Biotecnika newspaper 3 april 2018

April 3rd, 2018.

Vol. 02 NO 14

NEWS - PAGE 3 SYNTHETIC ANTIBIOTIC SUCCESSFUL IN TREATING INFECTIONS CAUSED BY SUPERBUG

NEWS - PAGE 4 SCIENTISTS DISCOVER SWITCH THAT COULD “TURN OFF” INFLAMMATION

SCHOLARSHIP - PAGE 7

NEW JOBS AVAILABLE

ASEAN-INDIA RESEARCH TRAINING FELLOWSHIP (AI-RTF) – OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION

Scientists Design Biocomputer

PAGES 11-12

A BIOCOMPUTER USING 3D CELL CULTURES Computation, in a technical sense, is a standardized process by which input data are processed according to prescribed rules (algorithm) and are converted into output data. While computers do not “know” where the data come from, normally they represent a particular reality.

By Disha Padmanabha

SCIENTISTS DESIGN BIOCOMPUTER USING 3D CELL CULTURES There is one realm where we largely stay helpless and can neither truly understand what is going on, nor affect the course of events – our own organisms and other biological systems. It is true that huge steps have been made in understanding basic biological processes as well as disease-linked abnormalities in humans. It is also true that any medical treatment is an attempt to control a disease, and we are witnessing an ever increasing number of efficient drug-based and surgical interventions.

Therefore, the idea to gather and process information from various parts of our bodies, perhaps even individual cells, and use these data to control biological processes in real time, averting disease-linked transformations, is very appealing.

Scientists have now designed a versatile plug-and-play molecular-computation plat-

genes, first transcribes a cell’s DNA to RNA and then translates that into proteins. The team inserted four extra DNA snippets after a promoter. One of those snippets was designed to produce a green fluorescent protein (GFP), which lights up a cell when switched on by a particular drug.

They were able to build 113 different circuits with a 96.5 percent success rate. A powerful computer circuitry leads to complex computational processes, similarly, cells genetically engineered to work as minicomputers can be more or less powerful based on their engineering.

form, by engineering nine different cell populations with genetic programs, each of which encodes a defined computational instruction.

When assembled into 3D cultures, these engineered cell consortia execute programmable multicellular full-adder logics in response to three trigger compounds.

The team, comprising researchers from ETH Zurich and University of Basel, has managed to structure the cells so that the biocomputer can create logic gates, which take two inputs and process them to create one output. This has allowed the team to accomplish “full-adder computations,” where different cells do small parts of a calculation and then add the results together to get a complete answer.

For their study, the genetic circuit itself was designed using existing machinery in cells called a promoter. The DNA snippet, a small portion of DNA associated with one or more

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Vol. 02 NO 14

April 3rd, 2018.

Bacterial Cellulose Nanofibres for Future Sustainable Materials Biomass-based nanomaterials such as bacterial cellulose (BC) are one of the most promising building blocks for the development of sustainable materials with the potential to outperform their conventional, synthetic, counterparts.

The formation of BC occurs at the air–water interface, which has been exploited to engineer materials with finely controlled microtopographical features or simple three-dimensional morphologies for a wide range of applications. However, a high degree of control over the 3D morphology of BC films across several length scales (micro to macro) has not yet been achieved.

Now, researchers at the Aalto University

have developed a simple and customizable process that uses superhydrophobic interfaces to finely engineer the bacteria access to oxygen in three dimensions and in multiple length scales, resulting in hollow, seamless, nanocellulose-based pre-determined objects.

The investigators harnessed the natural growth patterns of bacteria by providing them with oxygen using “superhydrophobic interfaces” that guide the growth of the nanocellulose. In the process they were able to create objects such as an ear, shown on the right, and provide a proof of concept that we can use bacteria to precisely grow medical implants and other devices such as wound dressings, replacement blood vasculature,

By Disha Padmanabha

and new ligaments.

“The developed process is an easy and accessible platform for 3D biofabrication that we demonstrated for the synthesis of geometries with excellent fidelity. Fabrication of hollow and complex objects was made possible. Interesting functions were enabled via multi-compartmentalization and encapsula-

tion. For example, we tested in situ loading of functional particles or enzymes with metal organic frameworks, metal nanoparticles with plasmon adsorption, and capsule-in-capsule systems with thermal and chemical resistance”, explains Professor Orlando Rojas.

Synthetic Antibiotic Successful in Treating Infections Caused

by Superbug Scientists working to develop a ‘game-changing’ new antibiotic have now made a significant advance as the synthesized compound was found promising in treating infections cause by a superbug. The breakthrough is another major step forward on the journey to develop a commercially viable drug version based on teixobactin- a natural antibiotic discovered by US scientists in soil samples in 2015 which has been heralded as a “gamechanger” in the battle against antibiotic resistant pathogens such as MRSA and VRE. It has been predicted that by 2050 an additional 10 million people will succumb to drug resistant infections each year. The development of new antibiotics which can be used as a last resort when other drugs are ineffective is therefore a crucial area of study for healthcare researchers around the world.

In a groundbreaking research, Teixobactin was discovered in 2015 and was found to eliminate MRSA, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus anthracis and other dangerous pathogens without encountering any detectable resistance.

Scientists from the University of Lincoln, UK, have now successfully created a simplified, synthesised form of teixobactin which has been used to treat a bacterial infection in mice, demonstrating the first proof that such simplified versions of its real form could be used to treat real bacterial infection as the basis of a new drug.

The simplified teixobactin was then used by scientists from the Singapore Eye Research Institute to inject to laboratory mice that are infected with MRSA and VRE. The results showed that teixobactin is highly potent not only in treating infection but also minimizing the severity of infection when administered in vitro.

Dr. Ishwar Singh, a specialist in novel drug

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design and development from the University of Lincoln’s School of Pharmacy, said: “Translating our success with these simplified synthetic versions from test tubes to real cases is a quantum jump in the development of new antibiotics, and brings us closer to realising the therapeutic potential of simplified teixobactins.”

“When teixobactin was discovered it was groundbreaking in itself as a new antibiotic which kills bacteria without detectable resistance including superbugs such as MRSA, but natural teixobactin was not created for human use.”

“A significant amount of work remains in the development of teixobactin as a therapeutic antibiotic for human use — we are probably around six to ten years off a drug that doctors can prescribe to patients — but this is a real step in the right direction and now opens the door for improving our in vivo analogues.”

By Disha Padmanabha A natural antibiotic called teixobactin, when synthesized, can be used to fight drug-resistant superbugs like MRSA and VRE. These groundbreaking results provide a new perspective on the impact of the use and misuse of antibiotics to treat human diseases. ( Schneyder Mendoza | Getty Images )

Vol. 02 NO 14

April 3rd, 2018.

Go Bananas with Ice Cream- Scientists Produce No-Melt Ice Creams Using Banana Extract You’ve clearly been living under a rock if you haven’t heard of banana ice cream- the latest entrant of the burgeoning vegan foodie scene.

Now, in a twist to this new trend, scientists have developed a cool solution to the sticky problem of ice cream dripping. Scientists from Colombia’s Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, used tiny cellulose fibers extracted from banana plant waste to slow down the melting of ice cream, increasing its shelf life and potentiallyreplace fats used to make the tasty treat.

“Our findings suggest that cellulose nanofibers extracted from banana waste could help improve ice cream in several ways,” Robin Zuluaga Gallego, Ph.D., says. “In particular, the fibers could lead to the development of a thicker and more palatable dessert, which would take longer to melt. As a result, this would allow for a more relaxing and enjoyable experience with the food, especially in warm weather.”

The fibers in question come from the stem of the banana plant. Not the nubbin on the end of a single fruit; rather, the long, woody stalk from which a bunch of bananas grow, which most people don’t encounter often.

These stems — known as rachis — make up a big proportion of waste from banana harvesting. “Once a bunch arrives at the packaging plant, the bunch rachis becomes residual biomass too,” Spanish scientists pointed out in 2016. Zuluaga Gallego’s ice cream fix could kill two birds with one stone, improving ice cream and recycling waste at once.

The team wanted to see if this fibrous material extracted banana fruit stems could be used to slow down melting and extend ice cream‘s shelf life. The researchers first harvested cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) — particles that are thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair — from groundup banana rachis. Then, they mixed various concentrations of CNFs (from zero, used as a control, up to 0.3g/100grams of ice cream) and analyzed how this impacted the end product’s physical properties.

By Disha Padmanabha

Ice cream mixed with CNFs tended to melt significantly more slowly than traditional compositions, the team reports. They also note than CNFs could extend the shelf life of ice cream products, and decrease their sensitivity to temperature changes as they’re being moved about.

“This suggests that CNFs could help stabilize the fat structure in ice creams. As a re-

sult, CNFs could potentially replace some of the fats — and perhaps reduce calories — in these desserts,” said co-author Dr. Velásquez Cock, also from the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana.

Moving forward, the scientists plan to explore how different types of fat, such as coconut oil and milk fat, affect the behavior of CNFs in other frozen treats.

HEY! SOMETHING’S STUCK TO YOUR TOOTH | WAIT, THAT’S A DIET SENSOR The relatively new trend in town- Wearable tech- is showing up all over the place, kicking up a storm. From health, to privacy, to straight-up sensational style, Wearable tech encompasses it all and is a huge hit with people from all strata.

Now, researchers at Tufts University have developed an amazing new sensor, only 2 millimeters on a side, that can be attached to the tooth and measure and transmit readings about glucose, salt and alcohol intake.

Monitoring in real time what happens in and around our bodies can be invaluable in the context of health care or clinical studies, but not so easy to do. That could soon change thanks to these new, miniaturized sensors. The researchers believe the future adaptations of these sensors could enable the detection and recording of a wide range of nutrients, chemicals and physiological states.

The 2mm × 2mm prototypes comprise a three-layer sensor design. It involves a middle layer of bio-responsive material, sandwiched between two gold, split-ring resonators. The bio-responsive layers in the prototypes were either a silk film or a hydrogel. The silk film can contain things like enzymes or antibodies to detect specific molecules. In doing so, it changes the chemical conditions between the resonators. The hydrogel, on the other hand, sops up the slurries in your pie hole, swelling to different sizes depending on what you’re munching.

The resonators, meanwhile, act like antennas, picking up and transmitting ambient radio frequencies. In early tests, the researchers used a portable radio frequency analyzer attached to a tablet or mobile phone to monitor the frequencies. Those frequencies change depending on what’s going on with the bio-responsive layer of the sensor.

Additionally, the sensor can change color depending on which nutrient is identified.

If the sensor picks up traces of salt or ethanol, the electrical properties shift and cause the sensor to transmit a different frequency of waves at varying intensities. This shift is how nutrient data is detected, measured and transmitted to the mobile device.

The researchers tested their invention on people drinking alcohol, gargling mouthwash, or eating soup. In each case, the sensor was able to detect what the person was consuming by picking up on nutrients.

“In theory we can modify the bioresponsive layer in these sensors to target other chemicals — we are really limited only by our creativity,” said Fiorenzo Omenetto, PhD, corresponding author and the Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering at Tufts. “We have extended common RFID [radiofrequency ID] technology to a sensor package that can dynamically read and transmit information on its environment, whether it is affixed to a tooth, to skin, or any other surface.“

By Disha Padmanabha

By Disha Padmanabha

GENENTECH RESEARCHERS DISCOVER NOVEL SUPERBUG-TARGETING TREATMENT The folding and insertion of integral β-barrel membrane proteins into the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is required for viability and bacterial pathogenesis. And therefore, targeting such essential proteins or processes directly exposed to the environment could lead to the discovery of new agents to fight superbugs.

Now, Genentech researchers have found a chink in the armor of drug-resistant, gram-negative bacteria called the BamA enzyme, which is found in the bugs’ outer membrane. They believe they’ve found a way to attack this protein with an antibody—an approach that they say could pave the way for a new class of antibiotics to plug a treatment gap.

For their study, the team targeted BamA has it is found in all gram-negative bacteria, involved in a fundamental cell process, and exposed on the cell surface, eliminating the need to penetrate the cell.

They used a monoclonal antibody to block BamA function in E.coli, a gram-negative bacterium that has demonstrated drug resistance. As a result, this compromised the outer

membrane, killing the bacteria.

Despite the initial goal being to identify a therapeutic antibody, the team did experience some limitations on moving it forward as a treatment. Throughout the process, the team had to compete with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the outer membrane. It is particularly difficult to get the antibodies through this thick sugar layer, so they removed it during this study.

“We used that antibody to ask some biological questions and learn about how Bam works,” said Steven Rutherford, a scientist at Genentech and corresponding author of the study. “It gives us an understanding of what it would take to inhabit this. It allows us to develop plans for the future to target this BamA machinery because it does present as a really useful and viable drug target.”

Even if Genentech aren’t able to develop an antibody-based antibiotic for gram-negative bacteria, the research will undoubtedly open up a number of doors for superbug-targeting treatments.

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Vol. 02 NO 14

April 3rd, 2018.

Scientists Discover Switch that could “Turn Off” Inflammation The endogenous metabolite itaconate has recently emerged as a regulator of macrophage function, but its precise mechanism of action remains poorly understood.

However, researchers at the Trinity College Dublin have now discovered that this molecule acts as a powerful off-switch for macrophages, which are the cells in the immune system that lie at the heart of many inflammatory diseases including arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and heart disease.

cooling the heat of inflammation in a process never before described,” Prof O’Neill said.

Professor of Biochemistry at Trinity, Luke O’Neill, co-author of the study, said, “My lab has been exploring metabolic changes in macrophages for the past six years and we’ve come across what we think is the most important finding yet.”

Dylan Ryan added: “We’ve found that itaconate can directly modify a whole host of proteins important for inflammation in a chemical reaction never before described, and that this reaction is important for the anti-inflammatory effects of itaconate.”

Macrophages are a type of white blood cell which digest cellular debris; foreign substances, microbes, cancer cells, and anything else that does not have the type of proteins specific to a healthy body. When operating optimally they respond rapidly to pathogens and trigger anti-inflammatory activity. That in turn limits damage and promotes tissue repair.

The discovery is very much on the frontier of inflammation research and Professor O’Neill and his collaborators are now exploring its relevance to the onset and development of inflammatory and infectious diseases. They are also keen to explore whether the findings can be exploited in the effort to develop new anti-inflammatory medicines.

Normally, inflammation is a good thing as, for example, with a sprained ankle and accelerates recovery. But with specific inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, psteoarthritis and the inflammatory skin disorder psoriasis, macrophages act mischievously, Prof O’Neill said. “We don’t know why inflammation goes out of control.”

Dr Evanna Mills, who, with Dylan Ryan was joint first author of the work, said: “The macrophage takes the nutrient glucose, whose day job it is to provide energy, and surprisingly turns it into itaconate. This then blocks production of inflammatory factors, and also protects mice from the lethal inflammation that can occur during infection.”

Professor O’Neill said: “This discovery and the new research pathways it has opened up will keep us busy for some time but we are hopeful that it will one day make a difference to patients with diseases that remain difficult to treat.”

A critical finding was to show itaconate switched off an over-active immune system in mice.

“It’s well known that macrophages cause inflammation, but we have just found they can be coaxed to make a biochemical called itaconate. This functions as an important brake, or off switch, on the macrophage,

By Disha Padmanabha

By Disha Padmanabha

Yeast Modified to Thrive on Novel Nutrients Nutrient assimilation is the first step that allows biological systems to proliferate and produce value-added products. Therefore, efforts in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering have largely focused on rationally designing regulatory infrastructures around biosynthetic/anabolic pathways.

Current efforts to engineer nutrient assimilation pathways take a straightforward approach of over expressing catabolic pathway enzymes without regard for how that integrates into the larger cellular infrastructure that encompasses central metabolism, stress-responses, cell doubling, etc.

In stark contrast, natural systems often use genome-scale regulatory infrastructures, called regulons, to coordinate nutrient catabolism with other cellular functions.

Now, scientists at the Tufts University have created a genetically modified yeast that can more efficiently consume a novel nutrient, xylose, enabling the yeast to grow faster and to higher cell densities, raising the prospect of a significantly faster path toward the design of new synthetic organisms for industrial applications.

“Instead of building a metabolic framework from the ground up, we can reverse engineer existing regulons to enable an organism to thrive on a novel nutrient,” Nikhil Nair, PhD, an assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at Tufts and corresponding author of this study, said in a statement.

“Adapting native regulons can be a significantly faster path toward the design of new synthetic organisms for industrial applications.”

In the course of this study, the researchers took a set of regulatory genes, called a GAL regulon, that normally processes galactose – and replaced some of the genes with those that become activated by, and direct the breakdown of, xylose. All other genes in the GAL regulon were unchanged.

This resulted in preserving a more natural interaction between the genes that govern feeding and those that govern survival. The new synthetic regulon, dubbed XYL, enabled the yeast cells to grow more rapidly and to higher cell densities.

As part of the study, Nair and his team took a closer look at what exactly accounted for the improved survival of the xylose-eating yeast organism. What they found was that numerous genes activated in the XYL regulon-controlled yeast that upregulated pathways involved in growth, such as cell wall maintenance, cell division, mitochondrial biogenesis and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Yeast strains that had constitutive (mostly unregulated) control of xylose metabolism triggered pathways related to cell stress, starvation and DNA damage.

“Our study applied this approach to xylose, but it suggests a broader principle – adapting native regulons for the efficient assimilation of other non-native sugars and nutrients,” said Nair. “Nature has already done the work of tuning genes and metabolic pathways to the environment of the organism. Let’s make use of that when introducing something new on the menu.”

AN ENGINEERED MIX OF BACTERIA/ARCHAEA TO SHED LIGHT ON EVOLUTION A frequently quoted hypothesis on the origin of the three domains of life (Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya) assumes the existence of a common living ancestor, known as cenancestor or LUCA (last universal common ancestor), from which the archaea and bacteria have diverged.

One hypothesis is that this happened because the cell membrane in LUCA was an unstable mixture of lipids.

Based on comparative genomics analyses, predictions have been made about the organization of the transcriptional and translational machinery present in LUCA during the early stages of evolution.

Now, scientists from the University of Groningen and Wageningen University have created such a life form with a mixed membrane and discovered it is in fact stable, refuting this hypothesis. In an epic feat of molecular biology prowess, the team has reverse-engineered a microbe that shares the features of

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both a bacterium and an archaeon, and therefore could feasibly have some LUCA-like characteristics.

There are many ideas on how cellular life could have evolved billions of years ago.

Protocells may have formed in clay minerals, or as simple lipid vesicles. In the latter scenario, something called the lipid divide would have occurred, creating the separate domains of Bacteria and Archaea, said Arnold Driessen, Ph.D., one of the authors of the current study and a professor of molecular microbiology at the University of Groningen: “The lipid membranes of both domains are different, composed of phospholipids that are each other’s mirror image.”

After a breakthrough in the production of archaeal membrane lipids at Groningen University, and another related development at Wageningen, researchers were able to engi-

By Disha Padmanabha

neer Escherichia coli bacteria to have cell membranes that include 30% archaeal lipids.

This is exactly the kind of mixed membrane that scientists thought would be unstable in the LUCA. In the newly engineered E. coli, the phosphatidylglycerols — the lipids which form the basic bilayer of the bacterial membrane — were replaced by their archaeal equivalent (archaetidylglycerol). Despite this transformation, the bacterium grew normally and was stable, which refutes the hypothesis that a mixed membrane is inherently unstable.

The new life form also exhibited some differences from the unmodified E. coli, such as a more elongated cell.

“This bacterium grew at normal speed and

was stable,” revealed Driessen. “So this result does not support the hypothesis that a mixed membrane is inherently instable and could thus have created the lipid divide.”

“The robustness of these mixed cells surprised us. We expected more problems keeping them alive. After all, what we have engineered does amount to a new life form,” said Driessen.

This work could help open up new avenues in research in evolution. “For example, we could engineer a bacterial expression system for archaeal membrane proteins, such as those produced by hyperthermophiles that grow at extremely high temperatures and pressure,” Driessen concluded.

Vol. 02 NO 14

April 3rd, 2018.

Microglial Synaptic Remodelling Captured on Film for First Time Microglia are highly motile phagocytic cells that infiltrate and take up residence in the developing brain, where they are thought to provide a surveillance and scavenging function. Although microglia have previously been shown to engulf and clear damaged cellular debris after brain insult, recent studies that have demonstrated that microglia are also highly motile in the uninjured brain, continuously extending and retracting processes through the extracellular space, suggest that they may monitor and contribute to synaptic maturation and function.

This activity in combination with known phagocytic capacity of myeloid cells, has led to the hypothesis that microglia may have a role in the phagocytic elimination of synapses as part of the widespread pruning of exuberant synaptic connections during development.

Now, for the first time, researchers at the EMBL, have captured microglia nibbling on brain synapses. Their findings show that the special glial cells help synapses grow and rearrange, demonstrating the essential role of microglia in brain development.

“Our findings suggest that microglia are nibbling synapses as a way to make them stronger, rather than weaker,” says Cornelius Gross, who led the work.

The research team at EMBL set out on a massive imaging study to observe this pro-

cess in action in the mouse brain. Around half of the time, microglia contact a synapse, and the synapse head sends out thin projections called filopodia to contact them. It turns out that microglia might underly the formation of double synapses, in which the terminal end of a neuron releases neurotransmitters onto two neighboring partners instead of one.

“This shows that microglia are broadly involved in structural plasticity and might induce the rearrangement of synapses, a mechanism underlying learning and memory,” says Laetitia Weinhard, from the Gross group at EMBL Rome, co-author of the study.

The moving pictures of synapse-eating microglia were possible by a combination of correlative light, and electron microscopy and light sheet fluorescence microscopy.

Scientists plan to use the imaging technology to study microglia behavior during adolescent brain development. Researchers are also keen to investigate the link between microglia and neural disorders like schizophrenia and depression.

“This is what neuroscientists have fantasized about for years, but nobody had ever seen before. These findings allow us to propose a mechanism for the role of microglia in the remodeling and evolution of brain circuits during development,” said Cornelius Gross.

By Disha Padmanabha

PERSONALIZED DIAGNOSTIC KIT FOR BREAST CANCER PATIENTS RECEIVES CE MARK US-Dutch biotech Agendia has now received a CE Mark for its next-generation sequencing-based MammaPrint BluePrint breast cancer recurrence and molecular subtyping kit, allowing the firm to commercialize the device in Europe.

This new device, which combines both MammaPrint and BluePrint, can aid physicians in personalizing treatment management decisions for their patients by identifying women with early-stage breast cancer who are at a genomic Low or High Risk for distant metastasis within five years.

MammaPrint analyzes 70 genes most associated with breast cancer recurrence to provide a binary Low or High Risk of cancer recurrence result, while BluePrint analyzes 80-genes which classify a patient’s breast cancer into functional molecular subtypes.

Agendia’s MammaPrint test has proven that it can prevent the unnecessary use of chemotherapy in 46% of breast cancer patients. The new test builds on this concept by adding an analysis of the molecular profile of the patient’s cancer that can help determine what’s the best alternative to chemo for each patient.

Dr. William Audeh, Chief Medical Officer at Agendia, said: “The clinical utility of the MammaPrint test has been demonstrated by the landmark MINDACT trial. With breast cancer being the most common cancer in women, affecting one in eight in Europe and with almost 500,000 new cases a year, the

quality-of-life and cost benefits of identifying women previously selected for chemotherapy that may not have significant benefit from it is considerable.”

Dr. Marjolaine Baldo, Commercial Vice President, EMEA at Agendia said: “Obtaining the CE mark for the MammaPrint BluePrint Kit is a huge milestone. For the first time, prestigious cancer centers across Europe will be able to run MammaPrint and BluePrint in their own labs, using their existing NGS instruments. As a result, patients will have better access to these vital tests and the significant benefits that they bring in personalizing breast cancer management. We are proud of the drive, dedication and expertise of our team, partners and co-validation centers who, in recognizing the need for a decentralized solution, have worked tirelessly to develop, validate and deliver this important device to the market. We look forward to collaborating with leading breast cancer centers to provide them with these tools, enabling them to offer breast cancer risk-of-recurrence testing in-house.”

By Disha Padmanabha

By Disha Padmanabha

GLOBAL ANTIBIOTICS CONSUMPTION SKYROCKETING, UPPING RESISTANCE RISKS Antibiotic resistance, driven by antibiotic consumption, is a growing global health threat. Tracking antibiotic consumption patterns over time and across countries could inform policies to optimize antibiotic prescribing and minimize antibiotic resistance, such as setting and enforcing per capita consumption targets or aiding investments in alternatives to antibiotics.

And this is exactly what a new study has done- with shocking results. As per this study by a team of international scientists, antibiotic consumption rates have increased worldwide from 11.3 to 15.7 defined daily doses (DDDs) per 1,000 inhabitants per day between 2000 and 2015.

DDDs are a statistical and standardized measure of drug consumption and represent the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults.

Despite efforts to encourage more prudent use of antibiotics, the team found a 65% rise in worldwide consumption of the drugs from 2000 to 2015. The sharp upturn, revealed in sales figures from 76 countries, was driven almost entirely by rising use in poorer nations, the study found.

“We saw a dramatic increase in antibiotic use globally and this is mostly from gains in low and middle income countries where economic growth means they have greater access to the drugs,” said Eili Klein, an author on the study at the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy in Washington DC. “While it’s generally a positive that there’s better access to effective antibiotics in these countries, there’s the potential for serious problems down the road from overuse. We know there’s a lot of inappropriate use in high income countries, and many of these lower income countries do not have the same controls in place.”

To come up with the global consumption estimates, researchers from CDDEP, Princeton University, the Institute of Integrative Biology in Zurich, and the University of Antwerp used pharmaceutical sales data from 76 countries, broken down between the retail and

hospital sectors. Because there is no global body collecting antibiotic consumption data, Klein said, these are the best data currently available.

Antibiotic resistance is a global health problem; when it emerges in one place, it quickly spreads to other parts of the world. The study underscores the need for consistent global surveillance of antibiotic resistance and policies to curtail unnecessary antibiotic use.

The loss of effective antibiotics is driven in large part by antibiotic consumption, most of which is inappropriate and does nothing to improve health, the researchers said.

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics can be detrimental to people in developing nations that actually need improved access to antibiotics to help fight their higher rates of illness and death caused by infectious diseases.

Antibiotic use in low-income and middle-income countries, antibiotic use — particularly of broad-spectrum penicillins — increased by 114 percent in the same 15-year period, spurred by economic and population growth. Some of those countries had consumption rates that surpassed those of high-income countries, but many still have considerably lower per-capita levels of anitbiotic consumption than high-income countries due to limited access. The United States remained one of the largest consumers of glycylcyclines (tigecycline) and oxazolidinones (linezolid).

It’s been more than a year since the United Nations General Assembly recognized the global threat of antibiotic resistance, but there has been little action since then, noted study co-author and CDDEP Director Ramanan Laxminarayan.

“We must act decisively and we must act now, in a comprehensive manner, to preserve antibiotic effectiveness,” Laxminarayan said in the news release.

“That includes solutions that reduce consumption, such as vaccines or infrastructure improvements, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries. New drugs can do little to solve the resistance problem if these drugs are then used inappropriately, once they are introduced,” he said.

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Vol. 02 NO 14

April 3rd, 2018.

Rapid Legionella Detecting Microchip Developed Increasing numbers of legionellosis outbreaks within the last years have shown that Legionella are a growing challenge for public health. After Legionella grows and multiplies in a building water system, that contaminated water then has to spread in droplets small enough for people to breathe in.

People can get Legionnaires’ disease when they breathe in small droplets of water in the air that contain the bacteria. Legionnaires’ disease doesn’t spread from person to person.

Instead, the bacteria spreads through mist, such as from air-conditioning units for large buildings.

Molecular biological detection methods capable of rapidly identifying viable Legionella are important for the control of engineered water systems. The current gold standard based on culture methods takes up to 10 days to show positive results.

Now, researchers at the Technical University of Munich have now developed a rapid test that achieves the same result in about 35 minutes.

nical University of Munich. The team has developed a measuring chip in the context of the “LegioTyper” project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

This chip not only detects the dangerous pathogen Legionella pneumophila but also identifies which of the approximately 20 subtypes is present. The foil-based measuring chip uses the microarray analysis platform MCR of the Munich company GWK GmbH. Using 20 different antibodies, the system provides a complete analysis within 34 minutes.

“Compared to previous measurements, the new method not only provides a huge speed advantage,” says Michael Seidel, “but is also so cheap that we can use the chip in onetime applications.“

“Unfortunately, this quick test serves only as a first indication and is not suitable for screening the water of technical systems,” says PD Dr. Michael Seidel, head of the research group at the Chair of Analytical Chemistry and Water Chemistry of the Tech-

By Disha Padmanabha TUM scientist Catharina Kober works with the LegioTyper chip(Credit: Jonas Bemetz / TUM)

Study Throws Light on Mutations Facilitating Cancer Cell Survival Next generation sequencing (NGS) is becoming increasingly integrated into oncological practice and clinical research. NGS methods have also provided evidence for clonal evolution of cancers during disease progression and treatment.

Now, with the help of this sophisticated sequencing method, researchers identified genetic mutations that promote the survival of cancer cells.

“All cancers are caused by genetic damage, mutations to key genes that control the lives of cells,” notes Dr. Miele, who also heads LSU Health New Orleans’ Precision Medicine Program. “Mutant genes that cancers depend upon for survival are called ‘driver’ mutations.”

The researchers tested genes in 44 cancers that no longer responded to therapy. These are not often tested in clinical practice. The tumor types included breast, lung, colorectal, sarcomas, neuroendocrine, gastric and ovarian, among others.

They found that these advanced cancers had selected many new possible “driver” mutations never described before, in addition to drivers already known – the cancers had

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evolved new driver mutations to become resistant.

As it is, no cancers are genetically similar, the team found that in some cases an individual cancer had evolved two or even three drivers in the same gene, a sign that multiple cancer cell clones had evolved in the same tumor that had found different ways of mutating a particularly important gene.

With this information, the scientists believe therapy could be tailored to the evolving genomic picture of each individual cancer – the hallmark of precision medicine.

“These findings imply that genomic testing should be performed as early as possible to optimize therapy, before cancers evolve new mutations, and that recurrent cancers should be tested again, because their driver mutation may be different from those that existed at diagnosis,” says Miele.

“We are working toward a day when we won’t have to give a patient the devastating news that a cancer has come back and isn’t responding to chemotherapy,” Miele concludes.

By Disha Padmanabha

Vol. 02 NO 14

April 3rd, 2018.

OPTIclear: A Stunning 3D Tech that Allows for High-Resolution, Archival Imaging of Brain The brain is arguably the most complex organ in the human body. For centuries, efforts have been made to try and understand the structural and functional connections within the brain.

At the macroscopic level, diffusion tensor imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging are beginning to unravel some of the complex connections between different anatomical regions. In order to better understand the workings of the organ, scientists traditionally cut into the brain and make several thin slices, later tracing the cut nerve fibres over many sections.

However, this approach is difficult and labour-intensive as the neuronal circuitries span across great distances in three dimensions (3D) and are tightly entangled microscopically. Also, due to the spatial resolution of these imaging modalities, they lack the ability to reveal details at the microcircuit or cellular level.

Now, developed through an international collaboration between scientists at Imperial College London and The University of Hong Kong, is a next-gen technique that enables researchers to generate 3D images of fresh and archived brain tissue samples, resulting in stunning images of the human brain at the microscopic level.

OPTIClear selectively adjusts the optical properties of tissue without damaging or changing their structural components. Combined with fluorescent staining and other tissue processing methods, the team created a simple yet versatile tool for the study of microscopic structures in the human brain.

The team performed 3D morphological analysis on human brainstem dopaminergic neurons in the millimetre scale and imaged more than 3,000 large neurons in the human basal forebrain in merely five days, a normally extremely laborious task that takes at least three weeks. These neurons have been implicated in neurological and psychiatric diseases such as dementia and depression. The researchers noted that OPTIClear can also be applied in both archived (>30 years) and clinical specimens.

“We hope that a better understanding of the connections and circuitries of the brain will help uncover the pathologies that underlie the common degenerative diseases of the brain, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease,” commented Prof Wutian Wu of the School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU, co-supervisor of the study. Lead researcher Lai Hei-Ming added: “In principle, this method is also ap-

By Disha Padmanabha Technique reveals microscopic brain structures. Top: A small cross section of the cerebellum; Bottom: The close up of a fragment of the same sample, revealing networks of brain cells

plicable to other human organs and clinical specimens. We hope that this technique can also be used in studying other diseases, and eventually help us to unravel the mysteries of the human body.”

“We hope that a better understanding of the connections and circuitries of the brain will help uncover the pathologies that underlie the common degenerative diseases of the

brain, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease,” commented Prof Wutian Wu from Hong Kong University.

The research team behind OPTIclear report that the method is applicable to other human organs, where it could aid in the study of other diseases at new levels of detail and “help unravel the mysteries of the human body.”

SCHOLARSHIP

ASEAN-India Research Training Fellowship (AI-RTF) – Official Notification Check out the official notification for the ASEAN-India Research Training Fellowship (AI-RTF) 2018. Biological sciences candidates apply for the ASEAN-India Research Training Fellowship. AI-RTF 2018 notification is out. For more details on the fellowship make sure to check below: Introduction: India has been the dialogue partner for ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) since 1992. In 2012, on the occasion of 20th anniversary as dialogue partner, India-ASEAN celebrated commemorative

Summit and declared enhancement of its relations to strategic level.

India S&T Collaboration started formally in 1996 with establishment of ASEAN India S&T working Group (AIWGST). Initially, the collaborative ASEAN-India S&T activities were supported through ASEAN India Fund (AIF). In 2008, Government of India established a dedicated fund viz ASEAN India S&T Development Fund (AISTDF) to support R&D projects and associated project development activities. The total budget of AISTDF is an equivalent amount of 5 Million USD in INR. This amount of 5 Million USD is jointly shared by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Department of Science & Technology (DST). The Department of Science & Technology is the nodal Department for execution and implementation of ASEAN-India S&T Cooperation program from Indian side.

The Plan of Action of the ASEAN-INDIA PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE, PROGRESS AND SHARED PROSPERITY (2016-2020), implements the goals and objectives of the ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity on 30 November 2004 in Vientiane, Lao PDR, and the Vision Statement of the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit, adopted by the Leaders of ASEAN and India on 20 December 2012 in New Delhi, India. Through the implementation of this Plan of Action, ASEAN and India will work towards supporting the ASEAN

Community building and integration process, including the ASEAN Community’s Post-2015 Vision, for a politically cohesive, economically integrated, socially responsible and a truly people-oriented, people-centered and rules-based ASEAN, narrowing the development gap and enhancing ASEAN Connectivity. Both sides will also further promote cooperation in addressing common and emerging challenges and enhance coordination in other international forum on issues of common concern to contribute to overall peace, stability and prosperity.

velopment for mutual benefit; Undertake activities and develop program / projects under the ASEAN-India Science and Technology Development Fund; In order to support and facilitate mobility among young talented researchers of ASEAN MS, India and ASEAN instituted the scheme ASEAN-India Research Training Fellowship (AIRTF) Scheme for ASEAN young researchers to work at any of the Indian research/ academic Institution •

Objectives:

The main objectives of ASEAN-India Science, Technology and Innovation cooperation are based on following principles-

The AIRTF scheme is a fellowship scheme with the following objectives:

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•

•

Encourage and promote cooperation in science, technology and innovation, including through joint research activity, and development on cross-sectoral areas such as health, communicable and emerging infectious diseases, environmental management, climate change adaptation and mitigation measures, agricultural technologies, alternative energy, biodiversity, food processing, advanced materials for development of value-added products, and space technology and applications; Encourage and promote cooperation in biotechnology including through capacity building and joint research and de-

•

To promote mobility of scientists and researchers from the ASEAN Member States to India and provide them opportunity to work at Indian R&D/ academic institutions to upgrade their research skills and expertise.

To facilitate exchange of information and contacts between the scientists and researchers of India and ASEAN Countries and create a network for building research collaborations.

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As a spin-off, the Fellowship awardees may also have opportunity to get co-supervisors from India for their research projects for Ph.D. or Masters degree on their return to their home countries.

Number of Fellowships: Initially to start with 100 (One Hundred) Fellowships per year shall be awarded to young scientists and researchers from ASEAN Member States to get affiliated with Indian academic and R&D institutions. These Fellowships shall be equally distributed among ASEAN Member Country. Initially, 10 Fellowship shall be allocated for each ASEAN country. However, this number could be re-adjusted in accordance with the number of applicants from respective each ASEAN MS. Duration of Fellowships: The duration of the Fellowship will be for a period of up to six months. A minor variation in the duration would be allowed on recommendations of the Indian host Institute/ University depending upon the actual requirement of the research project as mutually agreed between the Fellowship holder and the Indian host institution.

Areas in Which Fellowships are Available The area/ topic of research for availing AIRTF must be ASEAN centric and must be aligned with the ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation (APASTI)-2016-2025. A copy of the APASTI is placed at Appendix-I. Fellowship will be offered for working in research topics under any of the following broad disciplines: •

Agricultural Sciences

Saryu Doshi Post Graduate Fellowships – 2018 | Fellowship Amount : Upto Rs 3 Lakh Post Graduate Fellowships 2018 offered

by Saryu Doshi for candidates from natural sciences background. Saryu Doshi Post Graduate Fellowships 2018 with fellowship of up to Rs. 3 Lakh Per fellow for msc natural sciences candidates. Check out the official notification for the Saryu Doshi Post Graduate Fellowships 2018, only on Biotecnika given below: About VSDF:

• • • • • • • • •

Biological and Medical Sciences Chemical Sciences & Engineering Computer Science & Engineering Physical Sciences and Mathematics Ocean, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Engineering Sciences Materials, Minerals and Metallurgy Science Policy / IPR Management / Technology Transfer & Commercialisation Other multi-disciplinary areas of Science, Technology and Innovation in alignment with APASTI.

Eligibility and Requirements: • •

•

• • •

Applicant must be holding nationality of any of the ASEAN Member State.

Possess at-least a Masters Degree in any Natural Sciences or an equivalent degree in Technology / Engineering / Medicine / allied disciplines.

Applicant should be working in a national R&D or academic institution in his/ her home ASEAN Member country.

The application should be endorsed by the Head of his/ her institution confirming that if selected, he/ she will be sanctioned leave for the Fellowship period and will join his/ her duties back in the institution on completion of the Fellowship in India.

The upper age limit for the applicant is 45 years as on date of submission of application.

Fluency in English language Indian nationals are not eligible for the Fellowship.

Submission of Application and Selection Criteria: 1. The Applicant should submit the application, through email, to the Science & part of their lives supporting these causes.

The Foundation provides scholarships to financially challenged young Indians enabling them to catapult themselves to a higher economic and social orbit. It fosters emerging talent in the visual and performing arts through Fellowships, performances, exhibitions and festivals. It is committed to improving the community by funding initiatives in environment protection and social upliftment.

The Fellowships aim to support students of Indian nationality who have received acceptance at a University abroad to pursue post-graduation in the field of Liberal Arts (Masters, Postgraduate Diploma/Certificate or Doctorate). The Fellowships are applicable to the fields of Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

The main aim of the fellowship program is to enhance the higher education by giving an opportunity to academically bright students who have a drive to succeed but are unable to do so due to their financial challenges. This is a need-based merit Fellowship and abides by the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action policy. The maximum amount for the Fellowship will be upto Rs 3 lakhs per fellow, which will be payable as a onetime amount.

Eligibility:

The Vinod & Saryu Doshi Foundation is a non-profit charity trust that supports initiatives in the fields of Art & Culture, Education and Community. It seeks to embody the lifelong passions and values of Vinod and Saryu Doshi, who believed that the mind is enriched through education and the spirit through art and culture. They have spent a considerable

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• • •

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They must have a first class degree or equivalent from a recognized Indian university.

They must have secured admission in a foreign university of repute, on their own merit for a course commencing from August OR September OR October, 2018.

•

Technology Division of ASEAN Secretariat with a copy to IMRC Division, Department of Science & Technology in the enclosed format along with the following enclosures: Application Form (Annexure-II) Copy of Relevant Pages of Passport Copy of an endorsement from present employer, duly filled in and signed, along with Signature of the applicant.

Take a print out of the format of Endorsement of Present Employer appended at the end of the Application format and attach a scanned copy of the appropriately filled up document along with the application form).

A copy of the letter / email from any Indian scientist/ institution with consent to accept you to work with them, if you get selected.

The application form must be filled up only in typed script (NOT HAND WRITTEN). Incomplete and illegible applications will be rejected.

All the enclosures as above must be submitted along with the application. Applications without any of the enclosures as mentioned at i. to v. above will be rejected.

2. Only electronic communication will be accepted and therefore, the complete application, in soft form, should be sent as attachment to the e-mail addresses dimas [dot] adekhrisna [at] asean [dot] org and sharma_rk [at] nic [dot] in after scanning the documents wherever required, only in a single soft file (Ms word format or pdf format) Hard copies of the application by post/ courier/ FAX are neither required nor will be considered.

in his/ her own interest, should make a prior contact with an Indian institution, where work is in progress in his/ her area of interest, or with a concerned scientist in India, and obtain consent that the applicant, if selected for the Fellowship, will be accepted to work in the institution on the proposed research project. A copy of such consent letter should be enclosed with the application.

In this connection, a suggestive list of Indian academic and R&D institutions has been enclosed with this Announcement to help the applicant, but the applicant is free to contact any other institution in India for his/ her affiliation.

If the applicant is not able to secure such prior consent, the IMRC Division DST will facilitate to connect the applicant with a suitable matching Indian institute on the basis of the information provided by the applicant and the research proposal submitted along with the application.

Securing a prior consent from an Indian institution/ scientist does not guarantee the selection of an applicant. All applications received will be scrutinised by ASEAN Secretariat which in turn shall recommend /forward the application to IMRC Division DST for consideration and support. IMRC Division DST shall make final decision based on the quality of the research proposal submitted by the applicant, applicant’s academic merit and available slots in the Fellowship scheme.

The applications can be submitted at any time during the year. There is no specific deadline for submitting the applications.

For More Information About AI-RTF program,please contact Mr.Raj Kumar Sharma or Mr Dimas Adekhrisna (dimas [dot] adekhrisna [at] asean [dot] org)

3. It is strongly advised that the applicant, • •

Should be an Indian citizen Candidates studying in the final year of the degree or equivalent may also apply, provided they are able to submit their final year certificates before May 07th, 2018.

• Here are some examples of the fields of study which may qualify for receiving the Fellowship award. Please note, this is not a comprehensive list. To better understand if your field of study qualifies, do write to us at vsdfoundation@gmail. com – Click here to view list • If you satisfy all the above criteria except that you are going to an Indian University for Post Graduation in the same areas as the Fellowship email us at vsdfoundation@gmail.com If you have any questions while filling out the application form, please email us at vsdfoundation@gmail.com.

The Fellowship Program: General terms and conditions : The Vinod & Saryu Doshi Foundation initiated these Fellowships to assist Indian nationals who have received acceptance in a University abroad to pursue their post-graduate studies (Masters, Postgraduate diploma/certificate or doctorate) in the field of Liberal Arts & Sciences. This includes the Humanities, Social Sciences, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

The main aim of the fellowship program is to enhance the higher education by giving an opportunity to academically bright students who have a drive to succeed but are unable to do so due to their financial challenges. This is a need-based merit Fellowship and abides

by the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action policy. The maximum amount for the Fellowship will be upto Rs 3 lakhs per fellow, which will be payable as a onetime amount.

Candidates applying for the Fellowship are required to satisfy the following criteria : • •

• •

•

•

•

They must have a first class degree or equivalent from a recognized Indian university.

They must have secured admission in a foreign university of repute, on their own merit for a course commencing from August or September or October, 2018.

Should be an Indian citizen.

Candidates studying in the final year of the degree or equivalent may also apply, provided they are able to submit their final year certificates before May 07th, 2018.

Here are some examples of the fields of study which may qualify for receiving the Fellowship award. Please note, this is not a comprehensive list. To better understand if your field of study qualifies, do write to us at vsdfoundation@gmail. com – Click here to view list If you satisfy all the above criteria except that you are going to an Indian University for Post Graduation in the same areas as the Fellowship email us at vsdfoundation@gmail.com If you have any questions while filling

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Vol. 02 NO 14 out the application form, please email us at vsdfoundation@gmail.com.

Timelines: •

January 2018: The Fellowship will be announced through various means including the newspaper, social media and informational posters at various Colleges and Universities in Mumbai and Pune. The application form is now available on our website www.vsdf.org.

• Candidates are asked to complete an application form and courier it to the Vinod & Saryu Doshi Foundation at the following address : Vinod & Saryu Doshi Foundation Post Graduate Fellowship, c/o Premier Ltd. , 58 Nariman Bhavan, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.

• May 07th, 2018: DEADLINE TO RECEIVE COMPLETED APPLICATIONS. The application form should be duly filled and submitted with all the essential enclosures to the above mentioned address before May 07th 2018.

• June 10th, 2018: The interview date will be intimated to the shortlisted candidates.

• June 19th 2018 onwards: The final interview of the candidates will take place, post the final year results • End of July / beginning of August : Final selection announced • August 2018: Awards are presented annually. The winners will be invited to this event. Cheques will be presented at this time subject to the student having received a valid student visa from the country in question.

For any enquiries/ questions ONLY you may email us at vsdfoundation@gmail.com.

DO NOT CALL the office for queries – questions will only be answered by email. Email applications will not be accepted.

An esteemed panel of experts will review all applications and short-list those who appropriately meet the criteria. The shortlisted candidates are then called for a personal interview. Students must appear in person for the panel interview if they are selected to do so. No stand-in will be accepted. If the student is unable to appear on his or her own behalf, eligibility is relinquished. In case you are not from Mumbai – a Skype call or telephone interview may be conducted with the selected candidate. This will be at the sole discretion of the selection committee.

April 3rd, 2018.

Completing the Application The application is the first means of introducing the candidate to the Foundation and to the selection committee. Care should be taken to be thorough and neat. All requested documentation must accompany the application.

SECTION – I Personal Contact Details This section requests personal information about the applicant and your family, as well as your passport size photographs. It is also to determine visa status – in case a applicant’s visa is rejected before the final award ceremony, the Fellowship award money will not be awarded to the applicant.

SECTION – II Academic Qualifications This section is to provide the applicant’s educational accomplishments.

Section 2a – All details for Standard 10, 12 and graduation are mandatory for a 10 + 2 + 3 year education format. In such cases please enter your 10th, 12th and graduation details depending on whether you attended a 3 or 4 year graduation course. In those educational formats, which are 10+5 years, please enter your first year graduation details in the 12th standard space and the remaining years in the graduation space provided. In case your final year results for your graduation are still awaited – please specify the same accordingly against the appropriate year. In case you already have a Master’s degree, please fill in the details as per your course in the space provided.

Sections 2b, 2c, 2d and 2e – Kindly follow the instructions indicated on the form SECTION – III Details of Internships or Full Time Work Experience, if any This section provides the applicant an opportunity to provide information about your professional experience.

SECTION – IV Details Of The Program For Which You Have Attained Admission Abroad This section tells us about which Universities you have applied to and secured admission along with relevant financial details.

You may enter details of all Universities to which you applied, but clearly enter your preferred University in the first row. eas, the apply for the 3rd BRICS Young Scientist Conclave Durban, South Africa, as Per the details giveb below: DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (DST) (Govt. of India) Announcement for inviting applications for participation in 3rd BRICS Young Scientist Conclave Durban, South Africa (25-29 June 2018) OVERVIEW:

DST India 3rd BRICS Young Scientist Conclave – Applications Invited Official Notification for the DST India 3rd BRICS Young Scientist Conclave 2018 / 3rd BRICS Young Scientist Forum 2018 has been announced. If you are Doctoral Students or Post-doc or a young faculty completed the Ph.D degree in certain ar-

The idea of the BRICS Young Scientist Forum was adopted at the 2nd BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Ministerial Meeting. As part of BRICS YS Forum’s activities, the 1st BRICS Young Scientist Conclave was held in Bangalore (India) in September 2016 and the 2nd edition of the BRICS YS Conclave was held in Hangzhou, China during 10-14 July 2017.

As a follow up of the above and to implement the BRICS Leaders’ Declaration on “strengthening cooperation in science, tech-

All financial data should be entered in INR and per annum by referring to the instructions provided on the form.

fy separately their current situation and provide / substantiate with necessary documents.

SECTION – V Sources Of Funds For Your Education Abroad

SECTION – IX Checklist of Documents To Be Attached

This section provides information about your sources of funds for the cost of your education.

Please fill in both sections i.e. ‘Applied’ and ‘Received’ clearly and transparently so that we have an understanding of your current financial position and your plan to bridge the gap between your financial requirements and funds received.

This section is a checklist of documents without which your applicant will be ineligible. Please check these carefully and attach all relevant documents as required by the form

SECTION – VI Please Type Answers To The Following Essay Questions This section provides the applicant an opportunity to articulate in writing some of the elements regarding the selected degree program.

Please fill in your answers online and DO NOT use separate pieces of paper for each answer – be conscious of paper wastage!

Please type your answers.

SECTION – VII References This section requires details of 2 references who are familiar with either your academic achievements and/or work experience. A sealed letter of recommendation should accompany each of your references (i.e. total 2 letters of recommendation). The seventh section asks you to identify two references who can affirm with personal knowledge your work and/or educational experiences.

SECTION – VIII Income Tax Summary Form This section provides us with income tax information summarized and substantiated with relevant documents.

The completed and printed Income Tax Summary Form needs to be attested by a Chartered Accountant.

• If parents are retired, attach a separate sheet with Income Tax details of their last taxable income during employment, along with the IncomeTax details as required.

• If either you, your parents, or spouse is not working, or below the tax bracket, then enter ‘ 0’ in the fields and specinology and innovation, especially leveraging young scientific talent for addressing societal challenges; creating a networking platform for BRICS young scientists”, and implement the instructions of BRICS ministers, the 3rd edition of the BRICS Young Scientist Conclave is scheduled to take place in Durban, South Africa during 25-29 June 2018.

The Conclave will provide a high-level platform of academic and policy exchange for talented young scientists as well as scientific personnel from BRICS countries to help them grow their skills, broaden their horizon and improve academic and policy qualifications, stimulate the interest of talented young scientists in the strategic research of future technologies, direct their attention to the most promising and important field of science and technology, promote exchanges and friendship, expand channels of cooperation, strengthen inter-disciplinary integration, encourage new academic inspirations, cultivate new academic disciplines and produce valuable policy advice.

SECTION – X Certification The final section is a certification by the applicant that the information on the form is true and accurate. The applicant also thereby confirms that s/he understands and agrees that the decision of the Vinod & Saryu Doshi Foundation in granting the Fellowship is final and binding and the Fellowship is awarded based on their ability to get a visa for their studies abroad.

Personal Interviews All applicants that have been selected for interviews will be notified by phone or email of their selection. If you do not hear from the Foundation via email or phone with regards to an interview (or selection for the grant) please consider that for this year we are unable to support you. We receive a very high volume of applications so it is not possible for us to inform every candidate individually.

Please be neatly dressed and presentable.

Carry hard copies of all original certificates that we may require for verification. In case there is any additional information left out during the written application, the personal interviews are a good time to present this information to the panel. Please come prepared to answer why you deserve this award over other qualified candidates and to answer relevant questions asked by the panelists.

Remember that this is an opportunity to make a final impression and your answers matter!

Courier Application Form by 7th May, 2018 at Vinod & Saryu Doshi Foundation, Saryu Doshi Post Graduate Fellowships in Liberal Arts & Sciences c/o Premier Ltd. 58 Nariman Bhavan, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021

VISION: •

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BRICS Youth connectivity & networking to harness their knowledge for resolving common societal challenges through research and innovation and strengthen advancement of skill & research competencies of youth primarily below the age of 35 years drawn from Science, Engineering other allied disciplines.

Building BRICS leadership in S&T through creative youth with capacity and capability to accelerate change individuality and collectively (BRICS Youth Alumni).

Reinforcing BRICS nation’s and regional STI policies and youth policies, skill development and entrepreneurship polices.

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Funding support:

LEAD SPONSORS: BRICS STI Coordinating Ministries (Department of Science & Technology from Indian side) on the principles of co-ownership and co-investment.

THEME: “Building Young Scientists’ Leadership in Science, Technology and Innovation” The 3rd BRICS YSF under the theme “Building BRICS Youth Leadership through Science, Technology and Innovation” will highlight the strategic importance of science, technology and innovation as key drivers of youth entrepreneurship and leadership. In addition, the 3rd BRICS YSF will have a dedicated segment on young women in science and include discussions on crosscutting issues such as science advice, science communication and science diplomacy. While the 3rd BRICS YSF will follow the format of previous forums by having thematic discussions (this year the focus will be on energy, water and social science) it will also include additional new components such as the BRICS young innovator prize contest and the BRICS young programmer competition.

Participants & Eligibility: Young bright scientists/ engineers/ technologists/ innovators/ science journalistseducators-science, literacy and popularizing professional / specialists on translational aspects of research and technology integration in society-market / researchers up to the age of 35 years in the areas of Water, Energy and ICT for societal use.

The participants must be a Doctoral Students or Post-doc or a young faculty completed the Ph.D degree in the above mentioned areas/ topics. The applicants who have already participated in the previous editions of BRICS Young Scientist Conclaves are NOT eligible to apply.

MHRD & DST IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology (IMPRINT-2) – Applications Invited MHRD and DST official notification for 2018 IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology (IMPRINT-2). Interested and eligible can apply online for the call via SERB. IMPRINT-2 official call for applications from faculty members and researchers in all Government of India funded Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), check details on the same below: What is IMPRINT? India, a mighty global economy which will soon be crowned the youngest nation in the world faces multiple daunting challenges in terms of energy/physical/cyber security, po-

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The International air travel related expenses (airfare, medical insurance, visa fee etc) shall be met by the Department of Science & Technology whereas the local hospitality ie food, accommodation and local transport in South Africa etc will be supported by the (MOST South Africa) for the entire duration of stay in South Africa.

3rd BRICS YS Conclave Programme: The 3rd BRICS YSF programme will include the following activities: • • • • • •

Three Parallel Sessions on the Thematic Areas: Energy, Water and Social science BRICS Young Women in Science Dialogue BRICS Young Innovator Prize BRICS Young Programmer Competition Workshop on Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Seminar on Science Diplomacy, Advice and Communication

Parallel Sessions on Thematic Areas: The parallel thematic sessions will specifically address issues related to the followingtopics: • • •

Energy – The Present and Future Energy Imperatives of BRICS Economies Water – The Strategic Importance of Water Resources in the Context of Climate Change ICT – The Impact and Challenges of Modern ICT Technologies on Youth Identity and Cultural Choices

BRICS Young Women in Science Dialogue: The BRICS Young Women in Science Dialogue will seek to: table water scarcity, environment and climate change, poverty, affordable health care for billions, etc. A vast majority of these tasks demand engineering intervention and technological innovation. A clarion call was made by the Honourable President and Prime Minister to address all engineering and technological challenges faced by the nation through a nation-wide unique initiative called IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology (IMPRINT) launched on November 5, 2015 from the Rashtrapati Bhavan. IMPRINT India was a multi-stakeholder mission programme aimed at bridging the gap between scientific knowledgebase created through fundamental and applied research and fruitful translation of the same through engineering invention and technogical innovation for the betterment of society.

What is IMPRINT-2?

IMPRINT-India initiative was both novel and unique. Despite unprecedented interest, wide spread enthusiasm and unique scope and utility of the initiative, a need was felt to sharpen the focus, streamline the process of review and allotment, and showcase the fruits of innovation pursued and achieved through IMPRINT in public domain by creating a ‘knowledge portal’. Thus, IMPRINT has now graduated into the next edition, IMPRINT-2, with wider scope, simpler guideline for participation and better synergy among investigators, partners and collaborators. It is also

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Provide a platform for young women scientists and researchers to discuss pertinent issues and challenges in institutions of higher learning and the workplace, in terms of career choices and mobility, and equality and empowerment; and Discuss country perspectives and approaches on practical solutions to these challenges at the institutional and policy levels.

BRICS Young Innovator Prize The BRICS Young Innovator Prize is in special recognition of young talented entrepreneurs and researchers, whose outstanding innovations (inventions, products, apps and services) will make a profound impact on the socio-economic environment and conditions of life in BRICS societies today.

BRICS Young Programmer Competition The BRICS Young Programmer Competition will invite talented young programmers from the BRICS countries to use their unique programming talents and skills to solve complex problems and challenges of the future under the theme “Programming Tomorrow’s Solutions”.

Workshop on Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Seminar on Science Diplomacy, Advice and Communication Science diplomacy is key in international collaborations and indispensable for the development of young scientists’ careers. The seminar will seek to contextualise the role and importance of science diplomacy, advice and communication in young scientist networks and career development and point to the need to establish a BRICS Young Scientists Research Network to enhance communication and coordination of young researchers in BRICS countries.

Selection process: The selection of Indian participants for participating in the BRICS YS Forum 2018 shall be made by an Expert Selection Committee to be constituted by DST. The selection shall be based on the assessment of information provided by the applicant in the application form and the reference letters.

Up to 30 participants shall be selected by the Department of Science and Technology (Govt. of India) and the final list of participants shall be forwarded to the Department of Science & Technology (DST), South Africa.

Submission process and timeline: A complete set of application consisting of:

The workshop on youth innovation and entrepreneurship will discuss practical experiences and seek to address questions such as “how to set up an innovation ecosystem for the youth/ and how the BRICS countries can support each other in this strategic endeavour?” In addition, it will also examine questions related to the translation of the research work outcomes of young scientists into marketable products and services and the creation of sustainable innovative startups. An important outcome of the workshop could be an agreement to set up a platform for BRICS young innovators.

a) One complete set of original application duly forwarded by Head of the Institute in prescribed format (Annexure-I) along with a copy of brief CV must be submitted latest by 1700 Hrs on 30th April 2018 to:

realised and appreciated that IMPRINT-2 should be undertaken in a more inclusive manner by expanding the catchment of implementing institutions, by adopting a more demand-driven strategy of solution development and by incorporating the specific externalities of the states of India so as to make end-user translation and technology adoption easier. SERB in the DST is proposed to be made the nodal agency for implementing the IMPRINT-2.

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Dr D. Suba Chandran, PhD Professor & Dean National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) Indian Institute of Science Campus Bangalore-560012, INDIA Ph: 91-80-22185142 (Office-Direct);

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Scope of IMPRINT-2 In order to simplify and streamline the process, attract wider participation of stakeholders including industry and sharpen the focus, a new and revised version of IMPRINT, IMPRINT Round 2 has now been envisaged which will be steered jointly by MHRD and Department of Science & Technology (DST) (through Science and Engineering Research Board, SERB). Core mandate of IMPRINT-2 will remain as: • •

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Develop products/processes and viable technologies for addressing the identified challenges in the different domains Formulate and develop focused translational projects against identified technology thrust areas by various stakeholder ministries Evolve new technology transfer models for enabling technology diffusion to industry and stakeholders

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Continuously monitor and refine the challenges and gaps in the various technology domains and map the same against the needs and strengths of the stakeholder ministries vis-à-vis academic and R&D institutions Align the programmers and projects with the needs of various industry sectors and the States of India in order to achieve end-user translation Facilitate building capability and competence in identified technology thrust areas in the various HEIs and universities in order to plug the demand-supply gap of human resources in specific areas of need.

The faculty members and researchers in all Government of India funded Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), especially IITs/NITs/IISERs/IIITs/CUs, who are pursuing research in engineering and technology are eligible to submit proposals in IMPRINT-2 as the Principal Investigator (PI).

IMPRINT-2 shall maintain an appropriate inventory of stakeholder needs and map the same against various products/ technologies/knowledgebase likely to be developed under the initiative.

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Vol. 02 NO 14 Important features of IMPRINT-2: • • • • • •

Principal objective is to translate knowledge into viable technology About 425 projects with up to Rs 2 crore budget will be supported MHRD and DST are equal partners to steer the scheme IMPRINT-2 is open to all MHRD funded HEIs / CFTIs 27 ministries of GoI remain partners of IMPRINT-2 Projects with industry support will be preferred

Eligibility Who can apply The faculty members and researchers in all Government of India funded Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), especially IITs/NITs/ IISERs/IIITs/CUs, who are pursuing research in engineering and technology are eligible to submit proposals in IMPRINT-2 as the Principal Investigator (PI).The PIs should be confident of developing and demonstrating new and novel technology solutions borrowing from already established and documented knowledge base. The following points will be given priority during the project evaluation: The PIs should be confident of developing and demonstrating new and novel technology solutions borrowing from already established and documented knowledge base. The

April 3rd, 2018. following points will be given priority during the project evaluation: •

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Projects which address any of the ‘themes’ identified by one of the 10 Technology Domains and ‘topics’ proposed by stake holder Ministry or Departments.

Projects which qualify as translational research initiatives leading to viable technology, prototype or working model development.

Projects with industry participation or startup company involvement that may lead to developing commercially viable products and thereby creating jobs.

Implementation of IMPRINT-2: The SERB (Science and Engineering Research Board) of the Department of Science & Technology (DST) would be the nodal agency for implementing the IMPRINT-2 initiative working along with the National Coordinator (Prof. Indranil Manna, IIT Kharagpur) of IMPRINT. The SERB will create a separate vertical (Steering Committee) under its overall set up with allocated resources and a time bound action plan for selection, funding and management of research projects under IMPRINT-2.

Nature and quantum of support: Two successive calls for proposal will be issued during 2018 and 2019 for projects with

up to 36 months duration. Projects with clear translational objective and mandate and with industry support in cash will be preferred.

While financial support for project staff, contingency, consumables and domestic travel is permissible, support under equipment head, particularly for expensive and sophisticated equipment purchase and facility creation will be discouraged. Utilization of funds must comply with GFR 2017, C&AG audit rules and purchase norms of the host institution.

How to Apply: For successful online submission of the application the following points may be noted: • • •

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All applications for IMPRINT-2 will be submitted online through SERBOnlineportal of SERB. Applicant should first register into the SERBOnline website . click here to register After successful registration , user will be sent a confirmation mail on registered emaiID .User must click on the url provided in the mail to confirm registration.

After log-in, go to Menu –> Proposal Submission –> Form Submission. Select scheme “Impacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT-2)” and Click on “Start Submission” button.

Some of the details of proposal like CoPI and Collaborator(s) details, Industrial partners, Technical details, Budget

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(Manpower,Consumables,Travel, Equipment, Contingency, Overheads), reference materials have to be entered at the time of proposal submission.

Biodata of Principal Investigator has to be uploaded in single PDF file not more than 10 MB .

Important timeline/dates / Selection and notification: The call for submission of preliminary projects proposals for IMPRINT-2 (in prescribed format) will be opened and remain operational through an on line submission portal (www.serbonline.in) from 23rd March 2018 to 10th April 2018. The PIs of the shortlisted projects will be invited after May 11, 2018 to submit the final and detailed project proposal (through the same on line portal in a prescribed format) within a month. The proposed important time lines are as follows: • • • • • • • •

Call for proposal: 23 Mar to 10 Apr, 2018 (submission through on line portal) Registration of PI: 23 Mar to 10 Apr, 2018 Peer review: 10-30 April, 2018 Review meetings: 1-10 May, 2018 Announcement of shortlisted proposals: May 11 (Technology day) Final proposal: June 1-30, 2018 Final peer review: July 1-31, 2018 Final selection: Aug 1-15, 2018

JOBS 23 GOVT TRAINEE VACANCIES WITH STIPEND @ BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS (BIS) Are you on the look for govt trainee opportunities with a stipend? Then btech, bsc biotechnology and microbiology candidates are encouraged to apply online for the trainee vacancies that are available at Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Check out the details on the same below: Name of the Position : Trainee Place : New Delhi Disciplines : Medical Science No.of.Posts : 23 (1 and 22 respectively) Remuneration : • Graduate Engineer Trainee: A consolidated amount of Rs. 35,000 per month shall be provided.

• Science Graduate Trainee: A consolidated amount of Rs. 35,000 per month shall be provided.

• Diploma Trainee: A consolidated amount of Rs.30,000 per month shall be provided.

Educational Qualifications: • Graduate Engineer Trainee Persons having B. Tech in engineering or equivalent in relevant subject, the details of which are provided in Annexure I, granted by a University or Institute recognized by the State Govt. or Central Govt.

• Science Graduate Trainee Persons having Graduation in natural sciences or equivalent in the relevant subject, the details of which are provided in Annexure II, granted by a University or Institute recognized by the State Govt. or Central Govt.

• Diploma Trainee (a) A Diploma in Engineering or Technology in the relevant subject, the details of which are provided in Annexure III, granted by a State Council or Board of Technical Education established by a State Government. (b) A Diploma in Engineering or Technology in the relevant subject, the details of which are provided in Annexure III, granted by a University. (c) A Diploma in Engineering or Technology in the relevant subject, the details of which are provided in Annexure III, granted by an Institute recognized by the State Govt. or Central Govt. as equivalent to (a) and (b) above.

Medical: Essential – B. Tech (Biomedical Engg /Biotechnology) or equivalent qualification in

relevant discipline.

Science: Essential : B.Sc. Chemistry / Microbiology How to Apply: Applications are to be submitted online only. Eligible candidates may apply online on the link provided on BIS website www.bis. gov.in, from 26 March 2018 to 25 April 2018.

Note: BIS reserves the right to Revise/Reschedule/Cancel/Suspend the process without assigning any reasons. The decision of BIS shall be final and no appeal shall be entertained.

Last date of online application is 25 April 2018

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Vol. 02 NO 14

April 3rd, 2018.

10+ MSC BIOCHEMISTRY RESEARCH GOVT JOB RECRUITMENT @ CPCB MSc biochemistry government jobs vacant at CPCB – Central Pollution Control Board. Central Pollution Control Board is hiring msc biochemistry candidates for jrf and srf vacancies. CPCB – Central Pollution Control Board Recruitment 2018 for msc candidates. Check the details on the same below: Central Pollution Control Board (Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change) ‘Parivesh Bhawan’ East Arjun Nagar, Shahdara, Delhi-110032.

Position I Job Title : Senior Research Fellows (SRF) No.of.Posts : 05

Qualifications: Essential Qualifications : Post graduate degree in (Bio-Chemistry/ Environmental Sc.) with NET/GATE qualification. AND 02 years experience in relevant field (preference will be given to the candidate having experience in the field related to qualitative and quantitative assessment of physico-chemical and biological and environmental parameters for surface water bodies, ETP/STP/CETP, ground water Environment, Industrial Pollution abatement, Prevention & Control having exposure in sugar, paper & pulp, tannery, distillery and textile, Inventorisation of pollution sources, working experience in NABL accredited environmental laboratory, environmental data management, analysis, validation, interpretation and inference).

Monthly Emoluments : Rs.28000 PM + HRA (as Per DST norms.)

Position II Job Title : Junior Research Fellows (SRF) No.of.Posts : 05 Monthly Emoluments : Rs.25000 PM + HRA (as Per DST norms.)

Qualifications: Essential Qualifications : Post graduate degree in Basic Sciences (Bio-Chemistry/ Environmental Sc.) with NET/GATE qualification.

How to Apply: The eligible/qualified candidates can “WALK IN FOR INTERVIEW” at the venue, on date and time mentioned below. While appearing for interview, the candidates are required to submit an APPLICATION FORM

duly signed and pasted with a recent colour passport size photograph in aforesaid mentioned performa and duly self-attested one set photocopies of all degree/Academic Qualification certificates/Mark lists/Experience Certificate etc. should be attached with this form. Candidates will be required to produce Certificates/Testimonials in original at the time of interview. Registration shall close at the scheduled time, therefore, candidates are advised to reach the venue 15 minuted before the scheduled time.

Walk-In Details: • • •

Date of Interview – 07th April, 2018 Registration Time – 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM (Candidates reporting after 11:00 AMwill not be allowed for interview) Venue of Interview – Central Pollution Control Board, Parivesh Bhawan, East Arjun Nagar, Near Karkardooma Court, Shahdara, Delhi – 110032.

FRESHERS JOB : MSC RESEARCH ASSISTANT POST @ INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY ICT – Institute of Chemical Technology is hiring freshers from an msc microbiology and biotechnology background for Research Assistant vacancies. Institute of Chemical Technology recruitment 2018 for msc candidates. Freshers jobs for msc candidates at ICT. Check out details on the recruitment below: Job Title : Research Assistant No.of.Posts : 02 Project Title : “Research & Development of Chloroplast Derived Enzyrne Mixtures” Principal Investigator : Prof. A. M. Lali

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Sponsor : DBT-CEB/Technology Transfer Remuneration/Fellowship : Rs. 15,000/p.m.

Qualifications: Position I – Masters in Microbiology ( Experience : Fresher – trained for microbial isolation & culture maintenance) Position II – Masters in Microbiology/Biotechnology, M.Tech.(Bioprocess Technology) & M.Chem.Engg. (Experience : Fresher)

How to Apply:

with cover letter, Curriculum vitae.

The project fellow will be appointed initially for one year and the tenure may be extended based on performance for the subsequent period. All appointments are terminated with end of the project.

The interview will be held on 6th April, 2018 at 2.00 p.m. in DBT-ICT Centre for Energy Biosciences, Institute of Chemical Technology, Matunga, Mumbai 400019. Selection will be based on an interview conducted by a committee. The recommendation of the committee will be final.

Interested candidates should send their applications including cover letter, Curriculum vitae by email (research.assistant@staff.ictmumbai.edu.in). Please mention in the subject of email “Application for the post of Research Assistant” Project Name : DBT-CEB/Gencrest LLP. The applications should reach before 31st March,2018 along

No TA/DA will be provided to appear for this interview.

Application Deadline March,2018

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before

31st