Carbanio DIGITISING THE CHEMICALS INDUSTRY IN INDIA AND BEYOND an you imagine what happens when a young and aspiring student loves a subject in his undergrad years? A whole industry can be disrupted to be digitised.
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realised that this course has applications in research and business. The course content was advanced compared to that of a master's in Organic Chemistry. So, it was a no brainer for me.
Read on to join the entrepreneurial journey of Dr. Rafi Shaik, who has built the digital platform Carbanio for the Chemicals industry.
After completing the master’s in 2002, I found a berth on GVK Biosciences team of 12 scientists recruited from across India. However, within a couple of months, the Pondicherry Central University selected me for conducting research. So, I packed my bags for Pondicherry.
How did you come to know and become part of the world of chemicals? “Thank you. That is a great question to start our conversation. As a student, I loved Chemistry. I particularly liked Organic Chemistry. I would always score very high grades in Chemistry and passed my bachelor’s with a distinction in Chemistry. Naturally, I was thinking of research in Chemistry. So, I was all charged up to ace my entrance examinations for the master’s programmes. I stood among the top candidates in the entrance exams at Andhra, Sri Venkateswara, and Osmania universities. So, I got to choose. In 2000, Sri Venkateswara University introduced a Medicinal Chemistry concentration in M.Sc. I 14
Studying medicinal chemistry was my first step into the world of chemicals. The Chemistry department at the university collaborated with the pharma industry’s big names, such as AstraZeneca, heavily and actively. Processes, methodologies, new innovations filled my world even as the industry’s big names kept discussing with us many challenges they faced. I focused on the most pressing problems in the industry. Five and a half years flew by. And I was awarded the doctorate for my thesis, Studies on synthesis and stereochemistry of selected saturated heterocycles.
materials, and the university benefitted from the royalties. During my research, I participated in three industry projects and published 14 papers in the national and international scientific journals. My grounding in the Chemicals industry grew from my research. Where did your journey take you after completing the research? I opted for post-doctoral research with National Health Research Institutes (NHRI), Taiwan. It was a nodal agency for 16 healthcare organisations. Multi-layered research from exploring a molecule to developing a drug was part of NHRI's capabilities. I was part of the team that developed the first anti-cancer drug. It was sold to an MNC and NHRI benefitted through royalty payments. After my postdoctoral research, I moved back to India, worked with a pharma company, worked as a process innovation scientist in the University of Hyderabad. At the later, I threw myself into the thick research testing more than 350 molecules for drug development. This was exciting for me. I got to hear the pressing challenges of the industry.
Also, we developed many patented January 2020
