Vol. 02 NO 19
SCHOLARSHIP - PAGE 2
CSIR – G N RAMACHANDRAN GOLD MEDAL
FOR EXCELLENCE IN BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
& TECHNOLOGY 2018
NEW SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
JAPANESE GOVERNMENT
[MEXT] SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM – FOR PHD &
MSC BIOTECH & BIOLOGY
Type : Research Student
Level : Research/Masters Course/Ph.D.
course
Age : Under 35 (born on or after April
2, 1983)
Subjects:
(A) Japan related Humanities (B) Japan re-
lated Social Science (C) Information Tech-
nology (D) Mathematical Science (E) Phys-
ics (F) Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
(G) Biology and Biotechnology (H) Agricul-
ture and Fishery (I) Environmental Science
(J) Pharmaceutical Science (K) Geology and
Geoinformatics (L) Civil Engineering (M)
Architecture (N) Material Science / Engi-
neering (O) Electrical Engineering (P) Elec-
tronics & Communications Engineering (Q)
Mechanical Engineering (R) Aerospace En-
GET THIS NEWSPAPER e-copy VIA WHATSAPP every week
NEWS - PAGE 7
SUPRA CAR: THE “SWISS ARMY KNIFE”
OF CART IS HERE
2, 1984)
year from October*1 (Including a half year
of Japanese language training period*2)
gineering (S) Robotics
Eligibility Conditions:
month for the year 2017 *3)
1. For Research Student / Master’s Degree
Bachelor’s Degree in the relevant field with
minimum 65% marks. The candidates should
obtain their mark sheet and degree on or be-
fore 31st March 2019 for April 2019 batch
and 30th September 2019 for October 2019
batch.
2. For Ph.D. Degree
Master’s degree in the relevant field with
minimum 65% marks. Candidate having
practical research/teaching/work experience
after obtaining the prescribed qualification
on or before 31st March 2019 for April 2019
batch and 30th September 2019 for October
2019 batch.
NEWS - PAGE 8
LIQUID BIOPSY FOR BRAIN TUMOR
BIOMARKER DETECTION DEVELOPED
By Diluxy Arya
Age : Under 35 (born on or after April
Term of scholarship :
Two years from April or One and a half
Stipend :
143,000 Yen/ month (Approx. Rs. 87,000 /
Tuition fees :
Exempted
Airfare :
Round-trip airfare will be provided
Schedule of Preliminary Selection (Ten-
May 8th, 2018.
ADMISSIONS - PAGE 10
PHD ADMISSION 2018 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
@ S N BOSE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR BASIC
SCIENCES, KOLKATA
japanese
goveRnment
scholarship
program
The Japanese Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
(MEXT) is offering scholarships to Indian
students for pursuing graduate courses at
Japanese university as research students
(either non-degree or degree students)
under the Japanese Government (MEXT)
Scholarship Program for 2018.
tative) :
– Receiving completed applications: 1st
June 2018 (Last date )
– Preliminary Screening: 1st and 2nd week
of June 2018
– Notification of shortlisted candidates for
written test/interview (on this page): 15th
June 2018 onwards
– Dates for Written test/interview: 23 June,
24 June, 30 June, 1 July, 2018
How to apply and where to send the com-
pleted forms :
The completed application form mention-
ing subject Research Student and file name as
field of study-name.docx (e.g. physics-amit.
Next Page>>>>
GIVE MISSED CALL TO
080-395-34707
1
May 8th, 2018.
docx) should be sent to the Embassy through
email as an attachment, by 1st June 2018,
positively.
Email id: scholarship-india@nd.mofa.
go.jp
Applications received on this email id only
will be considered as submitted application.
Note: The size of the file should not exceed
CSIR – G N Ramachandran
Gold Medal for Excellence
in Biological Sciences &
Technology 2018
CSIR – G N Ramachandran Gold Med-
al for Excellence in Biological Sciences &
Technology 2018 official notification has
been announced. CSIR – G N Ramachan-
dran Gold Medal for Excellence in Bio-
logical Sciences & Technology 2018 for in-
terested and eligible candidates as per the
details given below:
Nominations are invited for G N Ram-
achandran Gold Medal for Excellence in
Biological Sciences and Technology 2018
The Council of Scientific & Industrial Re-
search (CSIR) invites nominations for the G
N Ramachandran Gold Medal for Excellence
in Biological Sciences and Technology for
the year 2018. The award is bestowed every
year to an outstanding Indian scientist, who
has made conspicuously important contri-
butions, applied or fundamental, in the in-
ter-disciplinary subject / field of Biological
Sciences and Technology. The award would
be given for the work done primarily in In-
dia during ten years preceding the year of the
award.
Preamble:
a) The Award is named after Prof. G N Ra-
machandran and will be known as the “ G N
Ramachandran Gold Medal for Excellence in
Biological Sciences & Technology”.
b) The Award is given each year for out-
standing contributions to Biological Sciences
& Technology.
Nature of Award:
A Gold Medal and a citation are to be pre-
sented to the recipient on 26 September, the
CSIR Foundation Day. Medal is awarded for
notable and outstanding research, applied or
fundamental, in the inter-disciplinary subject
/ field of Biological Sciences and Technolo-
gy.
2
200KB.
For more details contact
Mr. S. Sinha
Japan Information Centre (JIC),
Embassy of Japan,
50-G, Shantipath, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi – 110021.
Tel:011-4610-4865
Email:jpemb.sinha@nd.mofa.go.jp
SCHOLARSHIP
Purpose
Recognition of outstanding work in Biolog-
ical Sciences & Technology.
Eligibility:
a) Any citizen of India engaged in research
in Biological Sciences & Technology. Over-
seas citizen of India (OCI) and Persons of In-
dian Origin (PIO) working in India are also
eligible.
b) The Award shall be bestowed on a per-
son, who in the opinion of Advisory Commit-
tee constituted by CSIR, has made conspic-
uously important and excellent contributions
to human knowledge and progress, funda-
mental or applied in the particular field of en-
deavor, which is his / her specialization.
c) The award would be given on the basis of
contributions made through work done pri-
marily in India during the ten years, preced-
ing the year of prize (For this purpose “pri-
marily” will mean “for the most part”).
Award:
The Award shall be given every year with
the approval of the Governing Body of CSIR
on the recommendations of the Advisory
Committee.
Advisory Committee:
a) The Advisory Committee for each year’s
award would be constituted by DG, CSIR.
The Committee would consist of a maximum
of seven experts in broad areas.
b) On receipt of the nominations for a par-
ticular year, CSIR would circulate the list of
nominees along with the detailed statement
of work and attainments of each candidate to
all members of Advisory Committee.
c) Meeting of the Committee would be
convened by CSIR, in consultation with the
Chairperson for selecting the recipient of the
“G N Ramachandran Award” and the recom-
mendations of the Committee would be sub-
mitted to DG, CSIR for approval.
d) The composition of Advisory Commit-
tee, the information submitted for their scru-
tiny, the proceedings of the meeting and the
procedure for consideration of the nomina-
tions, other than as detailed herein would be
kept confidential.
Nominations:
a) Name of candidates may be proposed by
a member of the Governing Body (CSIR);
Presidents of approved scientific societies and
academies of all-India character, Vice-Chan-
cellors of Universities; Deemed Universi-
ties and Institutions of national importance;
Directors of Indian Institute of Technology
(IIT), Director-General of the major R & D
organizations, such as the Defence Research
Please write your telephone number with
area code, when you send a query by email.
Past Examination questions are availa-
ble! - http://www.studyjapan.go.jp/en/toj/
toj0302e-32.html#1
NB :
*1: If a student opts for Masters or Ph.D.
program, the scholarship term may get ex-
tended, provided that he/she has outstanding
& Development Organisation, Indian Coun-
cil of Agricultural Research, Indian Coun-
cil of Medical Research, Directors of CSIR
Laboratories, Bhabha Atomic Research Cen-
tre, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research,
Secretaries of the Department of Scientific &
Industrial Research, Department of Biotech-
nology, etc. Member in-charge (Science) in
the Planning Commission and former Prof
GNR Gold Medal Awardees. University Fac-
ulties can recommend scientists working in
their institutions only and route nominations
through their respective Vice-Chancellors,
while the faculties in IITs are required to send
their nominations through their Directors.
Directors-General of the R & D Organisa-
tions and Chairperson of Commissions may
sponsor names of the scientists working in
their respective organizations. The Directors
of CSIR laboratories can nominate candi-
dates in disciplines of their interest irrespec-
tive of the fact whether they are working in
CSIR laboratories or outside. The recipients
of Prof GNR Gold Medal can send nomina-
tion of one person only for each year’s award.
Nominations from other individuals spon-
soring their own names or of other are not
acceptable. Each nomination should be ac-
companied by a detailed statements of work
and attainments of the nominee and a critical
assessment report (not more than 500 words)
bringing out the importance of significant re-
search and development contributions of the
nominee made during the ten years preceding
the year of the Prize.
b) A candidate, once nominated, would be
considered for a total period of three years, if
otherwise eligible. Once such a nomination
has been received, CSIR can correspond di-
rectly with the candidate for supplementary
information, if necessary.
Presentation
a) The Award will be presented to the recip-
ient on 26 September, the CSIR Foundation
Day.
b) In all matters of award of “G N Ram-
achandran Gold Medal for Excellence in Bio-
logical Sciences & Technology” the decision
of CSIR shall be final.
How to Apply :
Nominations addressed to Scientist In-
charge, SSB YSA Unit, Human Resource De-
velopment Group, CSIR Complex, Library
Avenue, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012 should be
sent as per prescribed pro-forma (Original +
one copy) along with reprints of five most
significant publications of the last 10-year’s
period by 31 May 2018. The details of the
award and the prescribed pro-forma for nom-
ination may be downloaded from the website
www.csirhrdg.res.in
Last Date to Apply : by 31 May 2018
Vol. 02 NO 19
academic achievement that meets certain cri-
teria set by the MEXT.
*2: It will be exempted if student has a good
ability of Japanese or enters the courses of-
fered in English.
*3: The amount is subject to change de-
pending on the annual budget of each year
Last date of application : by 1st June
2018
SERB International Travel
Support (ITS) Scheme –
Official Notification
Interested and eligible candidates are
encouraged to apply online for a SERB
International Travel Support Scheme. In-
ternational Travel Support Scheme SERB
Govt of India Scheme. International Trav-
el Support (ITS) Scheme 2018 announce-
ment. Check out all of the details on the
same below:
International Travel Support (ITS) Scheme
provides financial assistance to Indian re-
searchers for presenting a research paper in
an international scientific event (conference,
seminar, workshop etc.) held abroad. In ad-
dition, support is also provided to young sci-
entists (age limit below 35 years as on date
of start of the event) for attending training
programmes, Short-term schools and Work-
shops. Economy class air-fare by shortest
route from Air India, airport-tax and visa fees
are provided under the scheme. Registration
Fee is provided to young scientist in addition
to the above support. Applications can be
submitted within the window of 60-90 days
in advance from the date of start of the event.
The system will not accept early or late sub-
mission of applications.
Scope :
The ITS scheme is to provide financial as-
sistance for presenting a original research
paper or chairing a session or delivering a
keynote address in an international scientif-
ic event held abroad (conference/seminar/
symposium etc.). This scheme also provides
support to young researchers (Age<35 years
on the date of start of event) for attending
workshop, short term training programmes
and schools being organized outside India.
Next Page>>>>
Vol. 02 NO 19
Eligibility :
• Applicant should be an active Indian
researcher engaged in R&D work in
recognized academic institutions or re-
search laboratories in India.
• The applicant should have an invitation
for presenting an original scientific
paper. Similar invitation is required in
the case of young scientists attending
training programmes such as short term
courses, summer/winter schools, work-
shop etc.
• The applicant should not have availed
financial assistance under this Scheme
during the last three years.
• The scientific event should be of an
international character. Invitation of
personal nature such as for carrying out
post-doctoral work, informal training
programmes/courses, internship, ob-
server-ship etc. will not be eligible for
support.
Nature of Support:
This scheme provides to & fro economic
class air fare by the shortest route, airport tax
and visa fees for attending the specific event.
Registration fees is also provided to young
scientists (Age<35 on the date of start of
event) in addition to the above support. The
support is provided on reimbursement basis
as per actual expenditure incurred by the ap-
plicant within the guidelines of the scheme.
However, Taxi fare will not be reimbursed.
Documents required:
• An endorsement letter duly signed and
stamped by competent authority of the
institute.
• A copy of letter of acceptance of the
presenting paper (oral/poster) by the
organizers.
• A copy of the abstract of the paper to
be presented. Please be sure to include
name of all the authors, authors’ affili-
ated institutions with full address and
title of the abstract.
• Biodata with complete list of Scientific
/ Technical publications and Patents, if
any.
Application Stage:
• Endorsement by the Head of the Insti-
tution
• Certificate by the Applicant including
Event Benefits
• Bio-data of the Applicant
• Acceptance Letter from the Organizer
• Abstract(s) of the paper(s) to be pre-
sented
• Event Details
• Event Details
• Date of Birth Certificate
• Event Benefits
• Financial Support from Other Sources
Claim Reimbursement Stage:
• Claim Form
• Bank Account Details Air/Rail/Bus/
Others tickets
• Cash Receipt of Air Ticket
• Boarding Passes
• Visa Charges
• Registration Receipt
• Participation Certificate
• Certificate(s) for amount received from
other sources
• Civil Aviation Permission Letter
• Any other(Miscellaneous Upload)
Terms & Conditions of ITS grant:
• Travel grant should be used only for at-
tending the scientific event for which
the SERB accorded its approval.
• The Institute/Applicant should submit
the claim bills, and other necessary
documents within 90 days from the last
day of the event.
• The host institute/Applicant shall en-
sure that the fund released is used ex-
clusively and appropriately for which it
has been sanctioned.
• If the applicant to whom the travel
grant has been awarded leaves the in-
stitution, the Institute and the applicant
should inform SERB immediately, and
the grant released, if any, should be re-
funded back by the Institute to SERB
immediately by means of DD drawn in
favour of “Fund for Science and Engi-
neering Research”.
• If the results of research are to be legal-
ly protected, the results should not be
presented in international fora without
action being taken to secure legal pro-
tection for the research results.
• If any candidate found to have fur-
nished incorrect / misleading informa-
tion at any stage, his/her candidature
will be cancelled and no reimburse-
ment will be made. The candidate will
also be debarred for next three years for
availing support under this scheme.
Contact Person:
The contact details of Programme Officers
are given below:
Dr. T Thangaradjou, Scientist ‘E’
5 & 5A, Lower Ground Floor,
Vasant Square Mall,
Sector-B, Pocket-5, Vasant Kunj
New Delhi-110070
Telephone: 40000355 / 011-40000305 /
40000321
Email: ms.its@serb.gov.in
For security reasons, IP addresses of the ap-
plicant’s computers are being recorded dur-
ing the usage.
If any candidate found to have furnished
incorrect / misleading information at any
stage, his/her application for support will
be cancelled and no reimbursement will be
made. The candidate will also be debarred
for next three years for availing support
under this scheme.
Overseas Visiting Doctoral
Fellowship – SERB |
Official Notification
Golden opportunity for Indian nationals
only via SERB Overseas Visiting Doctor-
al Fellowship that has been announced.
Candidates that are interested and eligible
check for all of the details on the Overseas
Visiting Doctoral Fellowship – SERB. that
have been detailed down below:
Objective:
Application for support to undertake re-
search training during the doctoral research
in overseas countries on a competitive mode
is sought from eligible researchers.
• To build national capacity in frontier ar-
eas of Science and Engineering, which
are of interest to India by providing re-
search training to PhD students admit-
ted in the Indian institutions in overseas
universities / institutions of repute.
• To provide opportunity to performing
Indian research students to gain expo-
sure and access to top class research
facilities in academia and labs across
the world.
• To create opportunities to build long-
term R&D linkages and collaborations
with accomplished scientists and tech-
nologists from around the world.
• To tap the expertise gained by these
young scientists to strengthen/initiate
national programmes in their domain
knowledge.
Eligibility:
• The scheme is open to Indian nationals
only.
• The applicant should have registered
for full-time Ph.D. Degree in any of the
recognized Institutions / Universities
in India in Science, Technology, En-
gineering and Mathematics (including
Medicine, Pharma, Agriculture and re-
lated S&T areas) disciplines.
• Should have received an offer letter
from a reputed overseas institution to
carry out research for a specified dura-
tion. The host supervisor should pro-
vide an official confirmation that they
will host the student detailing the peri-
od of stay and other requirements.
• Part-time and sponsored students are
not considered under the Program. Also
students who have submitted their the-
sis for award of the Degree of Ph.D. are
not eligible to apply.
APPLICATION & SELECTION:
Applications are invited from Ph.D. stu-
dents in two modes-
• Indian Ph.D. supervisors who had
made research collaboration with for-
May 8th, 2018.
eign counterparts in their individual
capacity .
• Indian/Overseas Institutions who had
signed an Agreement / MoU with
SERB for student mobility.
Applications will be sought twice a year.
The selection would be made among students
who obtained an offer letter from overseas in-
stitution to carry out research in chosen areas
of interest to India. The applicants belonging
to mode (i) above should apply directly to
SERB through www.serbonline.in . In case
of mode (ii) the application / recommenda-
tion should reach SERB through the Insti-
tute / University concerned. Students intend
to undertake research visit to the following
Universities to whom SERB had signed MoU
should apply directly to the University:
• Purdue University, West Lafayette,
USA
Contact Person: Mrs. Heidi Arola (harola@
purdue.edu), Managing Director for Global
Partnerships.
More Details available at: http://www.pur-
due.edu/india/
• University of Alberta, Edmonton,
Canada
Contact Person: Mr. Dan Fredrick (dan.
fredrick@ualberta.ca), Manager, Sponsored
Student Program
More Details available at: https://www.
ualberta.ca/graduate-studies/prospec-
tive-students/apply-for-admission/visit-
ing-exchange-applications
Fellowship and Other Component:-
The selected fellows will be paid a monthly
fellowship amount equivalent to US $ 2000,
one-time Contingency / Preparatory allow-
ances of Rs. 60,000/- to cover visa fee, air-
port transfer charges, medical insurance etc.
The selected fellows will also be provided
shortest route economy class air fare from
their place of work in India to the place of
the host institute and back. One additional to
and fro travel cost would also be provided to
the fellow, if the period of stay is one year
or more. Students should make their own ar-
rangement for accommodation etc.
While formulating the proposal, the host
overseas scientist should clearly mention the
level of fees that their Institute charge for un-
dertaking the research training of the student.
If necessary, a nominal grant is provided as
Bench fee / tuition fee / consumable cost /
overhead charge to the overseas host institu-
tion.
One visit, each by the Indian supervisor to
the Overseas Institution where the student is
working and overseas faculty to the host Indi-
an Institution of the student during the tenure
of the fellowship is also admissible under the
Scheme. The following provisions are made
for them to undertake research visits:
Travel:
Both the Indian supervisor and overseas
scientist will be provided shortest route
round-trip economy class air fare not ex-
ceeding Rs. 1.5 lakh per round trip from their
place of work to the city of host institute and
back. Any additional cost would have to be
borne by the visitors.
Contingencies and related travel cost: Al-
lowance of US $ 250 per visit is provided to
both Indian Supervisor and Overseas host to
Next Page>>>>
3
May 8th, 2018.
cover the expenditure incurred towards visa
fees, travel / medical insurance, airport trans-
fers and other contingencies
OTHER GUIDELINES
• The application for consideration under
the Overseas Visiting Doctoral Fellow-
ship Program (OVDF) can be submit-
ted only when the call for application
is made.
• The duration of the research training is
up-to a period of twelve months. The
fellowship may be extended for six
more months subject to performance
evaluation. Application for such exten-
sion should reach SERB Office well in
advance accompanied by reports from
Indian supervisor and the host justi-
fying the extension of the fellowship.
No extension is possible beyond 18
months. Fellowship for less than six
months will not be entertained. Howev-
er, in exceptional cases fellowship for
shorter periods may also be considered.
• For scientists / researchers in regular
employment, rules governing payment
of salary, leave, medical, gratuity, GPF
and pension etc. of the organization/
institution/ university to which the fel-
low belongs would continue to be ap-
plicable. No liability on any of these
accounts will be borne by SERB.
• The selected fellows while taking up
the SERB overseas fellowship should
not draw their regular research fellow-
CRISPR Facilitates
Successful Red Blood Cell
Transfusion
Popular simplification of blood groups
while collection of blood at hospitals and
centres has led to the misrepresentation of
the complexity of RBC surface antigens that
influence donor–recipient compatibility with
36 blood group systems and more than 350
different antigens recognised by the Interna-
tional Society of Blood Transfusion.
Mismatch of any blood group antigen has
the potential to cause alloimmunisation (gen-
eration of antibodies to non‐self RBC anti-
gens). Across all transfusion recipients, this
occurs in approximately 2–5% of cases; how-
ever, in chronically transfused sickle‐cell dis-
ease (SCD) patients, RBC alloimmunisation
occurs in approximately 30% of cases.
Whilst alloimmunisation of chronically
transfused patients increases the difficulty in
obtaining suitably matched donations, indi-
viduals exist with non‐pathological but par-
ticularly rare naturally occurring blood group
phenotypes that also present major challeng-
4
ship in India.
• The candidates selected for the award
of the fellowship should commence
their research in the overseas institu-
tion within three months from the date
of the offer letter, and if not, the offer
will be automatically stands withdrawn
and no correspondence will be enter-
tained thereafter.
• The exchange visit of the supervisors
should be during the tenure of the
Ph.D. work of the applicant. Both the
supervisors should ensure a residency
period of at least two weeks and not ex-
ceeding one month in their respective
foreign institutes.
• Application from researcher should be
forwarded through the head of organi-
zation/ department where the applicant
is enrolled for Ph.D. along with recom-
mendation of the Indian supervisor.
• The candidate should also submit a let-
ter of approval of research plan from
the overseas host. The same should be
endorsed by the Indian Supervisor.
• Copy of acceptance letter from host in-
stitution should be sent along with the
application.
• The Indian Institution should ensure
the availability of necessary facilities
including scientific equipment, infra-
structure, manpower, etc. for facilitat-
ing the visit of overseas scientist for
undertaking the collaborative research.
The institution should also extend all
necessary administrative support to the
NEWS
es for blood transfusion services across the
world to match.
The ability to generate RBCs with be-
spoke phenotypes for individuals with rare
blood types together with a “more universal”
source of RBCs designed to minimise allo-
immunisation in SCD patients and to meet
the transfusion needs of existing patients for
whom alloimmunisation has reduced the suit-
able donor pool would have obvious clinical
benefits.
The desire to improve RBC compatibility
for transfusion is not a new concept. Now,
scientists at the U.K.-based NIHR Blood and
Transplant Research Unit (NIHR BTRU) in
red cell products, BrisSynBio Center, and
NHS Blood and Transplant in Bristol have
developed individual cell lines in which spe-
cific blood group genes were altered using
CRISPR to prevent the expression of blood
group proteins that can cause immune reac-
tions.
proposed work.
• Please make sure to quote the registra-
tion number/ letter number (given by
SERB) in all your future communica-
tions.
• The information should be given under
each section, even if it is Nil.
• The candidates may submit 3 copies
of the application printed on both the
sides of A4 size paper and send to the
Program Coordinator in the following
address.
How to apply online:
For successful online submission of the ap-
plication the following points may be noted:
• Applicants should first register into the
online website
• After log-in, applicants are required
to fill all the mandatory fields in Pro-
file Detail section under User Profile.
which includes Bio-data, Photo, Insti-
tute Address etc.
• Details including Project Title (max
500 characters), Project summary (max
3000 characters), Keywords (max 6),
Objectives of project (max 1500 char-
acters), Outcome of the proposal (max
1500 characters) should be provided
online at the time of submission of the
application.
• Work Methodology and Research plan
has to be uploaded in single PDF file
not more than 4 pages (max 10 MB).
Dr. Ashley Toye Director of the Bristol
NIHR BTRU said: “Blood made using ge-
netically edited cells could one day provide
compatible transfusions for a group of pa-
tients for whom blood matching is difficult or
impossible to achieve within the donor pop-
ulation. However, much more work will still
be needed to produce blood cells suitable for
patient use.”
The study is the first that demonstrate the
Vol. 02 NO 19
Documents required :
• Copy of the Ph.D. registration certifi-
cate
• Bio-data of the Indian Supervisor
• ( Including Academic & Research
Qualifications, Publications list , Patent
list, Details of research projects being
implemented/ completed/ submitted, if
any)
• Bio-data of Overseas Host Scientist
• (Including Academic & Research
Qualifications, Publications list , Patent
list, Details of research projects being
implemented/ completed/ submitted, if
any)
• Certificate from the applicant
• Endorsement letter from the head of the
Indian institution
• Letter of acceptance of research plan
by the Host Scientist and Indian Super-
visor
• Letter of acceptance from Overseas
Host Institution
• Recommendation letter from the Indian
supervisor along with undertaking
Contact Person:
The contact details of Programme Officers
are given below:
Programme Coordinator, Overseas VDF,
Science and Engineering Research Board
5 & 5A, Lower Ground Floor,
Vasant Square Mall,
Sector-B, Pocket-5, Vasant Kunj
New Delhi-110070
By Disha Padmanabha
use of gene editing in combination with lab-
oratory culture of red blood cells to generate
rare or customized red blood cells for patients
with specific needs. While the authors stress
the many challenging technical obstacles that
must be overcome before this approach could
be translated to a clinical product, they be-
lieve their work does provide a window into
the possible applications of red blood cells
produced from gene-edited cell lines.
Vol. 02 NO 19
Yikes! China Breeding 6
Billion Cockroaches a Year
Using AI
Roaches are a nightmare. Specially give me
the heebie jeebies. They are the bane of our
existence. Definitely the worst creatures to
ever roam the earth, and it certainly doesn’t
help that they’re also the most resilient. Syn-
onymous with dirt and filth, to make matter
worse, they are like a giant bacteria magnet.
But then, no one loves them like the Chinese
do.
Decades ago, physician and medical pro-
fessor Li Shunan was traveling in the Dali
region of the Yunnan province and met sev-
eral older people who used cockroaches as a
treatment for tuberculosis. They ground the
exoskeletons up and mixed the powder with
oil, and then either consumed the mixture or
rubbed it on their skin.
Today, “roach powder” is an in-demand
item for practitioners of traditional Chinese
medicine and is used to treat “blood stasis,”
cuts and bruises, broken bones, cirrhosis and
cancer. Some patients even claim it helps
them maintain a youthful appearance.
The powder is a big business, commanding
almost $90 a pound, and roach ranches have
popped up all over the country to get some of
that sweet bug money and satiate a demand
that wild-caught roaches can’t meet on their
Chinese Shrub Engineered
to Bolster Antimalarial
Compound Production
Malaria is a global health problem: in 2016
alone, there were an estimated 216 million
new cases of malaria, 445,000 deaths, and
nearly 1 one billion people living in areas
with a high risk of the disease.
Artemisinin, an endoperoxide sesquiter-
pene lactone, is an effective anti-malarial
compound that is synthesized in the glandu-
lar trichomes of the Chinese medicinal plant
Artemisia annua. Currently, the supply of
Artemisinin-based combination therapies
(ACTs) is reliant on the agricultural produc-
tion of artemisinin. However, plant-based
production sometimes cannot meet the global
demand due to the low amount of artemisinin
produced in A. annua leaves (0.1%–1.0% of
dry weight).
Chinese scientists have now, therefore,
managed to design high-quality draft genome
sequence of A. annua and their use of this
information along with gene expression data
to metabolically engineer plant lines that pro-
duce high levels of artemisinin.
“Nearly half of the world’s population is
at risk of malaria,” says senior study author
Kexuan Tang of Shanghai Jiao Tong Univer-
sity. “Our strategy for the large-scale pro-
duction of artemisinin will meet the increas-
ing demand for this medicinal compound and
help address this global health problem.”
The A. annua genome contains 63,226 pro-
tein-coding genes, one of the largest numbers
among any known plant species. It took the
own.
China has about 100 cockroach farms, and
new ones are opening almost as fast as the
prolific critters breed. But even among Chi-
nese, the industry was little known until a
few years ago, when a million cockroach-
es got out of a farm in neighboring Jiangsu
province. The Great Escape made headlines
around China and beyond, evoking biblical
images of swarming locusts.
Also, if you are getting ideas in that cra-
zy head of yours now, the start-up costs of
these farms are minimal too— get some
roach eggs, a run-down abandoned chicken
coop and the roofing tile. Notoriously hearty,
roaches aren’t susceptible to the same dis-
eases as farm animals. As for feeding them,
cockroaches are omnivores, though they fa-
vor rotten vegetables. Killing them is easy
too: Just scoop or vacuum them out of their
nests and dunk them in a big vat of boiling
water. Then they’re dried in the sun like chile
peppers.
Perhaps understandably, the cockroach
business (“special farming,” as it is euphe-
mistically called) is a fairly secretive indus-
try. Which is why this massive AI company,
located in the southwestern Sichuan province,
team several years to complete the sequence,
due to its size and complexity. Previous ef-
forts to increase the yield of artemisinin had
been hampered by the absence of a reference
genome and the limited information about the
genes involved in regulating the drug’s syn-
thesis. But by simultaneously increasing the
activity of three genes – HMGR, FPS, and
DBR2 – the researchers generated A. annua
lines that produced high artemisinin levels –
about 3.2% of the dry weight of the leaves.
Leveraging these findings, Tang and his
team have sent artemisinin-rich seed sam-
ples to Madagascar, the African country that
grows the most A. annua, for a field trial.
They are also continuing to explore ways
to enhance artemisinin production, with the
goal of developing A. annua lines whose
leaves contain 5% artemisinin.
“We hope our research can enhance the
global supply of artemisinin and lower the
price from the plant source,” Tang says. “It
is not expensive to generate high-level arte-
misinin lines. We have propagated hundreds
of high artemisinin producer lines via cutting
and selection, and scaled up the production
of these plants. Hopefully our high artemis-
inin transgenic lines will be grown at a mas-
sive scale next year.“
By Disha Padmanabha
breeding farm that is producing more than six
billion cockroaches per year has been hidden
from public.
The facility, which is described by the South
China Morning Post as a multi-story building
about the size of two sports fields, is being
operated by Chengdu-based medicine maker
Gooddoctor Pharmaceutical Group. Inside
the breeding site, the environment which is
described as “warm, humid, and dark” all-
year round, the layout is wide open, allow-
ing the roaches to roam around freely, find
food and water, and reproduce whenever and
wherever.
Perhaps recognising consumers could be
less keen on taking their medicine if they
knew saw behind the scenes, Gooddoctor
lists the only ingredient as “Periplaneta amer-
icana.” As the scientific name for the Amer-
ican cockroach, this is strictly accurate but
requires you to have a working knowledge of
entomology.
With the help of artificial intelligence, folks
at this Chinese pharmaceutical company are
breeding cockroaches by the billions every
year, the “potion,” consumed by over 40 mil-
lion people in China, is made by crushing the
cockroaches once they reach a desired weight
and size, according to the publication. There
is a “slightly fishy smell” to the potion, which
tastes “slightly sweet” and looks like tea, it
added.
SCIENTISTS UNEARTH LONG NCRNA
CHROMOSOMAL INTERACTIONS
Thousands of long non-coding RNAs (ncR-
NAs) are encoded in the genome, fulfilling
regulatory functions in development and dis-
ease. Long ncRNAs are often enriched in the
nucleus and in some cases tethered to chro-
matin suggesting an involvement in epigenet-
ic regulation.
Long ncRNAs are emerging as key players
in transcription regulation, exerting both pos-
itive and negative activity; through currently
emerging sequence-structure motifs, some
long ncRNAs have been shown to target
promoters or interact with chromatin, while
others mediate transcriptional interference of
antisense overlapping genes without leaving
the site of transcription.
Now, scientists have now demonstrated
that not only the where and when of long
non-coding RNA expression is important for
their function but also the how. The results
can have a big impact on our understanding
of dynamic regulation of gene expression in
biological processes.
The research team has paid particular atten-
tion to long non-coding RNAs that can en-
hance the production of specific mRNAs, and
May 8th, 2018.
The giant facility is managed with the help
of a “smart manufacturing” system powered
by AI algorithms. The system is responsible
for collecting and analysing over 80 cate-
gories of data to ensure an optimal environ-
ment for the cockroaches to grow, according
to the SCMP. These include factors such as
humidity, temperature, food supply and con-
sumption, as well as changes like genetic
mutations. The system also “learns” from its
historical data so it can make improvements
to grow the population.
The population of cockroaches is reportedly
so massive that it’s been warned there would
be a “catastrophe” if the roaches were to be
suddenly released. Worse, some critics are
concerned that amplified reproduction and
genetic screening could accelerate the natural
evolution of the insect, thus producing “super
cockroaches” of abnormal size and breeding
capability.
Now, now, let’s have a little hope- hoping
against hope that this doom does not befall
on us. To prevent any cockroaches escaping,
the building is surrounded by a 1m moat of
water, full of fish. The fish eat any cockroach
that dares escape.
Although this doesn’t do anything to soothe
my presently hyper jittery nerves, it is safe
to say writing this piece has taken away my
appetite and many days of sound sleep.
By Disha Padmanabha
hence proteins, in breast cancer cells. They
show that the expression of long non-coding
RNAs can result in particularly high expres-
sion levels of specific proteins with involve-
ment in cancer.
The study found that the non-coding RNA
called A-ROD (Activating Regulator Of
DKK1 expression) is only functional the
moment it is released from chromatin into
the nucleoplasm. At this phase, it can bring
transcription factors to specific sites in DNA
to enhance gene expression. After its com-
plete release from chromatin, A-ROD is no
longer active as an enhancing long non-cod-
ing RNA. In a way, A-ROD functions as a
lasso that can be thrown from DNA to catch
proteins.
This study bears interesting results and the
team believes that these differences can be
exploited to optimize the approaches for tar-
geting RNA-dependent processes in disease.
A future scientific goal is to identify more of
the non-coding RNA lassoes to fully under-
stand their potential and application in regu-
lation of gene expression.
By Disha Padmanabha
5
May 8th, 2018. Vol. 02 NO 19

Zika Virus Unsuspected

Aide in Fighting Brain
Tumors
Zika virus (ZIKV) is largely known for
causing brain abnormalities due to its ability
to infect neural progenitor stem cells (NPC)
during early development. The nasty virus
has now been found to be surprisingly effec-
tive in treating two types of childhood brain
tumors, as reported by scientists at the Uni-
versity of São Paulo in Brazil.
The studies were conducted using human
cell lineages derived from two types of em-
bryonic tumors of the central nervous system
(CNS): medulloblastoma and atypical tera-
toid rhabdoid tumor (AT/RT). These are tum-
ors that mainly affect children under 5.
“CNS tumors are the most common solid tu-
mors in children and adolescents,” explains
Keith Okamoto, one of the study’s lead au-
thors. “The peak incidence of medulloblas-
toma is in children aged 4 to 5 years. AT/RT
has a higher incidence in even younger chil-
dren, of up to 2 years old.”
Mayana Zatz, coordinator of the center and
one of the lead authors of the study, does not
hesitate to describe the results as “spectac-
ular”. “We’re going to have to handle the
anxiety and not put the cart before the horse.
It’s very important to start with two or three
patients, and if it works, do it for a larger
number.”
When evaluating the oncolytic properties of
Brazilian Zika virus strain (ZIKVBR) against
By Disha Padmanabha
human breast, prostate, colorectal, and em-
bryonal CNS tumor cell lines, the scientists
significantly longer survival, decreased tu- ously been described as important in the de-
verified a selective infection of CNS tumor
mor burden, fewer metastasis, and complete velopment of AT/RT and medulloblastoma.
cells followed by massive tumor cell death.
remission in some animals.
ZIKVBR was more efficient in destroying
Specifically, in 20 of 29 animals treated “The virus did not infect tumor cells in-
embryonal CNS tumorspheres- a commercial
with the Zika virus in the study, the tumors discriminately,” explains Okamoto. “It is
one of medulloblastoma (“DAOY”), and two
regressed. In seven of them (five with AT/RT quite specific for tumor cells of the nervous
generated by the researchers themselves, one
and two with medulloblastoma), the remis- system.” In addition, it also did not infect al-
of medulloblastoma (“USP-13”), and another
sion was complete: the tumor disappeared. ready differentiated neurons, which is a very
of AT/RT (“USP-7”)- than normal stem cell
In some cases, the virus was also effective advantageous behavior if repeated in humans
neurospheres.
against metastases – it either eliminated the with brain tumor.
In the in vivo experiments, embryonic CNS
secondary tumor or inhibited its develop-
tumors, which are of human origin, were
ment. “There is a very positive outlook,” says
grafted onto mice. A single intracerebroven-
The researchers were also able to relate Okamoto. “But there is a path still to be pur-
tricular injection of ZIKVBR in BALB/c
the effects of the Zika virus to the molecular sued so that we can move safely into the clin-
nude mice bearing orthotopic human em-
pathway of Wnt, a pathway that had previ- ical part.“
bryonal CNS tumor xenografts resulted in a

Scientists Come Up with

“Infinitely” Recyclable
Plastic Polymer
The development of chemically recyclable
polymers offers a solution to the end-of-use
issue of polymeric materials and provides a
closed-loop approach toward a circular ma-
terials economy.
However, polymers that can be easily and
selectively depolymerized back to monomers
typically require low-temperature polymeri-
zation methods and also lack physical prop-
erties and mechanical strengths required for
practical uses.
Now, chemists at the Colorado State Uni-
versity have developed what they call an “in-
finitely” recyclable new material, and could,
one day, provide a sustainable alternative to
plastics.
The material created by Professor Eugene
Chen has many of the same characteristics
of everyday plastics, including strength, du-
rability and heat resistance. However, unlike
conventional plastics it can be converted
back to the molecules that form its building
blocks with ease.
The team’s new material is relatively en-
vironmentally-friendly to manufacture, too.
Its monomers can be polymerized at room
temperature in a matter of minutes, with tiny
amounts of a catalyst and without the use of
solvents.
The new material builds on the team’s pre-
vious work into chemically-recyclable poly-
mers, but the current iteration has a signifi-
cantly improved recipe.
The older version was reportedly soft, had
low heat resistance and molecular weight and
needed to be manufactured under extremely
cold conditions – all issues which have re-
portedly been improved this time around.
Publishing its findings in the journal Sci-
ence, the team outlined how the newly dis-
covered polymer has a structure that allows
the monomers to be “re-polymerised” over
and over in an environmentally friendly way,
without the use of solvents. With just a cat-
alyst, and a few minutes of reaction time at
room temperature, the material becomes a
feasible substitute to conventional plastics –
that is, if it can be scaled up.
By Disha Padmanabha
What’s next for the team? Chen empha-
sized this polymer technology has solely been
demonstrated at the academic laboratory
scale, and more research is necessary to pol-
ish the patent-pending processes of monomer
and polymer production. The chemists do
have a seed grant from CSU Ventures, and
Chen said, “It would be our dream to see this
chemically recyclable polymer technology
materialize in the marketplace.”

6
Vol. 02 NO 19
SUPRA CAR: The “Swiss
Army Knife” of CART is
Here
T cells expressing chimeric antigen recep-
tors (CARs) are promising cancer therapeu-
tic agents, with the prospect of becoming
the ultimate smart cancer therapeutics. To
expand the capability of CAR T cells, sci-
entists at Boston University and Massachu-
setts Institute of Technology (MIT) have now
developed a new CAR technology, called
split, universal, and programmable (SUPRA)
CAR, that they believe, has the potential to
overcome some of the big issues that con-
tinues to plague the first generation of drugs
now on the market.
Wilson Wong, of the Boston University,
working alongside graduate student Jang
Hwan Cho and MIT’s Jim Collins, has de-
vised what they call the “Swiss army knife”
of CAR-T to address issues correlating
CART Therapy and technology such as pa-
tient relapse, toxicity and specificity, and not
all patients respond well.
Wong’s team created a split, universal,
and programmable (SUPRA) CAR system.
Instead of relying on a single fixed CAR,
the technology splits the molecule into a
two-component receptor system.
It comprises universal receptors, dubbed
zipCARs, expressed on the T cells, plus adap-
tor molecules, called zipFv molecules, which
carry an antibody that targets a specific anti-
gen on the tumor cell. Both components use
leucine zippers to bind to each other, allow-
ing the engineered T cells to seek and destroy
cancer.
Fungus-Fighting
3D-Printed Dental
Prostheses Developed
The significant incidence of fungal infec-
tions in dental prostheses that has a major
impact on quality of oral and overall general
health remains to be adequately addressed.
Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. denture-wear-
ing population suffer frequent fungal infec-
tions that cause inflammation, redness and
swelling in the mouth.
Therefore, researchers at the University of
Buffalo, have now invented 3-D printed den-
tures that can fight denture-related fungal in-
fections. To achieve this, the scientists filled
the prosthetic devices with microscopic Am-
photericin B-releasing capsules.
Amphotericin B is a polyene antifungal an-
tibiotic commonly used in the treatment of
denture-related stomatitis. Incorporating the
antibiotic in dentures can help deter and treat
fungal infections.
“The antifungal application could prove
invaluable among those highly susceptible
to infection, such as the elderly, hospitalized
or disabled patients,” said Praveen Arany,
DDS, PhD, the study’s senior author and an
assistant professor in the Department of Oral
Biology in the UB School of Dental Med-
icine. “The major impact of this innovative
3-D printing system is its potential impact on
saving cost and time.”
May 8th, 2018.
Normally, the immune system requires
T-cells to sense two targets coming from
an invader cell before it attacks it. SUPRA
CAR-T works in the same way-before it
attacks cancer cells, it needs to sense that
both targets are present on the cell. If you
have a lightning cable and a micro USB ca-
ble plugged into the adapters, both devices
would need to connect to activate the killer
T-cell response. If only one is present, the
system isn’t activated.
SUPRA CAR-T also splits the T-cell from
the target-sensing portion of the system-the
adapter from the cable. The antigen is cho-
sen is sought out by an antibody on the CAR By Disha Padmanabha
T-cells. The new system breaks apart the
T-cell from the antibody and allows for the CAR-expressing T cells, followed by the ap- this type of combinatorial targeting and con-
ability to switch targets; unplugging a light- propriate adaptor molecules every other day trol,” Wong said. This could include cancers
ning cable from an adapter and plugging in a for two weeks. with a lot of heterogeneity that don’t have
different charging cable. a single good marker, he said. The rest will
The ability to switch targets is what can While the SUPRA CAR treatment showed be a major engineering challenge, he add-
prevent relapse in patients. Cancer cells are “robust tumor burden clearance” over tra- ed. “Every cancer is probably going to need
smart and will mutate to no longer display the ditional CAR-T, the researchers took care to some fine-tuning in the adaptor molecule.”
target when they sense the T-cells attacking note that the engineered T cells alone could
after attaching to it. not reduce tumor burden. As for the blood “The way I imagine it is a tricked-out cell,”
The SUPRA CAR-T system allows the cancer model, mice were injected with adap- he says. “We want something off-the-shelf so
T-cells to attack a new target by simply in- tor molecules every day for six days after re- we wouldn’t have to make it for every patient,
jecting the patient with a new batch of anti- ceiving the engineered T cells. which would bring the cost down, with the
bodies rather than having to re-engineer the capability to switch it on or off. We’d also
T-cells, which is the most expensive portion The results were similar, demonstrating want it to be able to make certain proteins
of the treatment. the “potential of the SUPRA CAR system to it might need–proteins that chew up solid-tu-
The team also tested their system in mouse combat many different cancers.” mor boundaries for example. Lots of sensors,
models. Mice injected with Her2-positive “Our most immediate work is to figure out lots of switches, all these bells and whistles
breast cancer cells were given a dose of zip- what type of cancer would really benefit from that make a very smart cell.”
The researchers 3D printed the dentures
with acrylamide, which is the current go-to
material for dentures. The study looked to
determine whether the 3D printed dentures
were as strong as conventional ones, and if
they could effectively release the medication.
To test the dentures’ strength, the research-
ers used a flexural strength testing machine
to bend them and test their breaking point.
Conventional lab-fabricated dentures were
used as a control. Although the 3D printed
dentures’ strength was found to be 35 percent
less than the conventional ones, they never
broke.
The scientists then tested the ability of the
dentures to release Amphotericin B. The
teeth were tested with one, five and ten lay-
ers of the medication, to see if more could
be held within the teeth without impeding its
ability to be released. The researchers found
that sets of teeth with five and ten layers were
impermeable, preventing the medicine from
being released, but that Amphotericin B was
easily released by dentures with a single po-
rous layer.
Future research aims to reinforce the me-
chanical strength of 3-D printed dentures
with glass fibers and carbon nanotubes, and
focus on denture relining. – the readjustment
By Disha Padmanabha
of dentures to maintain proper fit.
7
May 8th, 2018.
Liquid Biopsy for Brain
Tumor Biomarker
Detection Developed
Mutations in the DNA, changes in epig-
enomic makeup, and variations in gene ex-
pression associated with brain tumors can
inform clinical practice by providing inval-
uable information for diagnosis, prognostica-
tion, disease monitoring, and development of
personalized treatment strategies.
Such molecular biomarkers, which can be
examined in surgical resection or biopsy
specimens, are becoming an integral com-
ponent of clinical practice. However, direct
surgical tissue biopsy to determine tumor
molecular profiles is associated with poten-
tial complications such as hemorrhage and
infection.
Therefore, scientists at the Washington Uni-
versity are now developing a technique that
allows them to detect brain tumor biomarkers
through a simple blood test.
Liquid biopsies are a hot field, with several
companies, including Foundation Medicine
and Grail, either marketing tests or working
to develop them. Such tests are designed to
pick up in the bloodstream small pieces of
DNA shed by cancerous tumors — informa-
tion that then can be used to treat and monitor
the disease.
Currently, doctors largely use surgical biop-
sies for information about a tumor’s genet-
ic mutations and whether the cancer can be
Jaipur Hospital &
Glenmark Accused of
“Duping” People into Trial
Over a dozen people have now come for-
ward against Glenmark Pharmaceuticals
and a Jaipur-based Multispecialty hospi-
tal claiming the duo tricked, inducted them
into an ongoing clinical trial for the former’s
pain medication, GRC 27864, without their
knowledge.
These men were told they would be taken
to a “medical camp,” where there would be
some work, some remuneration, some al-
cohol and an opportunity to watch the IPL
cricket match. On reaching the Malpani
Multispeciality Hospital in Jaipur, where the
medical camp and the money were supposed
to be, they claimed that they were served din-
ner at the hospital and then went to sleep.
The next morning, the accusers told The
Wire, a doctor by the name of Rahul Saini
came and spoke to them. “We are going to
give you some medicines. If you feel uncom-
fortable, do not worry as we are all doctors
here…” He told them they would be giv-
en nine different tablets over the next nine
8
treated with available drugs. But such biop-
sies are invasive and can be expensive and
painful. In addition, patients aren’t always
healthy enough to undergo them, and some-
times not enough tissue is procured to allow
pathologists to conduct high-level analysis.
Hong Chen, a biomedical engineer, assis-
tant professor of biomedical engineering in
the School of Engineering & Applied Sci-
ence and of radiation oncology in the School
of Medicine, said while researchers have
already learned how to get a drug through
the blood-brain barrier into the brain via the
bloodstream, no one — until now — has
found a way to release tumor-specific bi-
omarkers — in this case, messenger RNA
(mRNA)— from the brain into the blood.
“I see a clear path for the clinical transla-
tion of this technique,” said Chen, an expert
in ultrasound technology. “Blood-based liq-
uid biopsies have been used in other cancers,
but not in the brain. Our proposed technique
may make it possible to perform a blood test
for brain cancer patients.”
The blood test would reveal the amount of
mRNA in the blood, which gives physicians
specific information about the tumor that can
help with diagnosis and treatment options.
days, and gave them one tablet to be taken
that same morning (19 April). From here
on, things got a little fuzzy for these men as
they fell asleep and then woke up again af-
ter about a day. And that’s when they real-
ised something had gone wrong– they were
feeling drowsy and some said they are still in
pain, days after they were given these tablets.
The trial aims to be conducted on 624 sub-
jects. The trial is currently underway in 38
sites around the country, including two sites
in Rajasthan, both in Jaipur, one of which is
Malpani hospital. It is a randomised, double
blind, placebo controlled phase 2 trial.
ANI reported that these drugs were meant
for animal testing. But this is not likely as
phase 2 trials are conducted on humans, not
animals.
The hospital has denied the claims and al-
legations, as the persons in question were in
fact told they could not participate in the trial
because they were not eligible.
The method allows biomarkers from a brain
tumor to pass through the blood-brain barrier
into a patient’s blood through the use of tar-
geted ultrasound and microbubbles.
The technique, which was tested in 12 mice
models, allowed messenger RNA to pass
through the brain into the blood. Something
never done before, according to authors.
Scientists experimented on mice using
two different types of the deadly glioblasto-
ma brain tumor. They focused on the tumor
utilizing centered ultrasound, a strategy that
utilization ultrasonic vitality to target tissue
somewhere down in the body without entry
points or radiation. Like an amplifying glass
that can center daylight to a small point,
centered ultrasound concentrates ultrasound
vitality to a minor point profound into the
According to a GPL spokesperson, “In the
wake of the event of media reports alleging
irregularities at the hospital, the company
has decided to immediately investigate the
matter and suspend the clinical trial at the
site.”
In an official company statement obtained
by The Hindustan Times, the company says,
“Glenmark has been conducting clinical tri-
als in India and around the world for many
years. Patient safety and regulatory compli-
ance are of utmost importance to us. Malpani
Hospital in Jaipur is one of the many sites
that have recently initiated Phase ll clinical
Vol. 02 NO 19
By Disha Padmanabha
cerebrum.
When they had the objective — for this sit-
uation, the mind tumor — specialists at that
point infused microbubbles that movement
through the blood like red platelets. At the
point when the microbubbles achieved the
objective, they popped, causing minor breaks
of the blood-mind obstruction that permits
the biomarkers from the cerebrum tumor to
go through the hindrance and discharge into
the circulatory system. A blood test can de-
cide the biomarkers in the tumor.
The team continues to work to refine the
process. The future will require integration
with advanced genomic sequencing and bi-
oinformatics to enable even more refined di-
agnostics.
By Disha Padmanabha
trial for Glenmark’s molecule GRC 27864 in
patients with moderate osteoarthritis pain.
Malpani Hospital has enrolled only three pa-
tients in this trial and no adverse reactions
have been reported so far. The Phase II study
for GRC 27864 has been initiated at 23 sites
so far across India and we have not faced any
protocol-related issues at any of the sites. For
the trial at Malpani Hospital, Glenmark has
in place all the necessary regulatory approv-
als. Glenmark will also fully support and
cooperate with the regulatory authorities in
any investigation on this trial. As a responsi-
ble organisation, we will not compromise the
safety of patients.”
Vol. 02 NO 19
Researchers Map
Telomerase in More Detail
than Ever Before
Why do we get old? It is, on the face of it,
a puzzle. Cells can effect repairs, and divide
to make new copies of themselves – they’ve
been doing it for four billion years, give or
take. So why do the cells in our bodies wear
out? Why, after a few short decades, do they
stop working?
The search for the key to ageing – and a
means of slowing or reversing it – is far older
than anything we’d call science. In ancient
China around 200 bc, a Qin emperor sent an
alchemist Xu Fu to the eastern seas to find
the elixir of life; medieval alchemists sought
the “philosopher’s stone” which, as well as
transmuting base metals into gold, was said
to prolong the life of anyone who ate a piece
of it. A more scientific version of this quest is
still going on.
For years now, it’s been said that telomeres
– the tips of your chromosomes – are the key
to cancer and aging. The shorter they are, the
worse off you are – so the story goes. But
what do we really know about them?
Now, in the most detailed map of telomeres
yet, researchers at UC Berkeley have present-
ed the cryo-electron microscopy structure of
the substrate-bound human telomerase holo-
enzyme at subnanometre resolution, showing
two flexibly RNA-tethered lobes: the catalyt-
ic core with telomerase reverse transcriptase
(TERT) and conserved motifs of telomerase
RNA (hTR), and an H/ACA ribonucleopro-
tein (RNP).
Telomerase was discovered in 1997, but it’s
so complicated that researchers have been
unable to determine what it looked like un-
til now. The researchers used a new imaging
technique called cryo-electron microscopy
(cryo-EM), which involves cryogenically
freezing a sample before looking at it with
an electron microscope. This technique can
illuminate structures too sensitive for normal
electron microscopes.
Telomerase has an exceptionally complex
structure, with an RNA backbone decorated
by six types of protein that move around as
they add DNA to the ends of chromosomes.
With the complex structure comes com-
plex questions, such as whether the enzyme
operates singly or as conjoined twins, and
how and just how many proteins decorate the
RNA backbone.
Without answers to these questions, it has
proven difficult to design a drug to target the
molecular machine and either destroy tel-
omerase activity, or indeed restart telomer-
ase, such as to boost cell division after a bone
marrow transplant.
The Berkeley lab has been trying to deter-
mine the structure of telomerase for 20 years
and had made some advances before now, in-
cluding discovering and characterising many
of the proteins in the enzyme, as well as the
broken-up hairpin structure of the RNA back-
bone of telomerase.
The newly revealed structure still lacks fine
detail, but combined with knowledge of the
gene sequence of human telomerase, it pro-
vides enough information to start thinking
about potential targets for drugs, said first
author Thi Hoang Duong “Kelly” Nguyen,
a Miller Institute postdoctoral fellow at UC
Berkeley.
“The best previous images of human tel-
omerase had a resolution of only 30 Ång-
stroms; we were able to get about 7 to 8
Ångstroms resolution using cryoelectron
microscopy,” Kelly said. “When I got to the
point where I could see all the subunits – we
had 11 protein subunits in total – it was a mo-
ment of, ‘Wow, wow, this is how they all fit
May 8th, 2018.
By Disha Padmanabha
together.’”
Nguyen was able to isolate the active en-
zyme and purify it much better than anyone
had before, and employed a new, state-of-
the-art cryoelectron microscope to determine
the structure of the active telomerase unam-
biguously. Cryo-EM is a technique for deter-
mining molecular structures of compounds
that cannot be crystallized and imaged with
X-rays, and its developers won the 2017 No-
bel Prize in Chemistry.
The team is ecstatic to finally have a de-
finitive structure for telomerase and looks
forward to learning more about the intricate
assembly process of one of the most complex
enzymes in the body: a polymerase as com-
plicated as the ribosome, which reads RNA to
produce proteins.
9
May 8th, 2018.
ICGEB-JNU PhD
Programme 2018
Admission |
Official Notification
The official notification is out for the
ICGEB-JNU PhD Programme 2018 Ad-
mission. ICGEB-JNU PhD Programme
2018 Admission notification is out . Admis-
sion to Ph.D. Programme 2018 ICGEB-
JNU Ph.D. Programme-2018 notification.
Interested and eligible candidates can
check out all of the details on the same be-
low:
Admission to Ph.D. Programme 2018
Applications are invited from candidates
for admission to the ICGEB-JNU Ph.D. Pro-
gramme-2018 in the following streams.
• Molecular Medicine
• Plant Biology
• III. Integrative Biology
Visit our website http://www.icgeb.org/
research-groups-Delhi.html for more de-
tails on the research interest of above PIs.
Minimum Qualification:
(A) First class (60% or equivalent grade)
M.Sc. in any branch of Science (e.g. Phys-
ics, Chemistry, Biology, Mathematics etc) or
M.Tech. or M.B.B.S. or M.V.Sc. or M.Pharm.
or equivalent qualification recognized by
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New
Delhi, is required. Candidates appearing for
the qualifying examination this year may also
apply; they will be admitted provisionally
pending satisfactory fulfilment of the above
requirements at the time of joining (1st July
2018).
(B) The applicant should have cleared any
one of the following examinations: CSIR,
UGC, ICMR, DBT (I), DST-INSPIRE, BINC
or any other equivalent JRF examination.
The fellowship must be valid for at least four
years. GATE and DBT(II) are not accepted.
Application Procedure:
(A) Applications MUST be filled online
(click the link at the bottom)
(B) Before starting online application pre-
pare demand draft of Rs 600/- in favour of
“ICGEB, New Delhi”, payable at New Delhi
as you are required to fill the demand draft
details online.
(C) Scan recent colour passport size photo.
Size of photo should be less than 2 MB.
(D) Print the online receipt and the admit
card in COLOUR, generated after the suc-
10
ADMISSIONS
cessful online submission.
(E) Send the signed hard copy of the on-
line receipt only along with (DO NOT SEND
ADMIT CARD)
(i) a crossed Demand Draft of Rs 600/-
(non-refundable), in favour of ICGEB, New
Delhi payable at New Delhi.
(ii) documentary evidence for SC/ST/OBC
(non-creamy layer), if applicable
to The Director, International Centre
for Genetic Engineering Biotechnology
(ICGEB), Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi
110 067 by 25th May, 2018. The Envelope
should be clearly marked with Application
for Ph.D. Programme 2018
• Eligible candidates will be called for
a written exam on 12th June, 2018.
Intimation will be sent by email.
• Written examination will be ONLY
in your choice of first stream. No
changes will be allowed later.
• Candidates shortlisted based on the
written exam will be interviewed on
13th & 14th June 2018.
PhD Admission 2018
Biological Sciences @ S N
Bose National Centre for
Basic Sciences, Kolkata
PhD Admission 2018 for biological
sciences candidates at S N Bose National
Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata. S N
Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences,
Kolkata phd admissions 2018 notification.
PhD Admission 2018 at S N Bose National
Centre for Basic Sciences, Kolkata as per
the details given below:
S.N.BOSE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR
BASIC SCIENCES
BLOCK-JD, SECTOR-III, SALT LAKE
CITY, KOLKATA-700106
Admission 2018
Ph.D Programmes in Physical, Chemical
and & Biological Sciences
The S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic
Sciences invites students with consistently
good academic record (First Division/Class)
to apply for admission into the Ph.D Pro-
gramme in Physical, Chemical & Biological
Sciences 2018. The students who apply are
expected to be motivated to make a career in
Research. The programme is fully residential
and the students are offered on-campus ac-
commodations and boarding facilities. The
Centre charges no fee for the programmes.
All students joining the centre get contin-
gency grants to meet research contingency
expenses that include expenses for attending
conferences and training programmes in In-
dia. The students also get generous support
to attend International Conferences outside
India.
The Centre is a premier autonomous re-
search institute under the Department of Sci-
ence and Technology, Government of India.
In addition, the Centre receives extramural
funding from various funding agencies of
India and abroad for its different research
programmes. The Centre has extensive col-
laborative programmes with other premier
institutions in India and abroad through
bi-lateral exchanges in which the PhD re-
search scholars take active part. The Centre
is fully equipped with the state-of-the art in-
frastructure (experimental and computation-
al) including a digital library for advanced re-
search in chosen areas of Physical, Chemical,
Biological and Mathematical Sciences. The
research programme in biological sciences
focuses on the areas of overlap with chemical
and biophysical problems. For research pro-
files of the members of the Faculty and for
the facilities available, please visit the
URL: www.bose.res.in.
Vol. 02 NO 19
At present, the Centre has nearly 179 stu-
dents in its PhD and Integrated PhD (IPhD)
programmes. The Alumni of the Centre
have gone on to work in academic and re-
search sectors in India and abroad. The Cen-
tre offers an excellent atmosphere for aca-
demic development of students.
The students, after registering with a Re-
search Supervisor, have to undertake a pre-
scribed Course Work Programme. The details
of the admission are furnished below:
1. Basic qualification: M.Sc/Masters with
First Class/Division i.e., minimum 60% in
aggregate (55% for SC/ST/OBC candi-
dates) in Physics, Chemistry, Applied
Mathematics, Biophysics , Biotechnology
,Nanotechnology
2. Further Qualifications required in ad-
dition to (1) :
JEST – Upto 160 Rank
OR
GATE – Upto AIR 400 (2016, 2017 and
2018)
(GATE rank from 401 to 1000 in “Chemis-
try” be allowed to appear for interview in the
CBMS department only)
OR
CSIR NET-JRF and UGC-NET-JRF (June/
Dec 2016, June/Dec 2017 with valid award
letter till 31.8.2018)
OR INSPIRE – PROVISIONALLY SE-
LECTED and Award Letter to be valid upto
31.08.2018
3. Date of Interview: 18th June – 20th
June 2018
4. Age Limit: None. However, the last
qualifying University examination (M.Sc/
Masters.)
should have been taken not earlier than
2016.
5. Fellowship:
As JRF – Rs. 25,000/- (per month)
As SRF – Rs. 28,000/-(per month)
The programme is strictly residential and all
students will be provided on campus accom-
modation.
6. Online Application: Starts on 5th May
2018 and Closes on 31st May 2018.
Only online applications will be accepted.
Please log on to http://www.bose.res.in for
further details. In matters of admission, the
decision of the Director of the Centre is final
and binding.
For any academic/official query, please
write to: admission@bose.res.in
For any technical query, please write to:
admission-help@bose.res.in
Important Dates
• Publication of advertisement in News-
papers : 30th April, 2018
Next Page>>>>
Vol. 02 NO 19 May 8th, 2018.

• Online application system starts on :
5th May, 2018
• Online application system closes on :
31st May, 2018
Interview Programme
Integrated Ph.D : 13-15 June, 2018
Ph.D : 18-20 June, 2018
Online Application Interface for Admis-
sion 2018 [Commencement of online appli-
cation: Sat, May 05, 2018 at 12:00:00 AM
IST
al Centre of Biotechnology, Faridabad, after
completion of course work and any addition-
al requirements.
Eligibility and Selection Criteria:
Individuals desirous of seeking admission
must have a Master’s degree in any branch of
Life Science (M.Sc., M.V.Sc., or M.Pharm)
or B.Tech / M.Tech in any branch of Life
Science. Candidates must also have secured
CSIR/UGC/DBT/ICMR/INSPIRE NET JRF/
UGC-RGNF or any other national research
fellowship for 5 years. Applications will also
be accepted from candidates who have se-
cured a fellowship and have completed or are
likely to complete the required courses in the
academic year 2018-19. Having a fellowship
is mandatory for consideration. The terms
and conditions, fellowship amount etc. will
be governed by the awarding funding agency
subject to the Rules and conventions of the
Institute.
(CET-2018) for admission in the following
UG and PG courses being offered at Its Uni-
versity Teaching Departments for the session
2018-19:
Courses After 10+2 :
Group D : LL.M. (Business Law)/M.Sc.
(Life Sciences/Industrial Microbiology/
Biochemistry)/ M.Sc. (Electronics/Elec-
tronics & Commun-2 Yrs/M.Sc.[Genetic
Eng./Binformatics / Biotechnology indus-
try sponsored)
How to Apply:
Applyonline only through http://www.
dauniv.ac.in. The Computer based entrance
test for group A, B, C and D will be held
on May 22,2018 (in two shifts; Groups A &
C-10.00 to 11.30 AM, Groups B & D-2.00 to
3.30 PM). The application fee is Rs. 1550/·.
The application fee can be paid either by
Credit Card/Debit Cardi Net Banking/ Chal-
lan in SBI.
The online (Computer based) entrance
test will be held at Indore, Dewas, Bhopal,
Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain, Sagar, Satna,
Rewa, Mandsaur, Khandwa, Ranchi, Patna,
Chandigarh, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Rai-
pur, Bilaspur, Allahabad, Lucknow, Kota,
Vadodara, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata,
Kochi, Bhuvneshwarcities. University has
the right to change the cities for entrance test.
After entrance test, counseling will be in of-
fline (manual) mode at Indore only.
Last date of online submission of appli-
cation form is Thursday, 10th May, 2018.
The details of eligibility, number of seats,
fee structure, dates for counseling etc. are in
CET-2018 brochure available on our website
www.dauniv.ac.in. All the Notices will be put
on the University Website only.
Helpline: cetdauniversity@gmail.com

Application and Selection Procedure:

Candidates who meet the above eligibility

criteria may attend the walk-in interview on
NIAB RSP 2018-2019 – 11 May 2018 between 10am and 1pm. Can-
didates are required to bring all documents in
Research Scholars original for attending the interview with one
Program @ NIAB set of self-attested photocopies and one latest
passport size photograph.

Candidates must make their own arrange-

Research Scholars Program that is avail-
able at NIAB – National Institute of An-
imal Biotechnology, official notification is
announced. B.Tech / M.Tech / M.Sc can-
didates with a background in any branch
of life sciences are eligible to walk-in for
the NIAB RSP 2018-2019 Research Schol-
ars Program at NIAB. Check out all of the
details below:
ments for any travel / boarding and lodging.
No TA/DA will be paid by NIAB for attend-
ing the interview
NIAB reserves the right to accept / reject
applications or candidature or admission in
case of any discrepancy observed at any stage
Walk-In Details:

Advertisement No. RSP-II/2018 Date of Interview – 11 May 2018

Admission for Research Scholars Program Time of Interview – between 10am and
WALK-IN Interview on 11th May 2018 1pm

National Institute of Animal Biotechnology

(NIAB) invites applications for its Research
Scholars Program 2018-2019.
NIAB is an autonomous and premier in-
stitute of the Department of Biotechnology
(DBT), Government of India. The Institute
wishes to develop and harness novel and
emerging biotechnological tools and applica-
tions, and take up research in cutting-edge ar-
eas for improving animal health and produc-
tivity as well as contribute to human health
and welfare.

NIAB’s current research interests include DAVV, Indore CET 2018

• host-pathogen interactions and pathog-
enomics
• next generation vaccines, diagnostics,
adjuvants and drug delivery platforms
• nutrition, metabolomics and metabolic
disorders
• genetics and genomics
• gene and protein engineering
• reproductive biotechnology
• transgenic technology
• bioinformatics
• human-animal interface and One
Health
MSc Life Sciences
Admissions 2018
Notification
Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore
MSc Life Sciences Admissions Common
Entrance Test (CET 2018). DAVV, Indore
Life Sciences CET 2018. DAVV Common
Entrance Test 2018 MSc Life Sciences Ad-
mission Notification. Interested and eligi-
ble candidates are encouraged to apply for
the same, via the details given below:

Applications are invited for NIAB’s RSP DEVI AHILYA VISHWAVIDYALAYA,

2018-2019 from highly motivated individ-
uals who have secured national fellowships
and who are willing to take up research work
to meet the challenges in the above-men-
tioned areas. Those admitted as Research
Scholars could be registered for PhD through
a recognized University or through Region-
INDORE (NAAC Accredited “A” Grade )
Common Entrance Test (CET) 2018 – Ad-
mission Notice
Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore an-
nounces the registration for its Comput-
er Based (Online) Common Entrance Test

11
May 8th, 2018. Vol. 02 NO 19

12