Low exposure to research, often due to the financial constraints of college laboratories, and extensive curriculum can make studying biology unexciting for students. This short article on ‘frugal science’ describes how paper, a cheap and familiar material, has been developed into instruments to study nature and stimulate creativity and curiosity in students.
Posted on in Biochemistry, Health & Medicine, Undergraduate, Interdisciplinarity & Education
Annesha Dutta, Specialist-Quality Operations, Novartis Hyderabad, brings extensive experience from pharmaceutical Quality Control and Assurance roles, emphasising curiosity-driven transitions and the value of seizing diverse opportunities within the healthcare industry. Annesha also shares advice and resources for master's and PhD students who want to transition into an industry role.
Posted on in Health & Medicine, Women in Science, Career Development & Personal Experience
In the fourth article as part of community voices for international grants and fellowships, Karishma shares an experience of a cold email that she wrote leading to a collaborative South - South international grant.
Posted on in Health & Medicine, Funding, Personal Experience & Networking and Collaboration
How do bacteria develop antibiotic resistance (ABR)? What are its consequences to human health and economy? What are the factors that contribute to the rise in ABR? Have any steps been taken to combat this global crisis? How do we promote awareness amongst people? In this article, Mousumi Saha addresses these questions.
Scientists are increasingly lobbying for non-animal models for biomedical research, given that subtle genetic differences between humans and animals can lead to pronounced differences in disease severity. Advanced technologies such as organs-on-chips are showing potential to make biomedical research more human-relevant. Surat reports on a recent virtual event that initiated a dialogue on the possibilities and challenges of implementing human-relevant models and frameworks in India.
Posted on in Health & Medicine, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Policy & Events
With several new COVID variants emerging in recent months, the importance of analysing and drawing insights from vast amounts of viral genome sequencing data cannot be understated. To address this need, A team of researchers at the Advanced Centre for Treatment Research & Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Navi Mumbai, have come up with a computational tool called the Infectious Pathogen Detector (IPD).
Traditional vaccine trials rely on large sample populations and natural infection processes. A quicker, cheaper, but riskier method, called Controlled Human Infection Model studies (CHIMs), has also been in practice for some time. In CHIMs, volunteers are deliberately infected with a pathogen to study its effects or to test the efficacy of a vaccine. In this article, Aditi examines the science behind CHIMs and the ethical implications of legalising this method in India, where such trials are presently banned.