforming Treatments to Personalized Cure

Scenario
of Bio Tech
Editor
Rahul Niraj
G
one are the days, when Bio
Tech sector was embracing
only traditional processes to
fight the complexities of the disease.
Today, the sector is moving beyond the
'one disease, one protein, one drug'
paradigm by leveraging pipelines
showcasing multiple new-age drug
modalities. These modalities are an
even mix of compound varieties of
traditional protein-enabled molecules –
enzymes, monoclonal antibodies,
hormones, and fusion proteins over a
rapidly transforming area of cell
therapy and Antibody-drug Conjugates
(ADCs).
Currently, the Bio Tech Solution
Providers are putting their best foot
forward in gaining deep biological
insights into tangled diseases. They are
consistently endeavouring to surpass
every challenge coming their way with
sophisticated engineered drugs that
The Changing
have the potential to save millions of
lives across the globe.
The Bio Tech business professionals
are all set to unlock new business
opportunities alongside disrupt the
healthcare world to stay on top of
different regulatory requirements.
Acknowledging the changing
dynamics of the society and
skyrocketing demands, they are rolling
out patient-centric solutions and
creating a platform of healthy
lifestyles. Besides, it's the right
combination of tech-based
advancements and agile manufacturing
techniques that are taking this sector to
be at the helm of 'Progress’ and
‘Innovation’.
Recognizing such professionals that
are revolutionizing the Bio Tech
Solution Providers’ segment and
keeping innovation on their radar by
staying up-to-speed with the
developments, we have come up with
this special edition of “The 10 Most
Innovative Bio Tech Solution
Providers to Watch in 2020”. This
issue has featured a handful of
companies offering a diverse and
engaging mix of commitment and
distinctiveness. It will help you to walk
through a list of experts embracing a

multi-disciplinary approach and
covering a range of relevant issues in
its sector.
On the Cover of the issue is DiponEd –
an innovative healthcare biotechnology
R&D driven company. The company is
outshining its competitors with its
innovative solutions and redefining the
Bio Tech segment.
Apart from such an insightful cover
story, we have also enlisted, Bangalore
Bioinnovation Centre (BBC) is a
translational research centre catering to
the needs of startups in the broad areas
of Life Sciences viz., Health Care
(MedTech/ Pharma/ Bio-Pharma),
Agriculture, Food/Nutrition, Industrial
Biotechnology and Environmental
Biotechnology, FastSense Diagnostics
(FSD) has taken the responsibility to
bring in ‘Change’ which the world is
looking forward to, Sisco Research
Laboratories Pvt. Ltd. (SRL) stands
amongst the oldest and most respected
manufacturers of specialty fine
chemicals, microbiological,
nanotechnology and biotechnology
reagents, and Transcell Biolife was
founded to be a biobank for the
intended applications; built on
preservation theme and technology
translated to apply.
EDITOR’s
NOTE
been featured in the listing of this
edition.
While flipping the pages, take note not
to miss out the exclusive interview
with team Accurex Biomedical Pvt.
Ltd. (ABPL). A CXO named ‘Insights
to Choosing the Right IVF Center’ by
Dr Ritu Hinduja, Senior Consultant
– Reproductive Medicine, Nova IVF,
Andheri (Mumbai) will make you go
gaga.
Turning some more pages will help
you find articles masterly crafted out
by our in-house Editors. These articles
will help you understand the current
market scenario of this industry.
Looking at the emerging opportunities
and the growing possibilities, this issue
of ours will introduce you to a whole
new world of novelty.
So, enjoy the exciting read!

Alongside companies like Catalysts

Bio, Clonz Biotech, Cordlife India,
Bioxgreen Technology Private Limited
and Invitrosense (P) Ltd. have also
 Contents
Cover Story

08
DiponEd
Transforming Treatments
to Personalized Cure

14

Accurex Biomedical
Testing Life and Saving Lives

22 Articles 34
Market Dashboard Agri Tech
Social Media Marketing Agriculture Biotechnology:
for Pharma Industry Revolutionizing Agriculture
Process Globally
 Sisco Research
Laboratories
A Name Synonymous
18
to Quality Reagents
and Biochemicals
Bangalore
28
Bioinnovation Centre
Helping Innovative
Ideas Hatch

38

FastSense
Diagnostics
The Next-Gen
Technology for Swift and
Efcient Care

32
Transcell Biolife
The Next Generation
Biobank with Global
Outlook

26
Experts Opinion
Insights to Choosing the
Right IVF Center
 Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal
Managing Editor Rahul Niraj
Publishing Control Team Shruti, Darshan, Sneha

Art & Design Head Amol Kamble

Associate Designer Poonam Mahajan

Art & Picture Editor Shweta Ambilwade

Co-designer Mayur Koli

Business Development Manager Megha Mishra

Business Development Lead Ashwini Pahurkar
Sr. Business Development Executive Snehalata Lad

Technical Head Pratiksha Patil

Technical Specialist Amar Sawant
Digital Marketing Manager Prashant Chevale
SME-SMO Executive Uma
Circulation Manager Tanaji
sales@insightssuccess.com

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RNI NUMBER: MAHENG/2018/75953

COVER STORY

Dr. Kaushik Deb

Founder | CEO | MD
DiponEd TRANSFORMING TREATMENTS
TO PERSONALIZED CURE

H ealthcare in today’s time has

become crucial in terms of
accessibility and ease of
facilitation. As new diseases are emerging
from the nooks and corners of the world,
“We help various the medical industry with all its dynamism
needs to double down to counter such
companies through diseases in an effective and efficient
contract manufacturing manner.
of Biologicals at our
Class 10,000 cleaning Moreover, to target the specific diseases
room facility” while diminishing or eliminating its effects,
the advent of precision medicine is moving
from a niche to a widely accepted method
for treatments. Also known as personalized
medicine, it is moving closer to be precise,
predictable and powerful healthcare
“The world is sitting on a time bomb of pre-cancer
to start programs that provide A to Z solutions”
and pre-l, l diabetic patients. We need
approach which can be customized for
any individual patient.
Even the world’s best doctors and
scientists don’t completely
comprehend the development of
different diseases in people and their
response to the respective treatments.
The ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to
medicine has been implemented by lots
of medical and healthcare providers
which is based on broad population
averages. The traditional practices
often misses its mark as each person’s
genetic makeup is quite different from
other people. This very often, can
affect the health of an individual in
important ways.
The growing understanding of genetics
and genomics is enabling the doctors to
provide better disease prevention,
accurate diagnosis, safer drug
prescriptions and effective treatments
for many people. Personalized
medicine is playing a vital role in
tailoring healthcare to every person's
unique genetic makeup. That is the
promising idea behind
precision/personalized medicine. This
approach towards the healthcare
services has revolutionized how the
medical industry works and have
facilitated results that are quintessential
for individual patient’s overall
development.
DiponEd BioIntelligence is an
organization working with such an
approach in the Indian healthcare
domain. It is an innovative healthcare
biotechnology company driven by
strong in-house R&D. It offers
precision and personalized medicine
products, services, and solutions
meeting global standards. The
company is developing a point of care
biological devices for isolation of stem
cells, PRP, Biologicals, Biosimilars,
Neo Antigens, and Cellular therapies.
These therapies include Mesenchymal
Stem Cells, NK Cell & T cell for
cancer, autoimmunity, diabetes,
neurological problems, orthopedics,
infertility, cardiovascular disease,
diabetes, anti-aging, and dermatology,
etc. “We focus on developing the next-
generation bio-intelligent products to
address unmet healthcare needs,” says
the team of DiponEd.
More about DiponEd
DiponEd has also developed a range of
personalized diagnostics and
prognostic tests like liquid biopsies,
gut metagenomics, pesticide tolerance,
genetic predispositions, stress scoring,
3D printed orthotics- prosthetics -
modeling, drug overloads, omics of
diseases, etc. under its brand Merisis
Therapeutics. DiponEd Institute of
Regenerative Medicine has been
offering education in regenerative
medications to clinicians through its
hybrid online and hands-on training
programs.
The company was started in 2010 with
an idea to develop solutions and
treatments for unmet medical needs
like cancer, nonhealing wounds, burns,
muscular dystrophies, autoimmune
conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and
T1 diabetes, and several other
debilitating conditions like ALS, MS,
COPD, ILD, T2 diabetes, etc. The
team at DiponEd soon realized that
prevention is better than cure for most
of these above-mentioned conditions.
Though, integration of preventive,
 “Our concepts in personalized treatments are new to
the health care ecosystem in India and also in many
parts of the world. We are spending a lot of time and
effort in creating awareness”
predictive, participatory, and
personalized medicine is required to
reach from ‘treatment to cure’. This
could prove to be a major diversion for
current health care treatment business
models.
“We then started working on
developing products and services like
predictive and prognostic genetic and
molecular tests for suspects or
patients, and also personalized
therapeutics,” states DiponEd's team.
The company is currently integrating
many in-house technologies as well as
some foreign service providers to make
an entire ecosystem to develop a
personalized cure for various diseases.
DiponEd-CRS (Contract Research
Services) is a wing of the company,
providing an R&D ecosystem with a
team of highly experienced and
qualified scientists. The wing acts as a
supporting facility for many
international Bio-Pharma companies.
This division offers its services in the
domains of integrated drug discovery
of small molecules in the areas of in-
silico modeling, PK-PD modeling, and
system biology. These services also
facilitate ADME, toxicology, pre-
clinical optimization, in vitro biology
and (Enzyme assays, Cell-based
assays, Ligand binding assays, GPCR,
ELISA) in vivo biology, etc. DiponEd
also provides services in the domain of
Molecular biology, immunogenicity
assays, formulation development and
Regulatory Assistance for the Indian
FDA. DiponEd CRS is an official
empanelled partner to Andhra Pradesh
Medical Tech Zone (AMTZ), Kalam
Institute of Health Technology, for
medical devices and regulatory
support.
Versatile Offerings, Simplified
Services
The power of biotechnology and
biomedical engineering has helped the
company’s R&D team to design
multiple programs targeting cellular
biologicals, stem cell transplantation &
processing protocols, developing
monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and
cellular therapies. “We design and
create biomaterials using our
proprietary 3D printing technology
and 3D tissue engineering,” states the
team of DiponEd.
The company's focus is on current
personalized medicine which includes
genetic predispositions, mutation
detection, cancer-integrated therapies,
pharmacogenomics-based drug
response tests, anti-aging, stem cells
transplantations in blood-related
disorders, biomaterials, 3D
reconstructions, orthotics, radiation,
chemoprotection, personalization, skin
and hair treatments, infertility and
healthcare products.
DiponEd provides new devices and
technologies along with the solutions
which are developed in-house and are
at feasible costs, usually at a fraction of
the costs from the US or Chinese. The
firm is also integrating all the services
under one roof to emerge as a one-stop
solution provider for personalized
medicine services. The company is
also contributing towards the corporate
social responsibility cause through its
primary health care initiatives at
rural/semi-rural townships. Especially,
in the areas of diabetic foot ulcers and
pain management curated for the
unprivileged section of the society.
Remarkable Footprints
DiponEd emerged as Elevate 100
Award Winner, 2017. It was also
selected as the Emerging Leader in the
Medical Devices industry in India, for
Merisis Therapeutics point of care kits
presented at THE HEALTHCARE-
PHARMA & MEDICAL DEVICES
SUMMIT & EXCELLENCE
AWARDS 2017 on 4th August 2017 at
St. Regis, Mumbai. The firm received
Karnataka State's quality leadership
award, by the World Quality Congress
& Awards in 2019.
Under the leadership of Dr. Kaushik
Deb, Founder, CEO, and Managing
Director of DiponEd – the company
has developed more than 30 patented
products and services. It is

collaborating with more than 20
international and National labs and
education institutions to develop its
unique line of therapeutics. He also
established the DiponEd Institute of
Regenerative Medicine (DIRM),
offering Certificate Course in
Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) and
Fellow Program in Regenerative
Clinical Medicine (FRCM) with the
DDM university.
He is the Director of Indian association
of laser therapies (IALT), and
Secretary, Society of Tissue
Engineering and Regenerative
Medicine (India). He has done M.Sc,
MD (IM), Ph.D., Post Doc Associate
(USA, Canada), EGMP (IIM-B) and
FRHS. He has been awarded the Govt
of India DBT's, Overseas Bilateral
exchange Associateship with Ottawa
General Hospital, and the Indian
National Academy of Sciences
(INSA)- bilateral exchange award with
the Czech Science Academy. He has
published over 70 peer-reviewed
“Our vision is to address unmet medical
and healthcare needs across the
globe through innovation, science,
and modern technologies”
research papers, abstracts, and book
chapters, and is also an active reviewer
for 4 international journals and
editorial board member for 5
international journals. He has authored
the book entitled ‘Stem Cells; Basic
and Applications’ published by
McGraw Hill New Delhi and ‘Stem
cell Technologies’ by McGraw Hill,
New Jersey, USA. Dr. Kaushik has
developed/ patented platform
technologies for personal health care
and personalized therapies in cancer,
radiation, hair and skin regeneration,
Oestochondral defects, organ-specific
aging, age-associated conditions,
diabetics AMR, 3D tissue engineering,
etc.
Dr. Kaushik has been awarded the
Govt of India DBT’s, Overseas
Bilateral exchange Associateship with
Ottawa General Hospital, and the
Indian National Academy of Sciences
(INSA)- bilateral exchange award with
the Czech Science Academy. He has
also been honored with MED
ACHIEVERS ICON AWARD for his
work in the field of Healthcare. He and
his team are developing 3D bioprinting
and 3D printing services, under the
'Uchhattar Avishkar Yojana' award,
supported by the Ministry of Health
Government of India.
DiponEd is setting up novel Artificial
1
The
Most
Innovative
Bio Tech
Solution Providers to Watch
in 2019
intelligence platforms P4M Cure Clinic
and apps, and new algorithms are
being derived to learn about healthcare
and diseases. All of this while creating
integrated clinical data for Predictive,
Preventive, Participatory and
Personalized medicine, in collaboration
with hospitals globally. The R&D team
is working on several unique aspects of
modern health care challenges like
Drug interactions in patients, Drug
overloads, Chemosensitivity, Liquid
biopsies, Genomics, Proteomics,
Metabolomics, Molecular and Genetic
diagnostics, and Prognostics, cellular
biological APIs, therapeutic devices
(Merisis Therapeutics). It is also
creating other personalized products in
cancer, nephrology, podiatry, DFUs,
burns, sports injuries, orthopedics,
dermatology, etc.
“We are a bio-intelligent solutions
company with a focus on unique
formulations and solutions. All our
health care products are derived out of
in house R&D using data mining, lab
tests, artificial intelligence
applications, and advanced
biotechnology. We strive to be faster,
better and cheaper from any other
products and services company,”
concludes Dr. Kaushik.
 ACCUREX
T he world of In Vitro
Diagnostic Device (IVD) is
taking the centre stage with
existing and budding players
disrupting and creating their own
pathway. Contributing to this journey
is Accurex Biomedical Pvt. Ltd.
(ABPL) that is unlocking countless
opportunities for the betterment of
the masses by offering novel medical
diagnostic solutions. The below
excerpt is an exclusive interview
with team ABPL showcasing their
distinctiveness and curated acumen
which helps them in being ahead of
others.
IS: Share some insights about your
company, its inception story and
the vision behind.
Team ABPL: In 1984 almost 100%
of the diagnostic reagents were
imported into India. Mr A.J. Thakur
founded Accurex in 1984 to
indigenise the manufacturing of
imported reagents in India.
Accurex was the first company in
India to manufacture urine test strips
and enzymatic clinical chemistry
reagents in India. This was the
beginning of the IVD clinical
chemistry reagents manufacturing
industry of India.
14
BIOMEDICAL
TESTING LIFE AND SAVING LIVES
The journey of Accurex since 1984
has been on a growth trajectory. With
the continuous launch of innovative
products, Accurex has created a
brand name in the Indian IVD
Industry.
IS: What your products & services'
ambit hold?
Team ABPL: In the laboratory
diagnostics space Accurex offers the
entire range of clinical chemistry and
haematology reagents. In
Instruments, we offer
semi-automated, fully automated
clinical chemistry, 3 part and 5 part
haematology analysers. We also offer
urinalysis test strips, urinalysis
meters and immunology rapid tests.
In the Point Of Care (POC) segment
we offer blood glucose meters,
haemoglobin meters, HbA1c meters,
immunofluorescence meters, uric
acid meters and respective test strips.
IS: With regards to your
organization’s profound industry
experience, how do you think the
diagnostic industry and market
have evolved and what can be
expected in the forthcoming years?
Team ABPL: The diagnostics
industry is getting disrupted by point
of care (POC) testing. Point-of-care
testing (POCT), or bedside testing is
defined as medical diagnostic testing
at or near the point of care—that is,
at the time and place of patient care.
This contrasts with the historical
pattern in which testing was wholly
or mostly confined to the medical
laboratory, which entailed sending
off specimens away from the point of
care and then waiting hours or days
to learn the results, during which
time care must continue without the
desired information. POC testing is
getting popular in the medical
diagnostic industry. Through POC
testing the lab tests are available at
the doctors and patients at home.
This is convenient for the patient.
Accurex has launched a complete
range of POC products to ensure
faster and convenient testing.
IS: What are the benefits gained by
your clients/users from your
products/solutions/services?
Team ABPL: Diagnostics affects
70% of medical decision and in only
3% of the healthcare costs. There is a
dire need in India to reduce the ever-
increasing cost of health care and
diagnostics plays a pivotal role in the
efficient use of resources.
January 2020|
 Mr. Abhinav Thakur
Managing Director

January 2020| 15

India is till date dependent on
imports for its IVD needs with
almost 80% of IVDs are being
imported. The cost of manufacturing
in the developed world is many times
higher than the cost of manufacturing
in India consequently by
manufacturing indigenous products
Accurex lowers the healthcare costs
in India.
By using preventive diagnostics
effectively we can prevent diseases in
advance and significantly lower the
cost of health care in India.
Its an honour for Accurex to
contribute to the reduction of
healthcare cost to patients and
ultimately to our country.
IS: Tell us about Mr Abhinav and
his contribution to the company
and its success.
Team ABPL: Mr Abhinav Thakur
was studying in the USA when,
unfortunately, his father passed away
prematurely. He came back to India
to run the company for his family. At
that point of time the motivation for
him was survival of the family
business.
Now the motivation for him is to
grow the company so he can have an
impact on the healthcare industry by
manufacturing affordable and high-
quality medical diagnostic products.
Since his appointment as Managing
Director, APPL has grown 4.2 times
in revenue and our team size has
16
Interview With Insights Success
increased from 90 to 170 individuals.
We have moved from a diagnostic
reagent company to diagnostics
reagents and instruments company.
IS: In what ways does your
organization contribute towards
the Corporate Social
Responsibility cause?
Team ABPL: We at Accurex believe
wealth creation leads to wealth
distribution. So, it’s our endeavour to
create prosperity so we can
contribute towards the economic
development of India.
IS: What obstacles and/or
limitation does your organization
face while growing, sustaining or
retaining its clientele?
Team ABPL: The diagnostics
industry is capital intensive because
the business model in our industry is
moving towards analysers being
placed on reagent rentals. To place
analysers on reagent rental we need a
large capital investment. This is the
challenge we face in our industry.
IS: Could you list out the most
growth-deteriorating challenges
for your organization till date?
Team ABPL: Service is key in the
diagnostics industry. The analysers
need a fast turn around time (TAT) in
case of breakdown. Providing service
in a large geographical country like
India with underdeveloped
infrastructure is a challenge.
IS: What does the future hold for
your organization in terms of
internal as well as holistic
development?
Team ABPL: Now the motivation
for Mr Abhinav is to grow the
company so he can have an impact
on the economic development of our
country. He strongly believes that
economic development is the
antidote of poverty.
The next major milestone for him in
this decade will be getting Accurex
listed on the stock exchange.
IS: Would you like to highlight any
awards, accolades or testimonials
your company has achieved
throughout?
Team ABPL: Over the years we
have achieved various awards and
recognitions such as
• Ranked #10 in BioSpectrum Top
20 Indigenous Medical Devices &
Diagnostics Companies 2019
Survey
• Selected as “Visionary leader in
Healthcare 2017” by Medgate
Magazine
• Ranked at number 19 BIOTECH
companies ranking by Biospectrum
Magazine analysis done by KPMG
• Altina Entrepreneurs Excellence
Award,2017 in the healthcare
category
• India’s most Innovative and
Valuable Medical Devices
Company 2017
January 2020|
 Bangalore
Bioinnovation
Centre
Helping Innovative Ideas Hatch
W hile everyone speaks
about how innovations
are changing the face of
the world, few talk about the research
that goes behind it. What we are
currently enjoying as the latest
technology or an innovative marvel,
might have actually taken years or
may be decades of research to
develop into its current form. As
such, it is crucial that research
companies, especially start-ups, be
given a conducive environment
where they can flourish to help
mankind.
Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre
(BBC) is one translational research
centre catering to the needs of
startups in the broad areas of Life
Sciences viz., Health Care
(MedTech/ Pharma/ Bio-Pharma),
Agriculture, Food/Nutrition,
Industrial Biotechnology and
Environmental Biotechnology. BBC
is an initiative of Department of IT,
BT and S&T, Government of
18
Chief Secretary to the Government of
Karnataka, Shri Vijay Bhaskar T M,
IAS
Nurturing Start-ups
Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre
provide services such as
Infrastructure/ Equipments,
networking, branding, funding and
mentoring to startups in the field of
Healthcare, Agriculture,
Food/Nutrition, Industrial
Biotechnology and Environmental
Biotechnology. These startups utilize
the facilities to conduct R&D and
translate them into products. Many of
the incubatees have commercialised
their products based on technologies
like Artificial Intelligence for
Karnataka with funding support from
Department of Biotechnology,
Government of India. The centre is
located in Bangalore Helix
Biotechnology Park at Electronic
diagnostic purpose, Point of care
devices, Non- invasive testing
devices, Customisable 3D printer, 3D
printed skin, kits for diagnosis and
Prosthetic foot. Some of the startups
city, and thrives between academic
involved in developing breakthrough
institutions like Institute of
products are as detailed below.
Biotechnology and Applied
Biotechnology (IBAB), Centre for
OmiX Labs(OmiX) developed “The
Human Genetics (CHG). The centre
OmiX Technology Platform”
started functioning since April 2015
designed to look at gene signatures
and has currently 38 startups being
for Antimicrobial resistance. They
physically incubated and 7 graduated
are also providing services pertaining
companies. BBC is envisioned to
to unitized room-temperature stable
nurture bio-startups ecosystem and
kits and automated assay setup.
catalyse it's growth to benefit the
society at large and contribute to
Pandorum Technologies Private
bio-economy. As a not for profit
Limited (PTPL) is engaged in
company and relationship builder,
development of Bio-Engineered
BBC supports quality programs and
Human Cornea that can be used as
trainings that ensure strategic and
Platform for in vitro toxicology and
progressive growth of innovation and
safety assessment and Lab Grown
entrepreneurship in Life Science.
Mini Liver that can be used as
Recently BBC received the Award
Platform for pre-clinical drug
for being finalist in National
discovery and development.
Entrepreneurship Award National
Innov4sight Health and Biomedical
Centre for Excellence conferred by
Systems Private Ltd. is working on a
January 2020|

Dr Jitendra Kumar
Managing Director
device to simulate fertility factors
called “FERTIMULATOR”. They are
also conducting research on
Biologically Activated Peptide
Concentrate (BAPC) used for
fertility factors regeneration.
Next Big Innovations Lab (NBIL) a
startup involved in development of
Innoskin®, a 3D Bioprinted Human
Skin and “TRIVIMA”, NBIL’s 3D
Bioprinter. These are innovative
January 2020|
1
The
Most
Innovative
Bio Tech
Solution Providers to Watch
in 2019
breakthrough products that have
gained recognition and award from
established companies like Merck
from Germany.
Enriching Mankind
The incubatees, both current and
graduated, over time have developed
products that are now helping
companies and end-customers in
several ways. Here are some
products that are making a marked
difference:
Innov4sight Health and Biomedical
Systems Private Ltd. came up with
two technologies in the field of
fertility treatment. One is
FERTIMULATOR, a simulator
machine and one of the prime
products of Innov4Sight which is
covering simulation for fertility
specialists and embryologists to
simulate Oocyte Retrieval (OR),
Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection
(ICSI), and In Vitro Fertilization-
Embryo Transfer (IVF-ET). The
newer version of FERTIMULATOR
is incorporated with Regenerative
Medicine (RM) services that is
intended to help IVF experts in
treating endometrial deficiency, one
“Insights of the key factors causing infertility.
Next is the BAPC as mentioned
earlier, which is used for endometrial
Put Into regeneration. The future prospects of
this medicine is treatment of
infertility in women to induce
Action” ovarian regeneration and oocyte
production.
OmiX’s portfolio of products and
services aim to create impact on
millions of lives. They offer a
19
platform for early detection and more accurate
identification of organisms causing infections. At the
same time, they are also determining whether the
infection is potentially drug resistant. OmiX Labs can
conduct drug resistant tests in only three hours, whereas
conventional tests require a minimum of three days in
laboratories equipped with microbiology facilities.
PTPL’s two breakthrough technologies include
Bio-inspired Corneal ‘ink’ that can be used as ‘Liquid
Cornea’ for therapeutic application and to ‘print’ Corneal
lenticule for human implantation for treating visual
impairment due to corneal defect. This has a social
impact as this will restore the sight of many people with
corneal defect. The other invention is mini liver platform
(normal and diseased models) which will be used in
pre-clinical drug screening (discovery and development)
by the pharmaceutical industries/CRO’s. This model will
significantly reduce the cost and time of new drug
discovery resulting in affordable drugs available to the
patients.
NBIL has focussed their research on finding alternative
for testing of products on animals, which is currently
banned and restricted. The current gold standard testing
alternative, 3D cultured skin, is priced extremely high
and has inconsistency from batch to batch. This has
motivated the startup to develop Innoskin®, an
economical and consistent product. Added to their
portfolio is NBIL's patented 3D Bioprinting technology
which allows positioning of cells with micron level
precision, thereby enhancing cell-to-cell interaction
within the tissue construct and reducing the chances of
batch-wise inconsistency.
An Experienced Motivator
Dr Jitendra Kumar, Managing Director, holds a PhD
in Biotechnology from Institute of Microbial
Technology, Chandigarh, a prestigious national
laboratory affiliated to Jawahar Lal Nehru University,
New Delhi. Subsequently, he moved to University of
Illinois at Chicago, where he worked on Leukemia. In
the next stint as a Post Doc at Ohio State University,
Columbus OHIO (USA) he worked on various cutting
edge research projects. He is the author on several
internationally acclaimed peer reviewed papers. He holds
an MBA degree from prestigious Fisher College of
Business at Ohio State University. After returning from
20
US, he joined as a Vice- President of Life Science
Incubator at IKP Knowledge Park, Hyderabad where he
was involved in actively mentoring Incubatee companies
and creating pipeline of entrepreneurs through
innovative models of team building around the
technologies. As the Director & Head of BBC his current
focus is on Incubating Innovations is Agriculture, Food
and Nutrition, Biofuel/Bio-energy and
Pharma/Healthcare. He is working closely with
Karnataka Biotechnology and Information Technology
Services (KBITS), Department of IT, BT and S&T, Govt
of Karnataka, to create a vibrant Life Sciences
Innovation cluster in Bangalore.
Helping Start-ups Grow
The startups at BBC are focussed primarily on delivering
solutions to problems prevailing in the biotech market.
The areas of research bridges the gap in technologies and
hence offer competitive products to meet the demands of
the market. This approach has fetched the startups
competency in market. The key impediment for the start-
ups to grow is the non-availability of funding. BBC
facilitates government funding called “SEED FUND” for
development of innovative ideas, incubation,
entrepreneurship thereby creating a bio-cluster working
in synergy with ecosystem partners like other similar-
minded startups, SMEs, industry, investors, government
organizations, policy think tanks and business
organizations. This paves opportunities for networking to
progress in their research and development. However,
the main challenge faced by these startups during
translation of research into products in market is the
requirement of substantial investment. This stymie the
growth and vision of startups and many fall into the
“valley of death”.
Positive Vibes for the Future
BBC is mandated to nurture start-ups working in the
broad areas of Life sciences with an aim to improve the
quality, efficacy and sustainability of healthcare,
agriculture, industrial & environmental biotechnology
products. A holistic development can be achieved only
when diversity and inclusivity is embedded in startups
from the beginning to bring out inter-disciplinary
innovations. BBC is fostering such a holistic growth
among the startups through interaction and learning and
for the greater benefit of society.
January 2020|
 Market Dashboard

Social Media
Marketing
for

T
“ he absence of pharma brands on social media creates a significant void of reputable healthcare information to aid
patients,” writes Dawn Lacallade, LiveWorld’s Chief Social Strategist.

Social media infiltrate virtually every facet of an individual’s digital life. Today, patients are using social media as a major
source of information and healthcare research. Thus, it is essential that pharma companies should be present on social media
to provide full and accurate information to the consumers. To comprehend how social media can assist patients, it is crucial
to understand what compels people to use social media as a source of information.

Social media allows interaction among people which involves exchange and creation of information. It is the perfect conduit
for pharmaceutical companies to connect with their customers, patients and physicians.

According to the current FDA regulations, pharma companies are not able to easily join in a conversation to provide accurate
and balanced information. Regulations dictate that, in a single social post, brands are required to provide precise facts on the
benefits and hazards associated with conditions and products. Due to the character limitations on many social media
platforms, most pharma companies prefer to stay out of the conversation. This results in circulation of falsified information.
This information can be either marginally inaccurate or significantly harmful.

22 January 2020|
Although the communication of pharmaceutical industries is highly
regulated, they are gradually adopting social media platforms to reach and
interact with consumers and healthcare professionals. Here are some of the
top social media practices to look out for:

Crafting Customer Experience

Several marketers think that their job is finished once the sales team
takes over, but in reality, it is just the beginning. The way people
experience your brand will impact the way they think about you, which
will have an enormous effect on the success of your company in the long
run. Devoting a part of the marketing budget to nurture the
existing clientele will make their experience splendid and
thus promote brand loyalty. It is also crucial to respond
whenever your brand in mentioned publicly, whether
positively or negatively, which will help cultivate a
strong and lasting relationship with your customers.
Younger generations are increasingly withdrawing
from traditional social media platforms and adopting
more innovative channels that are more intimate in the
way of communication. To keep up with this challenge,
companies need to find a way to automate the process
wherever possible.

Regulating Content

Pharma companies need to develop content marketing strategies that merge each
piece of content on every channel with their organization’s objectives and
customers’ needs. Creators need to have a clear business objective including the
value that will be delivered to distinct audiences. All companies need to have a
social media compliance officer who will work closely with a corporate legal
counsel and develop a complete strategy and decide if there will be consolidated
social media posting or if individual employees will have the consent to
participate. And lastly, it is critical that all employees understand their role in
corporate social media and be trained on the rules.

Overall Integration

Pharma companies should stop thinking about content marketing and social media
as add-ons. To boost their outcome for clients, content and social marketing need to
be a part of almost every program. To develop a fully integrated program, companies need
to involve influencers and content marketers during the initial stages. Implementing an
organized approach to content and moderation will not only optimize the processes, but also aid
in assuring authorities that all the bases are covered to protect and provide value for the brand.

Investing in Employees

An independent survey discovered that 72% of social media users expect response within an
hour from the brands they follow. This has caused brands to start heavily investing in cross-
functional social media teams that can keep up with the increasing number of client pings

January 2020| 23
every day. Encouraging and incentivizing team members to share brand messages on their own social media accounts, is
predicted to be a game-changer in the coming days. However this cannot be forced, it is essential for employees to want to
share company posts, and along with this the content has to resonate with their own audiences.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing will continue to develop and become an even more established part of the strategy. Currently many
brands try influencer marketing and fail as it is not easy to find effective influencers. Additional data will help in selection
of the right influencers and analyze the results from influencer campaigns. Today, in healthcare, influencers are often
regular people. Some are directly affected by a disease or are being treated with a specific product, while others have
gained a lot of knowledge about a condition and are considered as Subject Matter Experts. The common trend is to select
someone who has an ever-increasing community of followers who value their opinion.

Numerous companies still think of social media as merely a marketing tool which is not true anymore. Consumers learn
about products on different social networks and seek customer service on messaging channels. Moreover, good storytelling
has always been an essential part of effective marketing. But social media is changing the way audiences consume stories
and pharma companies will be required to keep up with the evolution of social storytelling if they want to remain relevant.

Yet there is still a note of caution with compliance being the foremost priority of pharmaceutical companies. But as
industries are starting to adopt social media without clear regulatory guidance, remaining compliant will be the main
challenge to face.

S
S I NES G
BU ETIN
R K
MA

24 January 2020|
 Insights to Choosing
the Right IVF Center
About The Author
Dr Ritu Hinduja is an MD,
MRM (UK), and DRM
(Germany) who has
completed her Fellowship
in Reproductive Medicine
(India, Spain, Israel). She is
a certified Genetic
Counsellor and a well-
known medical
practitioner. Dr Ritu
specializes in Reproductive
medicine and Infertility
treatment and has an
experience of more than a
decade for the same. For
her dedication and
contribution, she has been
honoured with various
prominent awards like
FOGSI Chorion Award for
Best Research, FOGSI-
Kumud Tamaskar Award
for Best Research in
Infertility, and FOGSI-
Dr Shanti Yadav Award for
Dr Ritu Hinduja Infertility, to name a few.
Senior Consultant –
Reproductive Medicine,
Nova IVF, Andheri (Mumbai)
26 January 2020|

R eproductive medicine is an
ever advancing field of
medicine which provides a ray
hope for couples who are battling
infertility.
IVF is usually effective, though not
always immediately for all women,
research suggests that if you’re
considering assisted reproductive
technologies to help you conceive, it is
suggested that you chose your fertility
clinic well and that can improve your
odds of a good outcome. But with so
many clinics out there to choose from
deciding which one best meets your
needs can feel a bit overwhelming. You
can use the following pointers to help
you chose a clinic that meets your
needs.
Do Some Research
All fertility clinic may apparently look
the same, but they are not, and it does
not hurt to do your homework. You
may want to consider enquiring about
the success rate of the clinic. While
enquiring about the success rates it is
advisable to compare oranges to
oranges so compare the success rates
for your age group and also the kind of
treatment that you plan to do. Once
you are convinced about the success
rates it's a good idea to have a look at
their accreditations you can either look
for ISO, ISAR or a NABH
accreditation in the Indian
subcontinent. Also make sure that the
clinic is registered with the ICMR
(Indian Council of Medical Research)
Ask Questions
Before you commit to an IVF clinic its
always best to ask all the questions that
come to mind even if you think they
are silly. It’s your treatment and you
need to be at peace at what you are
proceeding with and it’s your right to
know every pro and con about the
treatment or any other query that may
come to mind. Some of the questions
you may consider asking:
January 2020|
• The process of IVF per se
• How many embryos do they
transfer?
• What is their embryo freezing
program like? What is their contract
time period? What will be renewal
clause be?
• Do they prefer a day 3 or a day 5
transfer?
• The technique of fertilization ---
ICSI for all or IVF for selected
cases?
• Do they have an identification
system in place for the Gametes?
• How are donors screened and
allotted?
• Will you need genetic screening?
• Will you need sperm selection
techniques?
• What will happen when you get
pregnant? who will you follow up
with?
• What will happen if you don’t get
pregnant?
• If attempting genetic screening – you
may want to ask which lab they are
associated with for the analysis?
• Do they have an in house full time
andrologist and embryologist?
• Is it an all under one roof facility?
Find out if they have a Psychological
Counsellor or a Patient-support
Group
It's important for a fertility clinic to
offer indicated medical treatment to
help you conceive but it’s also
important that there is enough
emotional support available while you
are embarking on one of the most
emotional journeys of your life. Also,
if the sessions with the psychologist
are chargeable or are free of cost.
Consider the Monitory Factors
Always take your financial counselling
in written from the clinic. Consider
have they given you all the inclusion
and exclusion criterion’s in written.
The inclusion criteria you may want to
look for are gonadotropins, blastocyst
transfer and luteal support medicine till
Bhcg. Always gauge how transparent
Experts Opinion
they are attempting to be in their
pricing.
Trust your Instincts
When you’re considering a fertility
clinic, always trust your gut feeling. I
think patients’ gut feelings are usually
pretty good. Life’s most precious
commodities are your gametes and
hence any decision you take regarding
them has to be carefully contemplated
hence it is important that you get a feel
of the people who are going to be
handling your gametes. Consider the
professionalism of the staff of the
clinic and how they treat you , pay
attention to what they say to you and
how professional and genuine does
their care feel to you and does their
care make you feel comfortable and at
ease or do you feel rushed or ignored.
If Applicable to you may want to
find out more about the Special
Program the Center has
• Who is the andrologist attached with
the center if you are going to need
testicular sperm extraction?
• If you are looking for social fertility
preservation: then you may want to
know about their oocyte freezing
facilities. Find out how many times
you may need to do egg retrievals to
freeze the optimal number of
oocytes. What is the payment
structure? How long will the oocytes
be cryopreserved according to the
initial contract; how will the renewal
clauses be.
• Fertility preservation program for
cancer patients.
Even after all the above pointers only
you can know which clinic suits you
best and always remember A great
fertility clinic isn’t just one that can
give you effective treatment, it is the
one with staff that is compassionate,
has transparent and clear financial
counselling, smooth administrative
processes and a system in place for
exceptional emotional support.
27
 Sisco Research
Laboratories:
A Name Synonymous to Quality Reagents and Biochemicals
T he Indian Biochemical sector is initiating
breakthrough enactments and is laying the
foundation of a stronger growth trajectory. With
this immense growth potential, the sector will continue to
play a pivotal role as an innovative manufacturing hub and
unlock countless opportunities for today and tomorrow.
Acknowledging this scenario, organized manufactures are
offering exclusive solutions for the betterment of the
economy alongside delivering quality to the core.
Founded in 1975, Sisco Research Laboratories Pvt. Ltd.
(SRL) is one such organization that stands amongst the
oldest and most respected manufacturers of specialty fine
chemicals, microbiological, nanotechnology and
biotechnology reagents. It's an ISO 9001-2015, CGMP,
FDA, and CE certified organization that employs about 300
personnel to manufacture. Headquartered in Mumbai, SRL
effectively services the needs of scientists, researchers,
quality control managers of industries, researchers of
institutions and academic bodies.
Today, the company stands amongst the five leading
Reagents and Biochemicals providing companies in India.
It's patronized by various National Laboratories, CSIR,
ICMR, ICAR, DRDO, IITs, NITs, NISER institutes and
National Universities thereby, leading to accreditation and
acceptance by the multinationals, Indian manufacturers and
even overseas buyers.
Apart from all this, SRL also makes its modest
contributions towards various CSR activities.
The Success Story
Mr S. K. Agarwal laid the foundation of SRL way back in
1975 when India's premier Research institutes and
academic bodies such as Universities and Colleges were
28
relying wholly on imported reagents and chemicals. Being
the Managing Director, his sole aim was and is to
contribute to this ever-increasing ocean of scientific
research and learning in the country.
At that point in time, he faced a plethora of challenges
concerning designing, production & testing methodologies,
capital, operations, and staff training. Making staff
understand the importance of high-quality testing and
manufacturing standards was not an easy task for the
company. Also, customers preferred to import chemicals
from the leading companies in the world rather than
embracing Indian products.
Keeping up with times and acknowledging these trends, Mr
Agarwal embarked on a journey of manufacturing
speciality chemicals and reagents at par international
quality in India. With the passage of time, his curated
acumen and consistent efforts successfully carved out
affordable pricing strategies that have the potential to
satisfy the needs of the customers with limited financial
grants.
Currently, his leadership is helping the company in
contributing to the growth of scientific research in India.
The young dynamic Directors - Mr. Akash Agarwal and Mr.
Vikas Agarwal (Grandsons of Mr. S.K. Agarwal) have taken
the SRL's visions and goals to a broader and higher
mission. Their education, experience and leadership is
enabling the company to penetrate many new markets
(Pharma, FMCG, Cosmetics & R&D etc.) and reaching to
every corner of the world. They are also upgrading and up-
scaling the product range of the company by introducing
newer reagents in the field of diagnostics, nano-technology,
molecular biology and PCR related reagents.
January 2020|
1
The
Most
Innovative
Bio Tech
Solution Providers to Watch
Mr Akash Agarwal
in 2019 Director

Meet the Cornerstones

Mr Ramesh Agarwal, Director and son of Mr Agarwal is

associated with the company since last four decades and has
been especially credited with the procurement of raw
materials for the company with his business acumen in bulk
chemical industry.

Mr Akash Agarwal and Mr Vikas Agarwal, the young

Directors of the family-owned company have introduced
many verticals of management at the head office. While Mr
Akash has completed his Chemical Engineering and MBA
from USA, Mr Vikas has done his Post Graduation in Mr Vikas Agarwal
Commerce and MBA from UK. They have been driving Director
digitalization and computerization in operations at all levels
for faster growth within India and overseas.

A biochemist devoted to R&D, Late Dr M. R. Raikar

pioneered the development of various reagents under the
leadership and guidance of Mr Agarwal. His knowledge and
experience assisted the company in launching its first
manufacturing unit in Kashimira in Mumbai.

A Reader in Mumbai University and a devoted student of

Organic Chemistry, Late Dr Pandit had been instrumental
in establishing the second manufacturing unit in MIDC,
Turbhe, Navi Mumbai.

The Corporate R&D and Production Manager of the

company who stands amongst the proficient R&D
scientists having experience in UK, US, and MNC pharma
companies has led the team of chemists at Turbhe factory to
effectively synthesize highly purified reagents, phase
transfer catalysts, and specialized solvents thereby adding
to the growth of the company.

The Corporate Quality Control Manager of the

company who heads the quality control department at the
‘‘ We ensure that the
products we manufacture
give the desired consistent
results batch-after-batch
‘‘
MIDC, Taloja factory has been accredited with the “The Company vision is “
development and modifications of analytical methods of
hundreds of biochemicals, reagents, and solvents. to serve the endless process
A versatile manufacturing microbiologist, who Heads the
of science
Microbiology Division of the company is helpful in

January 2020| 29
developing a new production department of dehydrated culture media, Mr S. K. Agarwal
playing a pivotal role in catering to health care, environmental, and MD
microbiological quality control.

The Chief Accountant has been aptly instrumental in handling the

financial and accounting management of the company.

The Regulatory Personnel has been instrumental in introducing

several regulatory systems like ISO, CE, GMP, and VQs to meet the
industry’s and government’s mandatory requirements.

Rewards & Recognitions

Mr S.K. Agarwal was awarded the ‘Indian Achievers Award' in 2014

for Industry Development in the field of CSR and Sustainable
Development.

A renowned media company Bio Spectrum recognized SRL amongst

the ‘20 Top Biotechnology Companies’. It had also published a profile
of Mr Agarwal, as a leader in the field of biotechnology-related Mr Ramesh Agarwal
Director
reagents in the country in the year 2013.

In 2010, he was felicitated by ISGF / AISG in recognition of his

contribution to Scout and Guide Fellowship during the past 50 years
in India. He was also a member of the ISGF World Committee from
1993 to 1999.

He has attended & successfully completed MIT Management

Executive Education (Leading Organisations and Change) in 2018
from EMERITUS institute of management, US.

Outperforming Own Milestones

SRL manufactures and provides more than 6000 products across

15000 Stock Keeping Units (SKU’s). Its product menu includes
Organic & Inorganic reagents, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
reagents, Nanotechnology products, Microbiology dehydrated culture
media and PCR reagents.

The company’s products are quenching the needs of various industries

like Pharma, FMCG, Cosmetics, etc. Companies embrace these
products for their R&D and pilot-scale & bulk production. However,
the introduction of newer range of diagnostic reagents has created a
shift in the buyers’ preference for SRL products alongside gaining the
advantage of economical prices and promoting availability.

With the expansion of its export business in the Indian subcontinent,

Far-east, Europe and the US, SRL is all set to observe growth rates in
excess of 30%-40% on year-to-year in the next 5 years.

Explore more on srlchem.com

30 January 2020|
 Transcell Biolife
The Next Generation Biobank with Global Outlook
B iobanking is going to be the
new world order to provide
first-in-class transformative
medicine replacing hospitals and based
medical, healthcare institutions. As far
as the bio-samples are considered,
storing for applications will evolve to
become a blue-chip industry. Biobank
derivatives put to applications are
forecast to be pegged at 500 billion
global market opportunity covering big
data in genomics, drug discovery,
development, CAR-T cell therapies,
transplantations, repair, and
regeneration.
Transcell Biolife was founded to be a
biobank for the intended applications;
built on preservation theme and
technology translated to apply.
In Biolife’s context with credible in-
house R&D, Intellectual property
surrounding the story as translating the
prowess of adult stem cell technologies
to the intended applications,
thebiosamples derived stem cell units
and data are invaluable assets in the
repository. The belief and the
conviction have been handling the
right kind of bio-samples, derived
cellular platforms depending on the
use, with Biolife’s team emerging as
revenants in the wake of industry
transformation, adaptation.
With a track record of offering bio
storage products and related services,
Biolife today has positioned itself
addressing expectant families and
families with kids aged between 5 and
11- year markets. The vision of the
32
company is to become an epicenter
biobank for Asia facilitating
transformative medicine. Biolife is a
revelation from India in the field of
biobanking with applications shown
beyond autologous presentations.
Extraordinary Services and
Products
ScellCare
ScellCare is into storing umbilical
cord, bone marrow and bio-sample
derivatives (cellular units and stem cell
transcriptomics). Collection is non-
invasive, painless, and poses no risk to
the donor, while source is being
categorized as biological discards. In
India, blood forming (hematopoietic)
stem cells from bone marrow or
umbilical (nadi) cord blood are
routinely used to treat blood cancers
and different blood disorders as
Standard Care in managing 40 different
kind of diseases. The stem cell
transcriptomics derived report is
predictive (not diagnostic) in nature
with details on the donor stem cells
genomics in readable format. This is
completely next generation feature of
the biobanking service that Biolife has
integrated into it’s regular offering.
ToothScell
Dental stem cells are adult stem cells
found in wisdom teeth and baby teeth.
They are being studied for applications
in regenerative medicine and dentistry
while over 2000 clinical trials are
ongoing at global level. ToothScell
program acquires donor’s tooth stem
cell nucleotide sequence before
cryopreserving the units in the
repository. Identification of disease
genes from the sequence can have
applications in proactive healthcare
approach and predictive testing.
Relationship of dental stem cell
molecular markers with other systemic
illnesses like that of heart ailments,
diabetes, immune disorders are known.
ToothScell is a comprehensive and
progressive relationship with it’s
clients offering precious service from
collected bio-sample.
Benefits for Clients
Insightful, Latest, Modern, Credible,
Transcell Biolife’s laboratory driven
original data converted to users’
precious experience in the form of
biobanking related solutions. Biolife
empowers them by offering these
solutions to act informed addressing
their family’s wholistic medical,
healthcare requirement.
The Leader with Vision
S Dravida, the Founder, and CEO is
a scientist by profession, practicing to
translate the group’s proprietary stem
cell platform technologies to
applications. With utmost dedication
and focus on delivering maximum with
minimum input philosophy, she has
orchestrated Biolife for preserving all
precious things to offer the intended
applications keeping stakeholder value
in mind. It is her vision, which is built
on the team’s strengths to become
Asia’s epicenter biobank playing a key
role in facilitating the derived
applications, that sets Biolife apart
from the rest of the players.
January 2020|
1
The
Most
Innovative
Bio Tech
Solution Providers to Watch
in 2019
S Dravida
Founder & CEO
L Krishna is the head of Operations
with Biolife team. He has been the core
member with technical, and medical
background contributing to the success
of present operations. His alignment,
passion for the company’s mission and
vision translating to setting an example
with Biolife achieving operational
efficiency is a rare talent. He plays a
crucial role in bridging the facilities
and the field dynamics with
commitment.
Adopting Digital Disruptions
The company believes and practices
original research driving the business
offerings from Biolife and so has built
unique internal complex processes
customized connecting digitization.
Starting from the client enrolment, till
the promised service from the Biobank
is delivered, the entire operational
(technical and sales) process is wired
while handling privacy related matters
as per the rule of the country.
Overcoming the Challenges
“We operate from India and this
market is crowded with known
businesses, models, markets for
example cord blood banking which is
commoditized. So, it was difficult for us
to get practitioners, evangelists,
ambassadors, sales champions in the
beginning who could proactively be
our referral points promoting our story
that has unique differentiators with
proven track record”, S Dravida
recollects.
January 2020|
Further, she says, “To our honest
self and after facing the market
‘‘
and the customers for the past 7
years continuously sharing our
ups and downs that are different
from the others, Biolife stands tall Meaningful
today with great connection
established with needy market. The
innovation
discovered growth formula does not need
addressing bio-sample storage to be based
disruptively is the ground breaking
strategy breaking all the growth
on outright
deteriorating challenges in this invention. Rather,
space.” The vision, operating team’s there is an
adaptability, ability to connect with the exhilarating
user (B2B or B2C) on Biolife’s
strengths, core capacities have set any shortcut. It is
competition at bay in the market. based on bold,
new combinations
The Future Roadmap
“As far as Biolife’s internal growth in of already existing
India, it is planned to be organic by components that
strengthening facilities, adding simultaneously
channel partners from North and
Eastern states to handle volumes while
unlock heightened
levels of consumer
thegrowth formula embraced by Biolife
positions the company as epicenter
biobank in Asia building assets in the
repository to apply”, S Dravida
expresses her view regarding the
future road map for the company.
‘‘
value and reduce
costs.
-Gabor George Burt
Biolife operates with a purpose and
the fact that it has growing
clientele and collaborations in
India is a testimonial in its
language.
33
 Agri Tech

B iotechnology is a the exploration and development of various biological

processes to achieve mainly industrial and various other purposes
cultivation of the plants, and improvements through breeding programs.
The processes also employs artificial selection and hybridization which emphases
its functionality. At present, the modern usage also includes genetic engineering as
well as cell and tissue culture technologies.

In earlier days biotechnology process was initiated by farmers who developed

improved species of plants and animals by cross-fertilizing or cross-breeding. In recent
years, biotechnology has expanded its core functionality widely which now focuses on
sophistication, scope, and applicability.

A well-known and author and writer is vague and can be unsubstantial, for example,
Clayton Christensen share his views as, "There are other dimensions of biotechnology. If
you think of biotechnology like the Internet, it's not a category - it's an infrastructure that
can be deployed to sustain or disrupt. In healthcare, the most complex problems at the high
end have to be dealt with in a problem-solving mode by the best, most experienced
physicians you can find.”

Biotechnology is immensely contributing towards agriculture which enhances its

functionality to the next level. Agriculture aspects have extremely changed with
biotechnology functions and increase readability of the process.

What is Agriculture Biotechnology?

Agricultural Biotechnology is also known as Agritech. It is an area of agricultural

science involving the use of scientific tools and techniques. There are several
techniques used in agriculture biotechnology such as Genetic Engineering,

34 January 2020|
Molecular Markers, Molecular Diagnostics, Vaccines,
and tissue culture. And it also modifies the living
organisms like Plants, Animals, and Microorganisms.
In recent times, Crop biotechnology has been developed
its functionality in agriculture and is also one of the main
aspects of agriculture biotechnology. Its desired qualities
are exported from a particular species of Crop to an
entirely different species.
How is Agriculture Biotechnology Used?
Genetic Engineering: The term is derived from
scientific research provides information about how to
move genes from one organism to another. This is known
as genetic engineering (GE) or genetic modification
(GM). Genetic engineering includes the transfer of
useful characteristics by inserting DNA of Plants, animal
or microorganism from another organism to another.
Molecular Diagnostics: Molecular diagnostics
significantly detect genes or gene products that are very
precise and specific. Molecular diagnostics is the method
used in agriculture to more accurately diagnose
crop/livestock diseases.
Tissue Culture: Tissue culture is the process of
regeneration of plants from the disease-free plant. This
technique allows reproduction of disease-free planting
material for crops.
Unified Methods Used for Corp Modification
Traditional Breeding: Traditional breeding method has
been used for centuries to improve crop quality and
quantity. The crossbreeding describes the combination of
two compatible species to create a new variety with the
desired traits. The crossbreeding can be only utilized
within the same or closely related species.
Polyploidy: Polyploidy is the method describes which
can be induced to modify the number of chromosomes in
a crop in order to influence its fertility or size. Through
naturally or with the use of chemicals, the number of
chromosomes can change. The process results in the
fertility changes in modification within the crop.
January 2020|
Protoplast Fusion: Protoplast fusion is
also known as Somatic fusion. It is a
type of genetic modification in plants by
which two distinct species of plants.
In this method, it includes joining
of cells or cell components to
transfer traits between species.
Transgenics: Transgenics is the method
which involves the insertion of one piece
of DNA into another organism's DNA. It
works in order to introduce a new gene
into the original organism. This addition of
genes into an organism's genetic material
creates a new variety with desired
qualities.
Impact of Agriculture Biotechnology on
Economy and Social Life
The technology used in agricultural
productivity improved its usability and
functionality with some major factors
such as combine harvesters,
chemical fertilizers, and the green
revolution. Like every technology,
agricultural biotechnology will
also have its major impact on
economic and social.
In agriculture, crops using biotechnologies
have improved its quality and also been
used safely with benefits. The technology
influences the whole process by the
reduction of pesticide use. At present
agricultural biotechnology, one of the
factors that influence the health and
welfare of the farmers and other citizens in
the developing world.
Influence of Agriculture Biotechnology
in the Future
The aim of agricultural biotechnology
is to present the functionality of the
applications used in agriculture
biotechnology. The applications
are eagerly awaited to increase
35
 the productivity of crops, primarily by reducing the costs
of production by decreasing the needs for inputs of
pesticides. The process is mostly used in crops grown in
temperate zones. The application of agricultural
biotechnology can improve the quality of life by
developing new strains of plants that give higher crops.
The crops can be grown in a wider range of
environments which give better rotations to conserve
natural resources. It also provides more nutritious
harvested products that keep much longer in storage and
transport, and continue low-cost food supplies to
consumers.

According to Crop Science, the company with credible

authority on the progress and future implications of
Agricultural biotechnology states that, “Farming is
evolving in the 21st century with the development and
use of biotechnology crops. Scientists and agronomists
work in the lab and greenhouse to come up with genes
that improve crop yield and make corn, soybean, cotton
and canola plants more resistant to insects and more
tolerant to herbicides, drought, and stress.”

The biotechnology and its process is the evidence of the

contributions towards rural development around the
world. It serves as the source of inspiration for emerging
nations to complement existing practices with
agricultural biotechnology.

36 January 2020|
 FastSense Diagnostics
The Next-Gen Technology for Swift and E cient Care
T oday, as technology is making
advancements, the world is
also progressing with an
exponential rate. This advancement has
also taken the healthcare space to a
different dimension. Yet, there are
many diseases and disorders that are
untouched by emerging technological
advancements.
Currently, it is estimated that
approximately 2.3 million people are
living with cancer in India.
Approximately 12 lakh new patients
get registered per year and 8 lakh
deaths occurs in a year.
While there are many brilliant minds in
the world working towards changing
the devastating scenario of current
cancer care, very few have been
successful in implementing it. One
such visionary startup FastSense
Diagnostics (FSD) has taken the
responsibility to bring the change
which the world is looking forward to.
The company is led by three dynamic
personalities. Dr. Preeti Nigam Joshi
is the Founder of FastSense
Diagnostics. While Harish Joshi and
Dr. Saildendra Mishra are the
Co-founders of the company. The
reason behind the genesis of FastSense
was when Preeti’s mother was
diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Growing with the Company’s Vision
It is known that most of the times lives
38
are lost to late diagnosis of diseases
when no treatment is possible. At
FastSense Diagnostics the primary
focus is to develop portable, easy to
use, early-stage detection devices and
models for complex diseases. It
focuses specifically on deep tissue
cancers and neonatal sepsis as these are
the untouched segments but deeply
affecting many lives.
Dr. Preeti says, “Our company is
driven by the vision of affordable
healthcare for all and the ability to
develop the indigenous technologies to
bring the cost down and take the
benefits of scientific advancements to
the last man in society.”
Revolutionary Products
FastSense is targeting to build point of
care devices for early detection of fatal
diseases, drug delivery systems for
deep tissue cancers and AI-based
modules for disease prediction. The
company majorly focuses on complex
diseases segment including cancers
(liver, pancreatic, GI tract, oral, lung),
neonatal sepsis, Alzheimer’s, etc.
Their premium product L-Sens which
would be hitting the market soon is a
handy device for diagnosis liver cancer
(Hepatocellular Carcinoma). The
advantage of the system is that it can
be used to screen a large population
prone to liver cancer.
The next product in the line is Sepsis-S
for neonatal sepsis. According to
Preeti, in an estimate, India alone
reported sepsis cases in
17,000/1,00,000 live births and that
data itself shows the gravity of the
situation. These cases are
comparatively high in the rural parts of
the country.
“Currently, there is no portable
detection method available to identify
the cases timely and we are filling the
gap by our kit “Sepsis-S”. It’s a state-
of-the-art minimally invasive device to
identify sepsis onset within 72 hrs. Our
products are compatible with
smartphones so data can be easily
transferred to doctors and healthcare
providers to get a timely assessment in
critical cases like sepsis,” expresses
Dr. Preeti.
Overcoming the Challenges
As a startup, there are many obstacles
that a company has to face. The
challenges increased when it came to
fundraising for FastSense. Being a
non-IT startup, all these obstacles
seemed more challenging.
Nevertheless, the company, through its
innovative thinking and goodwill,
received funding.
Dr. Preeti mentions, “The biggest
problem with technology start-ups (in
non-IT domains especially in health
tech) is fundraising as many times the
product development takes a long time
from 3-10 years for medical devices to
come into the market and to sustain
January 2020|
1
The
Most
Innovative
Bio Tech
Solution Providers to Watch
in 2019

‘‘ At FastSense, we
have I3 (Innovation,
Inspire & Integrity) as
a common set of
values and our team
works with full
dedication to solve
complex health
problems to
‘‘
improve lives
Dr. Preeti Nigam Joshi Mr. Harish Joshi Sailendra Mishra
Founder Co-founder Co-founder

during such long duration is a big good responses among experts and
challenge. Although government clinical validation are on and we are
policies are creating a positive confident of hitting the market at

environment for start-ups still it’s a
long way to solve all problems that
startups face.”
Recently, FastSense has received the
Bio Ignition Grant and NIDHI Prayas
award by the Department of
Biotechnology – BIRAC, Government
of India. Apart from this, the company
made a special news appearance in
BioVoice under “Special Startup
Series: Affordable diagnostic kits for
early-stage cancer detection.
Creating a Mark on the Society
In the current times, it is necessary to
develop oneself while taking each
other along. Intermixing of different
fields of expertise has been proven
beneficial. Dr. Preeti herself has a
background in biotechnology but she
now works in the field of
nanotechnology.
Preeti mentions, “We believe the future
to be bright as our products have got
‘‘
earliest. We will continue to strive for
developing products that are in sync
with our vision of affordable
healthcare. We are developing different The prime
in-house facilities and gradually motivation
working on team building to bring
likeminded people under the umbrella
we have is
of FastSense so that we could sail full " Detect early
throttle to bring new products and Save lives" and
technologies for all.”
our products
In the forthcoming years, a will bridge the
combination of numerous information
technology like AI, ML, 5G,
gap between
computing efficiency and chemical diagnosis
sciences will help tackle problems and treatment
that were otherwise not easy to crack
to date. It will further be possible to
interlink telemedicine, remote
surgery, personalized or customized
treatment regime. This will
‘‘
and provide
better survival
rates
ultimately turn the tables around
as the medical healthcare will
become distinctly affordable.

January 2020| 39