Biotecnika Times - 15th January 2018 Edition

January 15th, 2019

Vol. 03

NO 61

www.biotecnika.org

Call:1800-200-3757

Best Life Science JournalsTo Publish Your Research Paper

Are Indian Ph.D. Scholars Inferior to their American & Chinese Counterparts?

Robots to Soon Replace Surgeons – An Exclusive Analysis

Headlines

Headlines

Voice of Biotecnika

Page 3

Page 5

Page 7

NEWS

President A.P.J.

LOK SABHA PASSES THE DNA TECHNOLOGY REGULATION BILL

Abdul Kalam

●● The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill has been given a green signal by Lok Sabha this Tuesday. Under theDNA Technology Regulation Bill, regulated use of DNA technology is ...

Biotech

Page 8

NEWS AI POWERED FACE SCANNING APP FOR DETECTING RARE GENETIC DISORDERS

Postgraduate Fellowship

●● The number of Genetic Disorder detection per year is accelerating at a high pace. Physicians often land themselves in the soup, wherein its very difficult to diagnose a patient suffering from a rare ...

Page 12

THE NOTIFICATION FOR THE PRESIDENT A.P.J. ABDUL KALAM POSTGRADUATE FELLOWSHIP FOR THE YEAR 2019-2020 IS OUT. INTERESTED CANDIDATES CAN CHECK OUT ALL OF THE UPDATES ON THE FUNDING, ELIGIBILITY, FIELDS OF STUDY, APPLICATION PROCEDURE, TIMELINES AND MUCH MORE...

SCHOLARSHIP SHANTI SWARUP BHATNAGAR PRIZE FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 2019 – CSIR

By Diluxi Arya

Read more on Page 2

GET THIS NEWSPAPER e-copy VIA WHATSAPP every week

SCHOLARSHIP BIOTECHNOLOGY SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AWARD 2018

●● The official notification the CSIR – Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology 2019 has been made. Nominations are invited for the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and ...

●● Ministry of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, Biotechnology Social Development Award-2018 notification has been released. Applications are invited for the award. Interested candidates can check out all of the details on...

Page 18

Page 19

HEADLINES

2

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Biotech Postgraduate Fellowship This Postgraduate Fellowship is announced in honour of President A.P.J. Kalam. President Kalam was a strong advocate for young people and a passionate supporter of clean energy and energy independence.

HE VISITED THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA (USF) IN 2012 AND IS REMEMBERED AFFECTIONATELY BY USF AND THE VIBRANT INDIAN HERITAGE COMMUNITY IN TAMPA BAY, FLORIDA.

By Diluxy Arya

One award will be offered each academic year.

ELIGIBLE PROGRAMS / FIELDS OF STUDY The student award will be offered to a student who graduated from or is about to graduate from an Indian University and is seeking to pursue a PhD degree in the following subject/discipline at the University of South Florida: • • • • • • • • • • •

Applied Anthropology Applied Physics Business PhD programs Cell Biology, Microbiology & Molecular Biology Chemistry Computer Science & Engineering Engineering Criminology Integrative Biology Marine Science Psychology

SELECTION OF AWARDEES Application for the award will be made to USF World, which will also be solely responsible for allocating the award. The Postgraduate Fellowship will recognize laudable students who graduated from or is about to graduate from an Indian university, have exceptional academic credentials, and a passion for the STEM fields of study. Applicants must demonstrate experience in his or her discipline, research productivity, and professional contributions and achievements to the field.

FUNDING The University of South Florida will:

• Waive all tuition for a total of lowship@usf.edu in one composite up to four years, PDF (please do not send .jpeg files): • Contribute a stipend of $22,000 that is payable in three install- • Brief letter outlining your inments of $8000 each in the fall terest in the Fellowship and and spring semesters and $6000 your proposed area of study. in the summer semester. Kalam • Curriculum Vitae including fellows receive the stipend afyour current occupation, your ter the Drop/Add Deadline the academic and professional exfirst week of classes in the Fall, perience/achievement and eviSpring and Summer semesters. dence of scholarly activity In addition, the University will • Statement on intended research pay full-time tuition (up to 12 for your PhD degree under the credits per semester) for gradKalam Fellowship uate-level credit hours taken • Two letters of recommendation at USF that count toward your on academic and/or professiongraduate degree, al letterhead • The stipends will be payable • Postgraduate Fellowship Form

by USF once the winner of the (Download here) President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship at the Successful Applications include: University of South Florida is enrolled at the university for • Only applications for a PhD. his/her first term, This award is NOT a combina• All other costs (e.g., airfare, tion of Master’s degree/PhD. housing at USF, etc.) will be You must have already commet by the awardee. pleted your Master’s degree prior to applying for the Kalam TO APPLY Award.

• Selection of the USF departAll candidates must have submitment and program should ted a USF graduate application by match your research, educaFebruary 15th and established a unition, and background – along versity ID number at the USF gradwith your letters of recommenuate admissions portal prior to subdation. mitting the Kalam Fellowship form. • No plagiarism or copied inforOnce admitted to USF the awardee mation unless cited – including will comply with all USF regulayour own research. The comtions, processes and procedures and mittee will search for inforall applicable law. To submit the mation that has been copied or A.P.J. Kalam application, candiplagiarized. dates must scan the following ma- • Letter of Intent needs to directterials and email them to KalamFelly correlate and be in relation

to the application for the Kalam award – Be very specific in your introductory letter, statement of intent, basic research, and program focus.

• Please include as much information in your letter as possible to build your case as to why you should be selected for the Kalam Award and how your research would parallel the vision of President A.PJ. Abdul Kalam.

The deadline to apply for the Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship is March 1st. Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply to their academic program as early as possible.

Admissions dates vary depending on program; be sure to check online for your prospective program.

Timeline: • October 15 – Announcement of Fellowship opportunity sent to the Indian community • December 1 – February 15 – Applicant must apply through USF Graduate Admissions Office no later than February 15th • March 1 – Kalam Applications due to USF • June 1 – Public announcement of winner and timeline for next year • Application Deadline – March 1st 2019 View Notification

HEADLINES

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

3

Best Life Science Journals To Publish Your Research Paper Before diving into the core of the topic, lets first understand What a journal is? A journal is an academic publication comprising articles written by professors, researchers and other connoisseurs. Journals emphasize a precise discipline of study.

JOURNALS ARE CONTRASTING TO MAGAZINES AND NEWSPAPERS, THEY ARE INTENDED NOT FOR COMMON READERS, BUT FOR A TECHNICAL OR SCHOLASTIC AUDIENCE. IT OFFERS AN AUTHENTIC PLATFORM FOR THE STUDENTS, ACADEMICIANS, AND RESEARCHERS ACROSS THE GLOBE TO IMPART KNOWLEDGE IN THE FORM OF SUPERIOR QUALITY RESEARCH WORK IN DIFFERENT SUBJECTS.

By Preety Suman Author: Dr. Deepa Sharma

It is a collection of articles and publication of journals are in an ordered manner, i.e., monthly, quarterly, etc. and are organized chronologically. An issue is a copy of the journal, and a set of issues are assembled to make a volume. They may well be published in online formats or print, or both.

Journals, thus, present the most up to date research, and journal articles are written for experts, by experts.

According to sources, there is an existence of more than 70,000 research journals, rising at a rate of around 3.5% per year. In 2014 alone, more than 1,000 new journals were launched. Seeing these numbers, one can say that journal selection is a daunting task. The procedure of choosing a suitable journal has become increasingly complex as the number of journals has ballooned, and also due to the expansion of the zones of specialization, and at the advent of interdisciplinary topics. However, there are various online tools at present to narrow down the hunt for the suitable journal. Most important thing to be done by an author is optimization between several criteria before reaching the final decision of where to publish the paper. It is important for a person to go through the selection criteria of the journal before submitting an article to it.

find out whether the range of articles sought by the journal is broad-based or very narrow in focus.

With respect to their subject area, journals are usually very specific. The journal may furthermore focus only on a particular facet of that subject, within the broader subject area. For example, The Journal of Pathology and Histopathology are two much respected journals which focus on discrete aspects of the same subject, viz., pathology. The Journal of Pathology encompasses articles about the pathogenetic and pathophysiological mechanisms of human disease, while, Histopathology is envisioned to be of practical value to surgical and diagnostic histopathologists.

As a final point, it is mandatory to make sure that the target journal accepts the type of article that is to be submitted. For instance, if the paper is a case study, it has to be checked that case reports are published by the journal. There is an almost 100% chance of manuscript rejection if a submission is done in a journal that does not accept the type of article that has been written.

There are several criteria that have been found to be the most important in precisely selecting a peer-reviewed Firstly, it is important to ascertain journal for submission of manuwhether the subject matter of the arti- scripts: (Criteria For Selection secle matches that of the target journal. lecting a peer-reviewed journal) The class of research that the journal focuses on has to be considered. It is 1. Find out a match between the essential to know whether it is theo- subject of your article and the aim retical (e.g., Acta Biotheoretica) or and scope of the journal. applied (e.g., Annals of Applied Biology). Further, it becomes crucial to The most common cause for rejec-

tion by a journal is a mismatch between the manuscript and the aims and scope of the journal. The first step in selecting the right journal is to know its scope and aim. This information is generally obtainable on the journal’s website. It also helps to find the kind of articles that the journal is concerned in publishing. It is also advisable to read a few of the articles that the journal has already published, and then determining any similarity between the manuscript and those already published.

Information can also be obtained from a literature review. One has to look for those journals, where the papers cited have been published. Seemingly those journals may likewise be attracted in your work. This tactic can be of help when a journal’s scope does not provide sufficient details to decide whether that journal would be the precise match for the manuscript.

2. The readership and target audience.

Journals can be multidisciplinary or specialty journal.

Multidisciplinary journal: For example, if, the paper could have an impact on public policy, then it is wise to opt for a broad-based journal that can reach an expansive and non-technical audience.

Specialty journal: If the paper is technical or highly specialized, it is better to publish in a journal with a small but very specific target audi-

ence.

The choice of the journal can further hinge on the type of the audience that has to be reached out. Basing on the requirements, a journal with broad scope and wider target audience may be looked for. At times, reaching the precise readership can be more essential than reaching a broad readership. It is advisable to know about the popularity of the journal among the peers. Further, consultation with established colleagues helps to assess if the journal is commonly read among the peers.

3. High visibility of the journal.

Journal visibility plays a very important role. Once the paper has been published, it should be easily findable by other researchers. It is essential to find out the inclusion of the journal in electronic databases. Further, it is to be checked whether the journal is indexed in the subject-specific databases prevalent in the specific field.

These cues can improve the familiarity of the research in the chosen field and thereby may increase the number of times the article is cited.

Furthermore, the online availability of the journal has to be checked.

Publication in those journals that are merely circulated in printed form can utterly limit the count of people reading or discovering your work.

4. “CV value of publication”.

A premium is put on journal prestige

4

HEADLINES

by some authors. Following factors open access. are to be considered.

Journal Selection Procedure Editorial board members: Eminent researchers usually act as members of After the preparation of a manuthe Editorial Board in many prestig- script, next move is to opt for a jourious journals. Journal’s website can be nal for publishing the research. Selecvisited to check out the names on the tion of a journal can be browbeating.

Editorial Board. Whether the Board There is an enormous number of acmembers are well-known in the field tive research journals. Selection of the of study can be easily found out. right one can embroil researching the Journal sponsorship: It should be scope of the journals that one is interknown whether the prestigious soci- ested in. Various research tools have ety in the field owns or sponsors the made this process easier. Directory journal. of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and Scopus can help to find out authenIt is important to verify the impact tic journals. Predacious publishers factor of the journal. The impact factor can be avoided with the aid of Thinkrelative to those of analogous journals CheckSubmit. Selection can almost within the field should be considered. be automated by FindMyJournal. The Conversation with senior, established selection process can be streamlined colleagues helps tremendously. They with the help of all these tools. can assist by suggesting the names of the regularly read journals. Also, they It is imperative to select a peer-recan have an opinion of those journals viewed journal which can portray the that have a high standard of articles. research in the rightest way and deliver it to the appropriate sought out 5. Turnaround time of the journal audience. And undoubtedly, the list of journals wherein articles have been One of the important things to be published can directly or indirectly known beforehand is the peer review have an impact on the advancement period. One has to consider how long of career, funding opportunities and a journal takes in order to publish ar- professional reputation. ticles, and by that has to be aware of Thus, while choosing a journal for the number of issues published by the publication, the following things journal in a year. A monthly journal is should be ensured: most likely to review the article faster as compared with a journal that pub- • Compatibility of the subject of lishes only once a year. the article and the journal’s subject focus There can be a substantial delay be- • Whether the journal accepts the tween submission and publication type of article that is intended for with a few journals. Most of the joursubmission nals list the date of submission and • Whether the journal is read by the date of acceptance. An approxithe target audience mate idea of the turnaround time can • The inclusion of the journal in be gained by comparing these dates. subject-specific and bibliographic databases It is essential to know if the journal • An online edition of the journal has an online edition and whether it • Whether the journal’s impact posts the accepted articles online, factor is in line with one’s reonce it is approved for publication. quirements If it is so, this implies that the article • Whether the journal is regardwill be published online shortly after ed as a prestigious one by colit is accepted, albeit it appears in print leagues and peers a while later. One who eyes to publish • Journal’s turnaround time for the in hurly-burly, the best option may be submitted articles

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

• The frequency of the journal 2. Nature Reviews Immunology (impact factor: 41.982) publication • Publication charges of the jour- 3. Nature (impact factor: 41.577) 4. Science (New York, N.Y.) (imnal pact factor: 41.058) Many tools and platforms are avail- 5. Nature Biotechnology (impact able which help the researchers to factor: 35.724) search for the right journal. Follow- 6. Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology (impact factor: 35.612) ing are a few of them: 7. Trends in Biotechnology (imDOAJ: Launched in 2003 at Lund pact factor: 13.578) University, Sweden, it is regarded 8. Current Opinion in Cell Biology to be the most authentic database of (impact factor: 10.015) open access journals. It contains ap- 9. Microbiome (Impact Factor: proximately 9,000 open access jour- 9.000) nals that cover all areas of social sci- 10. New Phytologist (impact facence, medicine, humanities, science, tor: 7.43) and technology.

Scopus: It is the principal citation Careful selection of the journal to database of peer-reviewed literature which the manuscript has to be subsuch as scientific books, journals and mitted greatly trims down the chances conference proceedings. It endows a of rejection of the work. Once a prethorough overview of the world’s re- liminary decision has been taken on search out-turn in the fields of social the journal, Instructions to Authors sciences, arts, humanities, medicine, should be ready to uncover the limscience, and technology. Journals itations laid down by the journal. It from more than 5,000 publishers have may be in the form of word count, been indexed by Scopus. An inde- article format, citation styles, specipendent advisory board must approve fications of photograph, publication the journal in order to get it enlisted in charges, etc. Choosing the appropriScopus. It means that only about 750 ate journal for manuscript submission get added to Scopus of almost 3,500 is undoubtedly a hard-hitting task for a good number of authors. Profesrecommended journals per year. sionals in writing and editing recomThink.Check.Submit: It is a cru- mend selecting the journal at the comsade to assist researchers to find out mencement of manuscript writing so reliable journals for their research. It that the article can be addressed to the provides an efficient way to filter out audience of the chosen journal. The predacious journals in the selection article is to be presented in a customprocess. Finally, a paper may be sub- ary style and length suggested by that journal, thus ameliorating redundant mitted in the journal. rejections and holdups with the publiFindMyJournal: With the help cation of the research data. Paper has of this, researchers get to select the to be submitted to only one journal most suitable journal for publication at a time. In the whole process, conof their manuscript. An objective and siderations consist of the scope of the a mathematical algorithm is used for journal, any restrictions imposed on shortlisting the befitting journals. types or topics of the manuscript, and Currently, it has more than 29,000 also the Impact Factor of the journal.

Hence, the four key factors to be conjournals in its database. sidered while sending a manuscript to Some examples of distinguished a journal are its visibility, notability, journals that have showcased life sci- publication charge and speed. Fundamental knowledge of all these factors ence research are listed below: can help one make a final decision.

1. Nature Reviews Cancer (impact factor: 42.784)

HEADLINES

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

5

Are Indian Ph.D. Scholars Inferior to their American & Chinese Counterparts?

Getting a Ph.D. is not a kids play. It demands time, patience, hard work, and determination, overall it is a big challenge. Still and all it is a worthwhile opportunity to receive higher and some extra education, making you more eligible and competitive in the world of jobs.

DUE TO THE CHANGING SOCIO-ECONOMIC CULTURE, STUDENTS ALL OVER THE WORLD ARE BECOMING RESPONSIVE BY SEEKING ACADEMIC AND RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES, AND CONSEQUENTLY FINDING ASTONISHING SUCCESS IN ALL THE FIELDS RANGING FROM CHEMISTRY TO ECONOMICS AND TO THE VARIOUS SCIENCE & HUMANITIES FIELDS.

By Preety Suman Author: Dr. Pallavi Rungta

Essentially, a Ph.D. scholar should himself take the decision of pursuing this degree since it is full of both possibilities as well as failure, no matter where you go. It is a longterm research project and one must be completely motivated to take up and commit to this challenge.

doctoral graduates being produced on a yearly basis. The USA tops the list with a production of 68,000 doctoral scholars. Among the emerging economies, India is the only country While pondering over the options which has been featured in the list and comparing the opportunities at such high ranking making it even in different parts of the world one more commendable. should consider the matter of funding, research demands, and timing, Also across various disciplines, and see how the degrees matches.

Indians are swarming to the top echelons of higher learning, espeIf we look at the Indian higher ed- cially in the US. This ‘proliferaucation system, we will see that it tion’ of Indian-origin academics has expanded at a phenomenal rate heading top academic institutions in during the last decade and shows no the US is not a new phenomenon. sign of stopping. There is a rapid The list of these supremely talentproduction in the number of Ph.D. ed and accomplished academicians research opportunities due to huge has been growing for a decade. But growth in the number of individual India does not offer enough to these universities, producing cutting-edge fertile, imaginative minds to hold Science and Engineering projects them back in their own country. The to unique programmes exploring crème of the talent pool from India the country’s own diverse history go to the US and pursue their PhDs. and culture. Going to the U.S., on These academic toppers naturally the other hand, gives several flexi- become successful— in the indusble benefits to prospective students try and in academia. On the contrawho are looking for a home for their ry Indian scholars are inadequately research. skilled for jobs. IITs, IISc, TIFR, and a few more top institutes have Scholars are hence encouraged to surely impressed the world but a consider each of their pros and cons large number of scholars from lessand think what kind of experience er known universities and colleges they want as a Ph.D. candidate. are not even employable, let alone their comparison with their counterA qualitative look at Ph.D. in In- parts from advanced countries. dia: Highlights and Trends Most of the doctorates that are proAccording to a recent report re- duced are mostly from the field of leased by Organisation for Econom- Science, Technology, Engineering, ic Cooperation and Development and Mathematics. With more and (OECD), India stands tall on the more universities opening for PhDs fourth rank with slightly over 24,000 the number of students applying for

research is growing but the quality of research is going down.

It is not the students who are to be blamed for this but the universities and colleges which often lack even required infrastructure and facilities.

A zoology professor of Osmania University, Prof. C Srinivasulu said that a trend of competitive production of research can be seen in Telangana but without a focus on quality. He added that universities work culture should be of international standard and they should stop focusing on the number of Ph.D. scholars. At the same time, special incentives have to be provided to research students to keep them encouraged.

Shashi Deshmukh, an English Professor remarked that most of the research in India is based on digging up of old theories and concentrating on them leading to a lack of innovative idea and research. He said, that to have innovative research there should be stimulation at the beginning-level itself. But this does not happen due to inadequate budgets and scholarships for scholars which affects the ideation stage where they can start thinking on a larger scale. Even students who are having permanent scholarships complain due to delayed stipends and lack of research guidance in universities.

Funds are being cut by the UGC and Centre for scholars which will all result in problems in govern-

ment institutions which means that eventually, only private universities will remain. Also, the student guide ratio is uninviting in many universities, leading to dropouts. He also questioned the facilities and infrastructure here. Scholars are bound to share equipment and infrastructure which lengthens the process of research.

When asked to educational experts they suggest graduates need more innovative research as well as the existing mode of financial support provided to them also needs to undergo a change. They question the demand for quality when students are not getting the facilities required for the same. They have also stressed the importance of exposure to the industry which can provide increased training to research scholars. This report was not based on the study of numbers per head of the population. If it would have been done that way then there would be more changes in countries like India having a larger headcount than many countries.

The stipend received is pretty low when compared to US scholars.

Also, the research facilities are not updated and still lack technologies.

Research is more theoretical-based

Next Page>>>>

6

HEADLINES

with very few new ideas as a result research output is relatively less in terms of publications.

Besides these drawbacks that Indian scholars have to face, here are a few reasons to consider doing your Ph.D. at an Indian university: • Assortment – the scope of options for Ph.D. study in India are diverse providing you almost certainly an excellent programme suitable for you.

• Affordability – Ph.D. fees in India can vary a lot but are surprisingly low.

• Increasing global recognition – India’s higher education expansion has made way for several of India’s leading universities and institutes to feature in various international university rankings.

• Youth – Demographically, India’s current population is one of the youngest in the world giving rise to a crisp and vigorous outlook that helps drive innovation and entrepreneurialism. This will make you a right fit as a Ph.D. researcher searching for new ideas and approaches.

Ph.D. in China China has opened numerous options for its scholars at home itself.

They have pumped enormous resources into its graduate education capacity across thousands of universities for the Chinese students. Professors at these universities return after training from the US and Europe in large proportion. And once back, they implement US research practices i.e. they try and teach, publish as well as operate laboratories like they do in the western part of the world. Adding to it is the rapid growth of the Chinese economy which has created a great need for scientific talent. This need makes most Chinese students feel that an investment in a U.S. degree is not worth it and to develop a career in China itself. At the same time, the added value of a U.S. graduate degree has dwindled in relation to a comparable Chinese degree. Obviously, that’s not true for institutes like MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) or University of California, or various other top institutes of course—those degrees still carry a premium in the job market.

Ph.D. in the US US universities are well known for their excellent research facilities.

Better say they are far ahead in research of most other countries in the world which is proven by the highest number of research papers being published from the US. And this becomes possible because of the motivated researchers there who receive immense support in the form of facilities or funding for research.

Also getting a job of one’s choice after Ph.D. is not tough due to the very strong industry-academia linkage. Industries fund a lot of scientific research. For scholars interested in working with industry, good job security is provided by a Ph.D. degree from the US as there are many successful industries in the US. And even if one wishes to return to India the best option is to get in academics where institutes like IITs, NITs or other good colleges offer good opportunities. Consequently getting admitted into a US university to pursue Ph.D. has become a dream for many students. The value employers place on international experience whether it is academics or industry is another great pull for students.

Unlike in China, in India, very little effort has been made to upgrade and change the quality and infrastructure of the facility. In spite of all this, academics of Indian origin have gone through an evolutionary curve of their own. The number of Indian students getting a degree from a foreign university has turned progressively favorable just because of the better facilities there. In the previous generation, they focused on being excellent scholars and teachers, and never did they think that academic leadership would be entrusted to them. Over the past 10 years or so, Indian scholars have realized that they are good at institution building too and are willing to compete for leadership positions.

Indian scholars are not only ahead in technical talent but also have the advantage over immigrants from other nationalities of being fluent in English. English comes quite naturally to Indians, which positions them well for high positions.

Whether it is academic or industry leadership position, both call for an amalgam of skills— technical, managerial and administrative, communication, team-work, and patience.

Indians have the ability to work with others and fit in well with the global community they live in.

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

The credit of all this goes to the fact Ph.D. scholars little behind from that most of the Indians grow up in their counterparts. a multicultural and multilingual environment, and hence dealing with How to Improve the research diversity comes easily. Also coming Scenario in India: from modest backgrounds where they learn the virtues of hard work • Improve the current system of and diligence at an early age helps Filtration of Talent for research them to fit in easily. Along with and Improvise CSIR NET & their academic credentials, Indian GATE exams to include better academicians bring a valuable globanalytical al and multicultural perspective. • Make Researcher an attractive This is another quality which makes career by increasing fellowthem very attractive for top US inships to up to 1,20,000/- per stitutions, which are in the quest of Month and giving better facilboth academic excellence and an ities to Researchers in terms of open leadership mindset.

Lab Safety and Infrastructure and tax benefits Conclusion • Have a fixed 15 Year career ladder for all Ph.D.’s who A Ph.D. can be done anywhere in achieve a set target given by the world because of no matter what DST & DBT it will always be considered the • Reward Ph.D. Students who highest degree level worldwide. Its come up with the best research fame adds credentials to one’s CV during their Ph.D. coursework making it stand out and also making • Encourage Ph.D. Students to you the smartest person at the famiconvert their Research work ly gathering. into Commercial projects and sell to corporates.

However, whether you pursue your Ph.D. in India or USA or China, is not necessarily the same in these different parts of the world. Besides the obvious differences like the duration, the funding structure, and the requirements for Ph.D. candidates in different parts of the globe, the major factors to consider are infrastructure and future opportunities. Depending on your long-term goals, you can take a call where you want to study.

The USA has come out on top time and time again, is the top graduate destination and the most popular among graduate students all over the world, and it’s not hard to see why. The first major attraction is the wide range of institutions – there are over 1,700 – which offer Ph.D. degrees every year with a wide range of choice and flexibility. It is home to almost 75% of the top 20 institutions in the world. The second reason for the great pull is the quality of these US institutions.

Going to the U.S. for a Ph.D. definitely offers a unique set of benefits. And depending on how you want to commit to Ph.D. and what you hope to achieve with your it, you may decide that going to the U.S. for your Ph.D. is a wise choice or not. But scholars of Indian origin whether they are doing Ph.D. in India or USA are equal in all aspects but one. The only difference lies in the institutions in various parts of the world which makes Indian

VOICE OF BIOTECNIKA

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

Robots to Soon Replace Surgeons – An Exclusive Analysis

Episode 13 DOES the possibility of a robot standing by the side of your hospital bed, his gold metal fingers operating on your heart, fill you with dread or with hope? What about the idea of sitting down on the psychologist’s couch with Data to talk through your feelings. It may sound very weird! But there are those within the medical profession who say the role of doctor or surgeon could one day be close to redundant, overtaken by forms of artificial intelligence (AI) that can diagnose and treat illness and injury better than any human medical professional could. Tune in to the below podcast to gain a piece of in-depth knowledge about how this is going to change our future.

Voice of Biotecnika by Priyanjana Ghosh

7

8

NEWS

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

Lok Sabha Passes The DNA Technology Regulation Bill The DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill has been given a green signal by Lok Sabha last Tuesday.

UNDER THEDNA TECHNOLOGY REGULATION BILL, REGULATED USE OF DNA TECHNOLOGY IS ALLOWED FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF PEOPLE IN CRIMINAL MATTERS, IN CASE OF PARENTAGE DISPUTE, HUMAN ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION & EVEN EMIGRATION OR IMMIGRATION ISSUES.

By Preety Suman

The bills also state the formation of National DNA Data Bank and Regional DNA Data Banks. Each Data bank Every databank will have to maintain DNA data as per the following categories: the crime scene index, the suspects’ or undertrials’ index, the offenders’ index, the missing persons’ index, and an ‘unknown’ deceased persons’ index.

A brief debate focused on the potential misuse of the bill went on in Lok Sabha this Tuesday. Union science and technology minister, Harsh Vardhan said that the assembly discussed the issues of issues of privacy, confidentiality, and data protection. He further added that once the bill becomes a law, it will aid the justice system in the identification of correct criminals and in locating families of missing children and various other cases.

es of scrutiny in the last 15 years and is finally brought from the drafting board to Parliament. Earlier the bill was vehemently opposed by Shashi Tharoor of Congress and N K Premchandran of RSP with demands to send it to the Standing Committee of the House.

As per previous reports from The Wire, DBT back in the year 2003 was the first to propose the bill in the prime ministry of Late. Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee. A DNA Profiling Advisory Committee was put together by DBT four years later wherein the Human DNA Profiling Bill was drafted. UnThe bill went through several stag- til 2012 the bill underwent a series of

modifications. In 2013 a committee was pulled together to examine the final draft which was approved by late 2014. In 2015 the revised draft was passed ahead from Ministry of Science & Technology to the Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law & Justice.

As per the bill terms, the prime role of the Regulatory Committee will be to accredit DNA-testing labs from which data can be collected and ensure the maintenance of high-quality standards. But as per recent privacy and surveillance issues faced, the committee itself will be under close

watch to ensure there is no breach of DNA data security.

The approved bill has however left behind a lot of concerns lurking like missing for the collection of DNA samples for civil matters – it fails to state if the consent has to be voluntary. Also if the DNA labs are authorized to store a copy the DNA sample they analyze – what if it is misused?

These issues are just to name a few.

During the debate N.K. Premachandran, MP from Kollam demanded the Bill be sent to a Parliamentary Standing Committee. Will be bill become a law? Time will tell.

NEWS

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

9

Key Enzyme Discovered For Cancer Stem Cell Elimination: ADAR1 As per a study published in Cancer Cell by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, deregulation of stem cell enzyme ADAR1 provides therapeutic resistance in many malignancies.

THIS ADENOSINE DEAMINASE ASSOCIATED WITH RNA1 – ADAR1 ENZYME CAN ACT AS A THERAPEUTIC TARGET FOR PREVENTING CANCER CELL RESISTANCE TO CHEMOTHERAPY AND RADIATIONS.

By Preety Suman

ADAR1 has been seen active in more than 20 types of tumors known till date.

The ADAR enzyme act by modifying nucleotides in ds RNA molecules to regulate gene expression thus playing a fundamental role in the development of new stem cells.

Catriona Jamieson, MD, Ph.D., deputy director of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center and deputy director of the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center along with a team of scientists studied that malignant cells disrupt the normal functions of ADAR1 enzyme, initiating a series of molecular consequences that promote cancer stem cell regeneration at an increased rate.

In the Paper titled “Hyper-Editing of Cell-Cycle Regulatory and Tumor Suppressor RNA Promotes Malignant Progenitor Propagation” published in cancer cell the authors state that “Adenosine deaminase associated with RNA1 (ADAR1) deregulation contributes to therapeutic resistance

in many malignancies. Here we show that ADAR1-induced hyper-editing in normal human hematopoietic progenitors impairs miR-26a maturation, which represses CDKN1A expression indirectly via EZH2, thereby accelerating cell-cycle transit. However, in blast crisis chronic myeloid leukemia progenitors, loss of EZH2 expression and increased CDKN1A oppose cell-cycle transit,”.

“Moreover, A-to-I editing of both the MDM2 regulatory microRNA and its binding site within the 3′ UTR region stabilizes MDM2 transcripts, thereby enhancing blast crisis progenitor propagation. These data reveal a dual mechanism governing the malignant transformation of progenitors

that is predicated on hyper-editing of cell-cycle-regulatory miRNAs and the 3′ UTR binding site of tumor suppressor miRNAs.” A member of the team Qingfei Jiang, Ph.D., assistant project scientist in Jamieson’s lab said that they were successful in highlighting the functions of ADAR1 to ‘hyper-mutate’ tumor suppressor RNAs in leukemia and simultaneously edit the microRNA aimed at targeting the tumor suppressor RNA. Catriona Jamieson further added that the study involved tweaking the genetic blueprints and not rewriting them. Either way, the results will be dramatic.

Source

Source: Cancer Cell

10

NEWS

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

Simple Paper Based Test To Detect Milk Freshness

By IIT-G Researchers A team of researchers at IIT Guwahati has come up with a simple paper unit that can test the freshness of milk and tell how efficiently it has been Sterilized.

SUPPORTED WITH AN ADVANCED MOBILE PHONE APPLICATION, THE PAPER UNIT CAN HELP GUARANTEE THAT MILK IS DEVOURED BEFORE IT TURNS EXCESSIVELY SHARP.

By Preety Suman

Milk being broadly expanded consumed food, its security is of prime worry to customers. Despite the fact that purification, freezing, and protection methods are utilized to prevent spoilage, still perishability of milk is as yet a worry.

There is no simple method to know whether milk is fresh or stale and how efficiently it has been sterilized. Tests utilized in dairies and dairy enterprises are tedious and require modern hardware like spectrophotometers.

This new paper-based unit created at IIT could make testing milk freshness simple and quick.

A milk enzyme Alkaline Phosphatase is considered to be a milk quality indicator as its presence even after purification indicates the presence of microbes that may not have become inactive with Sterilization.

To prepare the detector ordinary filter paper has been used by the researcher. Office punch was used to cut the filter paper was into small discs and were saturated with chemical probes that would react with ALP. To specifically bind the ALP probes, specific antibodies were used. Combination of ALP and probe turns the white paper disc into a colored one.

The leader of the Research Dr. Pranjal Chandra said paper disc was soaked in 4-carboxybenzene diazonium solution and then was treated chemically to expose-COOH groups

on the diazonium. On on anti-ALP probe molecules, the -COOH groups are attached to NH2 groups. A drop of milk is poured on the tiny paper disc, and the reaction of ALP in milk with probes takes place, resulting in a change of color.

The smartphone camera captures the color change on paper disc and then the image is processed to obtain corresponding values. The obtained values are compared with standard values stored in the phone. Hence the ALP and the amount of milk in it can also be measured.

Dr. Chandra said they gathered examples from towns and alongside milk spiked with a specific measure of ALP were utilized so as to test the kit. Almost 94% of ALP can be distinguished in a large portion of the cases. Colour is expected just to ALP and not because of obstruction of nutrients, different proteins and minerals in the milk were affirmed by the team.

For a subjective examination, no different reader is required. Change in shading demonstrates the nearness of

ALP and with the assistance of a cell phone, the correct measure of ALP is resolved.

The kit was prepared by the Researchers by fastening probe disc on a 2 cm square transparent cellulose acetate film. The test is then secured with another cellulose acetic acid

derivation film. Colour reaction happens when milk is infused through a small opening in the cover and an advanced mobile phone can be utilized to get the outcomes. All that’s needed is around 15 minutes to identify raw milk from sterilized one.

Dr. Pranjal Chandra and Kuldeep Mahato – Researchers at IIT Guwahati

NEWS

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

11

Antibody Validation Project Free Samples from St Johns Labs Did you know that around 98% of bio-scientists will use antibodies at least once in their career?! And, how many of them had great experiences…? It’s a question that is all too often answered with damp tone.

IN 2014, WHEN ST JOHN’S LABORATORY FIRST SETUP THE ANTIBODY VALIDATION PROJECT FORUM, THEY ALSO SET OUT TO ENHANCE CUSTOMER ACCESS TO RESEARCH ANTIBODIES.

By Shekhar Suman

They aimed to provide a service which would allow their customers to access sample size antibodies and would both benefit them and their peers. Watch the video below to know more about Antibody Validation Project.

So, in 2015 they initiated the Antibody Validation Project (See More Details here) which offers all of their customers access to trial size antibodies, free of charge. Since its launch they have seen increased interest from research scientists who are often describing the same problems, such as; the primary antibody doesn’t work for my desired tissue, or the research antibodies cost too much.

This Antibody Validation Project solution was to make access more than 13,000 primary antibodies (and growing).

Unlike other projects, the Antibody Validation Project gives you the opportunity to develop a complete picture of the products you need, and utilize the data provided by others. Take the chance to discover something

new, identify an application which has not been used before, train, educate, and utilize your research tools more effectively.

Above all, Antibody Validation Project gives you an opportunity to explore more.

You can also access these samples through Biotecnika since BioTecNika is St Johns Labs exclusive partners for Antibody Validation Project from the Asia Pacific region. Simply place a deposit for your samples, test them, review the results on stjohnslabs.com and then receive your money back.

Antibody Validation Project Reviews which are received within 30

days of delivery receive a full refund guarantee. You are also guaranteed a refund for all samples which fail to perform in their specified tissue application.

Limit your risk, not your research.

For more information, simply ask your local Biotecnika representative about Antibody Validation Project.

Antibody Validation Project

Buy Antibodies for your Research Once you’ve completed your assessment of the antibodies you can upload directly to the website too and we will update the credit on your account accordingly.

Biotecnika.org

With

So what are you waiting for? Your samples are ready and waiting.

Welcome to the Antibody Validation Project. A Joint Initiative by St Johns Labs United Kingdom and Biotecnika Info Labs India.

Apply here

12

NEWS

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

AI Powered Face Scanning App For Detecting Rare Genetic Disorders The number of Genetic Disorder detection per year is accelerating at a high pace. Physicians often land themselves in the soup, wherein its very difficult to diagnose a patient suffering from a rare genetic disorder simply by noting the symptoms.

AN AI APP BASED ON DEEP LEARNING ALGORITHM IS HERE FOR THE RESCUE.

By Shekhar Suman

It will help the doctors identify a rare genetic disorder by analyzing peoples face. The app can be downloaded on the phone to take a photo of the patients face for analysis.

Face2Gene, a smartphone app is currently used by 70% of the world’s geneticists across 2,000 clinical sites in 130 countries. Developed by the Boston-based company FDNA, it uses machine-learning algorithms and brain-like neural networks to differentiate facial phenotypes in photo os patients with congenital and neurodevelopmental disorders. It is developed on a novel facial image analysis framework, DeepGestaltTM. Based on the patterns obtained after analysis it suggests possible diagnosis available with other options.

The researchers behind the app have described the technicality behind the app in a paper published in nature medicine on 7th January. Their study describes how the technology used in the app helps in analyzing complex human physiological data by transforming phenotyping – capture, and structuring. The app was tested with a dataset of over 150,000 patients.

For further analysis and to test the accuracy 17,000 patient images representing more than 200 syndromes were analyzed. As per reports in the paper – DeepGestalt achieves 91% top-10-accuracy in identifying the correct syndrome on 502 images and outperformed expert clinicians in three experiments.

Co-Author of the paper – Karen Gripp, MD, chief of the division of medical genetics, Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children, chief medical officer at FDNA said that the paper they have published states how the algorithm was trained and its functionality. Out of many such systems in the market, currently, there is none with as many cases and conditions being analyzed. This paper can be used as a standard to compare other systems. The concept of AI in facial phenotyping can be applied in other imaging systems as well. She

also emphasized the role of AI in precision medicine.

Gripp further explained that the app does not have an age limit to adhere.

It can be readily used on young babies as well as old.

Eventually, FDNA wishes to develop this technology to assist other businesses filter, prioritize and translate genetic variants of unknown importance during DNA analysis. However, to train its own versions, FDNA wants information.

Face2Gene program is now available free of charge to health care professionals, a lot of whom utilize the machine for a sort of instant opinion for diagnosing infrequently seen hereditary ailments, says Karen Grimm.

Additionally, it may provide a beginning point in situations in which a physician does not know what to make of a patient’s symptoms. “It is just like a Google search,” Grimm says.

gators. These include cultural bias in training data collections as well as the industrial fragmentation of databases, each of which may limit the range of the diagnostic instrument.

Published Paper – “Identifying Facial Phenotypes of Genetic Disorders Using Deep Learning“

However, it does raise a range of legal and ethical issues, say investi-

Fig: DeepGestalt: high-level flow and network architecture. A new input image is first preprocessed to achieve face detection, landmarks detection and alignment. After preprocessing, the input image is cropped into facial regions. Each region is fed into a DCNN to obtain a softmax vector indicating its correspondence to each syndrome in the model. The output vectors of all regional DCNNs are then aggregated and sorted to obtain the final ranked list of genetic syndromes. The histogram on the right-hand side represents DeepGestalt’s output syndromes, sorted by the aggregated similarity score.

Courtesy: Nature Medicine – https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-018-0279-0

NEWS

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

9

Parexel Biotech : New Division of Parexel To Support Emerging Biotech Companies BOSTON, January 6, 2019 – PAREXEL International Corporation, a leading innovator of global biopharmaceutical services, today introduced a new, dedicated division to support emerging biotech companies in reaching their drug development and commercialization goals quickly and cost-effectively.

PAREXEL BIOTECH BUILDS ON THE COMPANY’S HERITAGE OF CLINICAL, REGULATORY, COMMERCIAL AND TECHNICAL EXPERTISE WITH ENHANCED STRATEGIC CONSULTING AND ASSET DEVELOPMENT CAPABILITIES, OFFERING A NEW BIOTECH-FOCUSED TEAM AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE FOR CUSTOMERS.

By Preety Suman

Led by James Anthony, Global Head of Biotech, and Graciela Racaro, Global Head of Biotech Operations, the division will help emerging companies minimize complexity, reduce costs, and accelerate timelines.

“Today’s emerging biotech companies have an increasingly critical role in identifying and developing new medicines that truly serve as the innovative arm of the industry,” said James Anthony. “However, these companies face significant pressures and challenges in terms of timelines, resources, and funding to succeed.”

Graciela Racaro added, “We look forward to combining PAREXEL’s expertise and global infrastructure with an agile and efficient delivery model that is aligned to this specific segment, enabling emerging biotech companies to focus on their core capabilities and reach their strategic goals.”

PAREXEL Biotech takes a consultative approach to develop tailored strategies that help companies achieve their objectives throughout the journey from discovery, proof of concept, development, registration and ultimately commercialization, with services that include:

• Global regulatory consulting, with more than 50 former regulators from around the world and more than 1,000 regulatory experts on staff; • Strategy consulting led by Health Advances, a boutique consultancy with more than 26 years of experience in the biotech sector; • China Advisory Services to help companies participate in the country’s growing, yet complex market opportunity; • Quantitative Clinical Development and Genomic Medicine Services to optimize clinical success and maximize product value; • Patient recruitment services have proven historically to provide 22 percent faster enrollment from first subject randomized to last subject randomized • Trial execution services, with completion rates historically 4 percent faster than industry averages from final protocol available to Clinical Study Report approved;

• Real World Evidence programs About PAREXEL International informed by and connected to biotech stakeholder perspectives PAREXEL International Corporaand requirements. tion is a leading innovator of global biopharmaceutical services. We sim“PAREXEL has been working to plify our clients’ journey of transsupport biotech companies across the forming scientific discoveries into globe with clinical research services new medical treatments for patients and regulatory consulting for many with high-quality Phase I-IV clinical years, successfully accomplishing research, regulatory, consulting and more than 650 projects in this space market access services. PAREXEL and developing a deep understand- develops breakthrough innovations ing of the needs of these companies,” and solutions by leveraging its comsaid Peyton Howell, Chief Commer- prehensive therapeutic, technical and cial and Strategy Officer for PAREX- functional expertise, in more than 100 EL. “To build on our commitment to countries around the world. For more biotech success, we have grown our information, visit our website and folcapabilities to include management low us on LinkedIn and Twitter. and strategy consulting, pipeline development, value substantiation, and PAREXEL is a registered trademark evidence vetting. This enables us to of PAREXEL International Corpoprovide experience, expertise, and ration. All other trademarks are the partnership throughout the biotech property of their respective owners. journey, and bring even greater value to this sector.”

Source: Parexel Press Release For more information and insights from PAREXEL Biotech visit http:// www.parexel.com/biotech.

14

NEWS

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

Bristol-Myers Squibb To Acquire Celgene in a $74B Blockbuster Deal In a blockbuster deal valued at $74B, Bristol-Myers Squibb will be acquiring Cancer drug specialists – Biotech company – Celgene, the announcement for the same was made by the respective companies on Thursday.

VIA THE DEAL, BRISTOL-MYERS AIMS AT BECOMING THE SOLE POWERHOUSE IN ONCOLOGY, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE & IMMUNOLOGY DOMAINS.

By Preety Suman

The companies will collaborate on nine drugs that each generates more than $1bn in annual sales, as well as a large pipeline of treatments in early-stage development with revenue potential of $15bn. Both companies have been in talks about this deal since last year Sept. 2018, when Bristol first approached Celgene.

Post announcement of this deal shares Shares of Celgene skyrocketed 28 percent in midmorning trading, to near $85 per share, while shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb fell 11 percent.

This M&A is considered to be one of the biggest Pharma deals ever. This partnership will give Bristol-Myers Squibb a cutting edge over its competition – Merck in terms of leading immunotherapy cancer asset – Opdivo.

As per CNBC in a press release, ing multiple myeloma drug which Giovanni Caforio Bristol-Myers will pave way for Copycat versions of Revlimid, this a major concern for its Squibb Chairman and CEO said: investors. In that past year, the stocks “Together with Celgene, we are of collagen have fallen drastically. creating an innovative biopharma leader, with leading franchises and Last year, Celgene acquired complete a deep and broad pipeline that will stakes in Juno Therapeutics in a $9 drive sustainable growth and deliv- billion cash deal, wherein it gained er new options for patients across a access to Juno Therapeutics large pipeline of cancer drugs. Lately, Celrange of serious diseases,”. gene has been conducting researches Celgene is in a win-win situation now on CAR T – Cell Therapy, wherein as per Wall Street analysts. By 2022 they take T cells, genetically manipthe company is slated to lose its patent ulate them to attack specific proteins protection for Revlimid, it’s top-sell- on cancer, and infusing them back

into the patient. This technique has been trending lately in the area of biotechnology.

The deal has been formulated based on consent from boards of directors of both companies and is expected to close in the third quarter. Under the deal two of the Celgene board members will take a position in the Bristol-Myers Squibb board. BMS will own approximately 69 percent shares of the company, and Celgene shareholders are expected to own 31 percent. Caforio will continue to serve as chairman and CEO of the company.

NEWS

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

15

LUNAR Assay For Early Cancer Detection

By Guardant Health In order to stop cancer at its initial stage, a novel liquid biopsy test has been launched by the Guardant Health San Francisco. It acts by detecting both genomic alterations and epigenomic signatures in a single blood draw.

THE LUNAR ASSAY IS A NOVEL BLOOD-BASED ASSAY DESIGNED TO DETECT EARLY-STAGE CANCER AND RECURRENCE OF THE DISEASE, WHICH IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR BIOPHARMACEUTICAL AND ACADEMIC RESEARCHERS FOR RESEARCH USE.

By Preety Suman

At J.P.Morgan Healthcare Conference, Daniel Simon, Guardant’s senior VP of biopharma business development stated that many of their academic and biopharma partners are thinking about taking their clinical programs into neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings. The Lunar assay is built upon 80,000 samples gathered from cancer patient after testing with the company’s Guardant360 test along with additional whole genome sequencing data.

The chief agenda of the company is to overcome previous challenges faced in detecting early-stage disease like biological noise mutations associated with aging and limited sensitivity of genomic-only tests where less tumor DNA to be found in comparison to the late stage of cancer detection covered by the Guardant360 tests. Simon said that detecting epigenetic markers, such as differences in the methylation of DNA from tumor cells compared

to that from healthy cells might play a critical role in increasing the sensitivity of the test. Giving an example he added further that Researchers at the University of Queensland, Australia found that the dense clusters of methyl groups lining tumor DNA can cause the molecule to fold into shapes which can be easily detected by naked eye via a simple test.

The assay further improvises Guardant360’s performance by reporting genomic alterations at allele frequencies as low as 0.01%. The company is planning to launch a clinical version of the test, for investigational use in prospective studies Company, is planning to launch a clinical version of the test in the next few months.

In the first half of the year 2019, Guardant is planning to submit Guardant360 test to the FDA for premarket approval with a further plan to submit its Guardant OMNI panel for tumor mutational burden score by the end of 2019.

About Guardant Health Guardant Health is a leading precision oncology company focused on helping conquer cancer globally through the use of its proprietary blood tests, vast datasets, and advanced analytics. Its Guardant Health Oncology Platform is designed to leverage its capabilities in technology, clinical development, regulatory and reimbursement to drive commercial adoption, improve patient clin-

ical outcomes and lower healthcare costs. In pursuit of its goal to manage cancer across all stages of the disease, Guardant Health has launched multiple liquid biopsy-based tests, Guardant360 and GuardantOMNI, for advanced-stage cancer patients, which fuel its LUNAR development programs for recurrence and early detection. Since its launch in 2014, Guardant360 has been used by more than 6,000 oncologists, over 50 biopharmaceutical companies and all 27 of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network centers.

Press Release by Guardant

16

NEWS

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

Grain Barn Natural Antioxidants To Replace Synthetic Food Preservatives In a recent discovery made by Researchers at Penn State, founded that natural antioxidant in grain bran could keep food fresh for longer and can replace the synthetic antioxidants which are currently used by the food industry.

ANDREW S. ELDER, A DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN FOOD SCIENCE STATED THE FOOD INDUSTRY IS BEING PUSHED BY THE CONSUMERS TO REPLACE SYNTHETIC INGREDIENTS WITH NATURAL ALTERNATIVES.

By Swarna Khushbu

The fact that Consumers don’t recognize the synthetic ingredients used as food preservatives they want clean labels and synthetic chemical sounding ingredients removed.

A class of compound named alkylresorcinols AR is being studied by the Penn State Researchers. AR is released by plants such as Rye, Wheat naturally to prevent mold, bacteria and another organism from growing on the grain kernels. For the Researchers, the matter of concern is if ARs could also preserve food in the same way from a chemical standpoint.

More foods with healthy oils rich in the omega-3 fatty acid are being supplemented by the food industry along with more natural ingredients.

Normally the food does not contain healthy oils, so adding these healthy

oils to food can boost the health benefits of this food to the consumers. Elder stated, omega-3s is consumed by most people from marine sources and as it breaks down, it makes the food smell stale & fishy which as an end result are being thrown by the consumers, resulting in economic loss.

To prevent the food from spoilage and to preserve the health benefits the rate of degradation of omega 3 fatty acid is lowered down with the help of Antioxidants. More the demand increases for natural ingredients more difficulties are being faced by the food industry to find natural Antioxidants.

According to a review published in European Food Research and Technology ARs provides health benefits to the humans along with protection against cancer making them ideal natural additives. ARs comes from the bran layer of cereal plants which is usually discarded by the food industry or used as animal feed.

A technique was developed by the team to extract and purify ARs from rye bran and to analyze how well ARs were able to preserve omega-3 rich oils in emulsions were two fluids don’t mix fully.eg: vinegar and

oil. Study about AR action in emulsions was chosen by the Researchers as most people consume oil as emulsions such as salad dressing.

In this round of experiment ARs did not work as well as other antioxidants it was noticed by the researchers that AR extracts were not pure which in turn could have reduced the effectiveness of ARs. Looking at Various types of ARs further in future it will be revealed whether an individual AR type is more effective or less effective than conventionally used antioxidants.

NEWS

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

17

National Health Authority To Replace National Health Agency Approval has been granted by The Government of India for the formation of a new body named National Health Authority in place of National Health Agency for the better execution of the centre’s healthcare scheme for the poor .

THE GOVERNMENT’S MASSIVE NEW HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME, ANNOUNCED IN THE UNION BUDGET IN FEBRUARY 2018 WAS TAKEN CARE BY NATIONAL HEALTH AGENCY AND NOW ALL THE DUTIES OF NATIONAL HEALTH AGENCY HAVE BEEN PASSED ON TO NATIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY.

By Preety Suman

Health Minister welcoming the Union Cabinet’s decision stated that the most efficient and effective governance structure is what the world’s largest health care deserves.

It is not yet clear what functional effects these changes will have along with the statutory National Health Authority To Replace National Health Agencynature of changes. Instead of a Gazette notification, the change was made public via press release.

The statement also came that existing budget including costs related to IT, human resources, infrastructure

and operational costs approved by the Cabinet for the National Health Agency would be utilized by the proposed National Health Authority.

The National Health Authority has to deal with a number of tasks. Their first task would be setting up an operational guideline of the scheme, second would be determining and ne-

gotiating premium prices with private companies to get the best value on government investment. Third would be setting protocol for treatment of illness and preventing fraud and penalties. By setting up this authority the key outcome that the government expects is an Increase in investment in the private sector as well as healthcare services, as the National Health

Authority will be a strategic purchaser to set appropriate rates.

National Health Authority’s power structure has also been changed. National Health Agency was registered as a society but now the NHA will have a governing board with an attached office to the union health ministry.

Exclusive Drug Development Science Office Created By FDA An exclusive office of drug development science is being created by FDA as stated by BioCentury reports, to reduce the cost of bringing new medicines to the patients.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., is expected to reveal the new office after Tuesday through a video link in the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

“WE BELIEVE THE TIME HAS COME TO CREATE THE SCIENCE OF DRUG DEVELOPMENT A MORE FORMAL SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE WITHIN THE NEW DRUG APPROVAL PROCESS, IN ADDITION TO THE ELEMENTS THAT IT CONTAINS,” SAID GOTTLIEB TO BIOCENTURY.

By Preety Suman

Groups were made out of the 51 people in the Office of Drug Evaluation Science who would be focusing on clinical outcome assessments, safety analytics, and biomarker development. Around one-fifth of their office’s workforce will concentrate on producing more structured approaches towards the evaluation of biomarkers, which Gottlieb believes are pre-

pared to play a”more formal” function in drug development and review. One strand of the biomarker unit’s actions will attempt to develop standards in cooperation with drug developers, academics and other stakeholders.

Gottlieb said another set of office’s 51 employees will work on biomedical informatics and safety analytics and would build a standardized tool for capturing and formatting data safety in order to make the agency’s reviews for safety data more structured and consistent. If the initiative progresses as expected, it is going to serve as a stepping stone to a different method of managing drug application reviews. A new approach builds on advances in cloud computing and data handling which would give the FDA a more active role in how the information underpinning filings are present-

ed and evaluated has been foreseen

by Gottlieb.

Gottlieb stated Cloud-based applications would be there and instead

of evaluating the sponsor’s tables and charts, the bottom line data will be pulled formatting it through own assessment tools creating our own charts and tables for the evaluation.

SCHOLARSHIPS

18

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology 2019 – CSIR The official notification the CSIR – Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology 2019 has been made.

NOMINATIONS ARE INVITED FOR THE SHANTI SWARUP BHATNAGAR PRIZE FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (SSBP) 2019. INTERSTED AND ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES CAN CHECK OUT ALL OF THE DETAILS ON THE SAME BELOW:

By Diluxy Arya

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) invites nominations for The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prizes in Science and Technology for the year 2019.

The SSB Prizes are to be awarded for research contributions made Primarily in India during the previous five years. The age of this nominee for the SSB Prize 2019 shouldn’t be over 45 years as on 31 December 2018. The SSB Prizes are given for outstanding and notable research, applied or Fundamental, in the following disciplines: (1) Biological Sciences, (2) Chemical Sciences, (3) Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences, (4) Engineering Sciences, (5) Mathematical Sciences, (6) Medical Sciences and (7) Physical Sciences. The SSB Prize carries with it a citation, a cash award along with a Plaque for every single scientist chosen for the award.

Preamble: 1. The award is named after the founder Director of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), the late Dr (Sir) Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar and is known as the ‘Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (SSB) Prize for Science and Technology’.

2. The Prize is given each year for outstanding contributions to science and technology.

Nature of the Prize: SSB Prizes, each of the value of Rs 5,00,000 (Rupees five lakh only)*, are awarded annually for notable and outstanding research, applied or fundamental, in the following disciplines: (1) Biological, (2) Chemical, (3) Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary, (4) Engineering, (5) Mathematical, (6) Medical, and (7) Physi-

cal Sciences.

Purpose: Recognition of outstanding Indian work in science and technology.

Eligibility: • Any citizen of India engaged in research in any field of science and technology up to the age of 45 years as reckoned on 31st December of the year preceding the year of the Prize. Overseas citizen of India (OCI) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) working in India are also eligible.

• The Prize is bestowed on a person who, in the opinion of CSIR, has made conspicuously important and outstanding contributions to human knowledge and progress – fundamental and applied – in the particular field of endeavour, which is his/her specialization.

• The Prize is awarded on the basis of contributions made through work done primarily in India during the five years preceding the year of the Prize. (For this purpose ‘primarily’ will mean ‘for the most part’) Award of the Prize: • In awarding the Prize, the Governing Body of CSIR is guided by the recommendations of the Advisory Committees constituted under clause 10.

Nominations:

the former Bhatnagar Prize Awardees.

• Names of candidates may be pro- • University Faculties should recposed by a member of the Govommend scientists working in erning Body of CSIR; Presidents their institutions only and route of academies of all-India characnominations through their respecter; Vice Chancellors of Indian tive Vice Chancellors, while the Universities; deemed Universities Faculties in IITs are required to and Institutions of national imsend their nominations through portance; Deans of Science, Engitheir Directors. The Directors neering, Medical, Agriculture, and General of the R&D OrganizaTechnology Faculties; Directors tions and the Chairmen of Comof the Indian Institutes of Techmissions may sponsor names of nology (IIT); Directors General scientists working in their respecof the major R&D Organizations, tive organizations. The Directors such as the Defence Research & of CSIR laboratories/ institutes Development Organization, the can nominate candidates in disIndian Council of Agricultural ciplines of their interest irrespecResearch, the Indian Council of tive of the fact whether they are Medical Research, India Meteorworking in CSIR laboratories/ ological Department; Chairmen institutes or outside. The recipient of Atomic Energy Commission, of a Bhatnagar Prize can send the Oil & Natural Gas Corporation, nomination of one person only for etc.; Directors of CSIR Laboraeach year’s award. Nominations tories/ Institutes, Bhabha Atomic from other individuals sponsorResearch Centre, Tata Institute ing their own names or of others of Fundamental Research, Physare not acceptable. Each nominaical Research Laboratory, Indian tion, as per the prescribed proforAssociation for the Cultivation ma, should be accompanied by a of Science, etc.; Secretaries of detailed statement of work and the Government Science Departattainments of the nominee and ments like the Department of a critical assessment report (not Atomic Energy, the Department more than 500 words) bringing of Biotechnology, the Department out the importance of significant of Environment, the Department research and development contriof Information Technology, the butions of the nominee made durDepartment of Ocean Developing the five years preceding the ment, the Department of Science year of the Prize. Nominations and Technology, the Department not made as per prescribed format of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Department of Space; etc., Member in-charge (Science) in the Planning Commission; and Next Page>>>>

SCHOLARSHIPS

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

are unacceptable. tation with the Chairmen, for se• A candidate once nominated lecting the recipients of the SSB would be considered for a total pePrizes. The compositions of varriod of three years, if age-wise eliious Committees, the information gible. Once such a nomination has submitted for their scrutiny, the been received, CSIR may correproceedings of the meetings and spond directly with the nominator the procedure for consideration for supplementary information, if of the nominations, other than as necessary. In case a nominee has detailed herein, are kept confidenresigned from his present position tial. in India and has gone abroad, his • Where the recommendation for nomination would become invathe Prize is unanimous or not less lid immediately. than 2/3rd of the members of the Advisory Committee have agreed Advisory Committees: to one name (or maximum of two names in case they are judged to • The Advisory Committees for be of equivalent merit), the receach year’s award is constituted ommendations are submitted to with the approval of the Chairman CSIR for approval. of the Governing body of CSIR. • The award of the Prize in a specifThe Committees consist of at ic discipline may be withheld by least six experts including at least CSIR in any year, if, in the opinone former Bhatnagar Awardee ion of the Advisory Committee, in the respective discipline. On no sufficiently meritorious candireceipt of nominations for a pardate is found suitable in that year. ticular year, CSIR circulates the list of nominees along with the Presentation: detailed statement of work and attainments of each candidate to all • The names of the recipients are members of the made public on 26 September, the • Advisory Committee related to CSIR Foundation Day by the Dithe concerned discipline. CSIR rector General, CSIR. convenes meetings of the various • The Prizes are awarded at a forAdvisory Committees in consulmal presentation ceremony ar-

ranged by CSIR. At the • ceremony, a suitable citation on the work of the recipient of the Prize is read out.

• The SSB Awardee should give a lecture in the area of the award, especially in a small college or a CSIR laboratory preferably away from the Awardee’s city for the dissemination of science. HRDG can help by providing TA/DA for this.

• In all matters of the award of SSB Prizes, the decision of CSIR shall be final.

19

SSB Prize as well as the prescribed proforma for the nomination could be Obtained from the above address or may also be downloaded from the site: http://csirhrdg.res.in Deadline: before or on 31 March 2019.

View Notification

How to Apply: Nominations addressed to Scientist Incharge – SSB YSA Unit, Human Resource Development Group, CSIR Complex, Library Avenue, Pusa, New Delhi 110 012 ought to be sent according to the prescribed proforma (original + two copies) Along with reprints of important publications of the last 5 year’s period on or before 31 March 2019.

Soft copy (in PDF format) of duly filled proforma, important publications and Photo (in JPEG format) of this nominee is also demanded in a USB/Pen drive. The details of the

Biotechnology Social Development Award 2018 Ministry of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, Biotechnology Social Development Award-2018 notification has been released.

APPLICATIONS ARE INVITED FOR THE AWARD. INTERESTED CANDIDATES CAN CHECK OUT ALL OF THE DETAILS ON THE SAME BELOW:

By Diluxy Arya

Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India invites application for Biotechnology Social Development Award-2018 to recognize the contribution of an Individual or a Social Organization who has worked at grass-root level for societal development through the application of biotechnological interventions in agriculture and allied areas, healthcare and hygiene for empowering people for livelihood generation, skill de-

Next Page>>>>

20

SCHOLARSHIPS

velopment and entrepreneurship for dia and can be an individual/ extension scientist/ self-employment. teacher/ NGO/ social organization having done outstanding work toNature of the award: wards societal development through Biotechnology Social Development biotechnological interventions. SciAward is given to an Individual/So- entists/ teachers engaged in DBT cial Organization, (NGOs, Trusts funded projects are also eligible to etc.) who has contributed significant- apply for the award. ly towards social development of the How to Apply? community as the case may be.

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

duly constituted by the department.

Instructions:

1. Please read Award Guidelines carefully before filling the application form.

2. The application should be submitted in the prescribed format only.

3. The application should not be more than 20 pages including CVs/background of the Application forms and other detailed organization.

Number of Awards: information including eligibility cri- 4. Separate sheets may be enclosed Three awards are given annually in teria are available on the DBT web- wherever necessary.

5. NGOs are required to submit the two categories (i) Individual catego- site (www.dbtindia.nic.in). following documents along with the ry (02), (ii) Organization (01). Each application: award will carry a cash prize of Rs. Mode of selection: a. Last 5 years Audited Expenditure 5.00 Lakhs along with a citation and a trophy.

Department will advertise the Award Statement annually on its website (www.dbtin- b. Last 5 years Annual Report Who is eligible? dia.nic.in), National Newspapers and c. Copy of Society Registration CerScientific Journals. The awardees will tificate/Registration renewal, UID of The applicant must be a citizen of In- be selected by an expert committee DARPAN Portal

of NITI Aayog 6. Five hard copies of the complete application in the prescribed format with required documents may be sent to Dr Shahaj Uddin Ahmed, Scientist ‘E’, Department of Biotechnology, Block-3, Room No. 521, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi- 110003. A soft copy should be e-mailed to shahaj.ahmed@nic.in with a copy to ayushi.garg@dbt.nic.in (mandatory to submit before 20.02.2018).

7. Incomplete applications and submission of the application after the last date are liable to be rejected and no communication will be entertained in such cases.

Application Format

International Scholarship Programme 2019-2020 Aga Khan Foundation The official notification for the Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship Programme 2019-2020. Indian nationals are encouraged to apply for the AKDN International Scholarship Programme 2019-2020.

CHECK OUT ALL OF THE DETAILS ON THE ELIGBILITY AND APPLICATION PROCEDURE BELOW:

By Diluxy Arya

The 2019-20 International Scholarship Programme application cycle is now open. Application forms can be obtained from the Aga Khan Foundation or Aga Khan Education Board/ Service office in the applicant’s country of current residence.

NOTE: For the 2019-20 application cycle, the Foundation will not accept applications from students planning to attend universities in UK, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, The Netherlands, Italy, Norway and Ireland.

Before contacting the AKDN, please read the information below. Addresses and contact information are available under Application Procedures.

In case you are looking for information about scholarships for your further studies, this list of scholarship links may be helpful.

The Aga Khan Foundation provides a limited number of scholarships each year for postgraduate studies to out-

standing students from select developing countries who have no other means of financing their studies, in order to develop effective scholars and leaders and to prepare them for employment, primarily within the AKDN. Scholarships are awarded on a 50% grant: 50% loan basis through a competitive application process once a year in June or July. The Foundation gives priority to requests for Master’s level courses but is willing to consider applications for PhD programmes, only in the case of outstanding students who are highly recommended for doctoral studies by their profes-

sors and who need a PhD for the ful- Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, filment of their career objectives (ac- Syria, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganademic or research oriented). da, Madagascar and Mozambique. In France, Portugal, UK, USA and CanApplications for short-term courses ada, applications are accepted from are not considered; neither are appli- those who are originally from one cations from students who have al- of the above-developing countries, ready started their course of study. are interested in development-related studies and who have no other means ELIGIBILITY: of financing their education.

Geographic Scope The Foundation accepts applications from nationals of the following countries: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan,

Residency Requirement

Next Page>>>>

SCHOLARSHIPS

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

The Foundation only accepts applications of eligible nationals listed above who are residing in one of the countries where there are local Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), Aga Khan Education Services (AKES), or Aga Khan Education Board (AKEB) offices which process applications and interview candidates.

Age Limit Preference is given to students under 30 years of age.

SELECTION CRITERIA:

21

Applicants are expected to have some charge of 5%. A guarantor is required Late or incomplete applications will years of work experience in their field to co-sign the loan agreement. The not be accepted. of interest. payback period is five years, starting six months after the study period INTERVIEW AND SELECTION funded by the Aga Khan Foundation. NOTIFICATION: Financial Assistance The Foundation assists students with tuition fees and living expenses only.

The cost of travel is not included in AKF scholarships. Funding for PhD programmes is only provided for the first two years of study, after which the students are expected to find alternative sources of assistance. Financial assistance is provided according to the needs of students, but the ISP must be considered a lender of last resort. Applicants are requested to make every effort to obtain funding from other sources as well so that the amount requested from the Foundation can be reduced to a minimum.

Preference is given to those who have been able to secure some funding from alternative sources.

The main criteria for selecting award winners are: l) consistently excellent academic records, 2) genuine financial need, 3) admission to a highly reputable university or programme of study and 4) relevance of the field of study to AKDN’s focus areas. Candidates are also evaluated on demonstrating thoughtful and coherent educational and career plans, Loan Conditions their extra-curricular interests and achievements, potential to achieve Half of the scholarship amount is their goals and likelihood to succeed considered as a loan, which must be in a foreign academic environment. reimbursed with an annual service

Application Procedures

Applicants should be prepared to be interviewed by local Scholarship The application procedures of Committees about their financial sitAKF’s International Scholarship Pro- uation, their academic performance, gramme are decentralised. Students extra-curricular achievements and camay obtain application forms as of reer plans.

1st January each year from AKF offices or Aga Khan Education Services The annual Scholarship Selection / Boards in their countries of current Meeting takes place in late June or residence. Completed applications early July and the Aga Khan Founshould be returned to the agency from dation notifies all students of the which the form was obtained. They outcome of their application shortly should not be sent to Geneva. thereafter.

Application Deadline The deadline for submission of entire completed applications is 31 March, although in certain countries internal deadlines may be earlier in order to process and review applications. Applicants are advised to contact the local offices for internal deadline dates and requirements as these may vary from country to country.

Aga Khan Foundation (India) • Deadline for application distribution: 15th March 2019 (7:00 pm IST) • Deadline for submitting completed applications: 20th March 2019 (5:00 pm IST) APPLY ONLINE

Edinburgh Global Research Scholarship 2019-2020 The official notification for the Edinburgh Global Research Scholarship 2019-2020 has been released. Interested candidates can check out all of the details on the 30 Edinburgh Global Research Scholarships awards for 2019-2020.

CHECK OUT ALL OF THE DETAILS ON THE SAME BELOW:

By Diluxy Arya

These awards are designed to attract high quality overseas research students to the University of Edinburgh.

Award: 30 Edinburgh Global Research Scholarships will be awarded for session 2019-2020.

Each scholarship will cover the difference between the tuition fee for a UK/EU postgraduate student and that chargeable to an overseas postgraduate student. The awards do not cover maintenance expenses.

Subject to satisfactory progress, the awards are tenable for up to three years.

Eligibility: The awards are open to overseas nationals commencing a PhD in any field of study in 2019-2020.

Applicants must be liable to pay tuition fees at the rate applicable to overseas students and must have been

offered admission to a full-time PhD Although candidates with an upper research programme of study. second class honours Bachelor’s degree (or the overseas equivalent) can Academic merit: be considered, in order to be competitive you should really have a first Applicants must be of outstanding class Bachelor’s degree supplementacademic merit and research potential.

Next Page>>>>

22

SCHOLARSHIPS

ed by an excellent Master’s degree.

programme of study in 2019 and your PhD the following year in 2020, that Other factors such as financial sta- you will not be eligible to apply for an tus, nationality and the proposed field award in 2019. of study are not taken into account.

Edinburgh Global Research Scholarships cannot be held concurrently Excluding factors: with fully-funded scholarships such The University of Edinburgh will as a Commonwealth Scholarship, or not generally consider candidates a Marshall Scholarship. who have already obtained a PhD, or formal equivalent, as a result of direct Applying: research training.

• Eligible applicants should Students already on a PhD procomplete an online scholarship application gramme cannot be considered for • The scholarship deadline is these awards.

23:59 BST 1st February 2019.

Please also note that if you have applied for consecutive registration In order to gain access to the scholwhere you will start your Masters’ arship application system applicants

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

must have applied for admission to Notification of award: the University of Edinburgh. Please note that, following the submission It is anticipated that all applicants of an application for admission, it can will be notified of the outcome by the take up to five working days for all end of April 2019. system checks to be completed and Contact: for access to be granted.

The online scholarship application For more details on this award form is located in EUCLID and can please contact Scholarships and Stube accessed via MyEd our web-based dent Funding Services. information portal at https://www.

Scholarships and Financial Supmyed.ed.ac.uk port Team When logging in to MyEd, you will need your University User Name and Contact details password. If you require assistance, Work: +44 (0)131 651 4070 please go to http://www.ed.ac.uk/stu- Email: studentfunding@ed.ac.uk dent-systems/support-guidance APPLY ONLINE

HDR Scholarship – Research Training Program Scholarship (RTP) / Deakin University Postgraduate Research Scholarship (DUPR) The notification for the HDR Scholarship – Research Training Program Scholarship (RTP) / Deakin University Postgraduate Research Scholarship (DUPR) is out.

Applications are open for the same.

INTERESTED AND ELIGIBLE CANDIDATES CAN CHECK OUT ALL OF THE DETAILS ON THE SAME BELOW:

By Diluxy Arya

Applications now open The RTP scholarships (previously APA) are funded by the Australian Government, while the DUPR scholarships are funded by Deakin University. Both awards are available to domestic and international students.

Only top-ranked applicants will be offered an RTP. Eligibility Criteria: • To be eligible for an RTP Stipend, RTP Fees Offset, RTP Allowance or DUPRS a student must be a domestic or international student enrolled in an HDR course of study at Deakin University • To be eligible for an RTP Fees Offset an applicant must not be receiving an equivalent award or scholarship from the Commonwealth designed to offset HDR fees • To be eligible for an RTP or DUPRS Stipend a student must

not be receiving income from another source to support that student’s general living costs while undertaking their course of study if that income is greater than 75 per cent of that student’s RTP or DUPRS Stipend rate. Income unrelated to the student’s course of study or income received for the student’s course of study but not for the purposes of supporting general living costs is not to be taken into account.

• Please refer to the research degree entry pathways page for information on admission re-

quirements to an HDR course at Deakin University.

• Terms and conditions for each scholarship are detailed in the Further Information section below. For information about our RTP Scholarship Policy please refer to the Higher Degrees by Research (HDR) Scholarships Procedure.

Benefits and Duration:

• A stipend of $27,082 per annum tax exempt (2018 rate) or $27,596 per annum tax exempt (2019 rate) • A relocation allowance from $500 to $1,500 awarded to students who are moving from interstate or overseas in order to study at Deakin • For international students only: overseas health coverage for the duration of the tuition fees offset

Stipend and Allowances Value (Terms and Conditions apply) Next Page>>>>

SCHOLARSHIPS

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

Doctoral Degree Duration 3 years for stipend and 4 years for the tuition fees offset Research Master Degree Duration 2 years for stipend and 2 years for the tuition fees offset Selection Process: • RTP and DUPRS Stipends will be awarded to students as the result of a competitive process outlined in the ranking guidelines as below.

• Students receiving an RTP or DUPRS Stipend will be enrolled as on-campus full-time students.

• Applicants for an RTP or DUPRS Stipend must have completed at least four years of tertiary education studies and achieved a first class Honours degree or equivalent level of academic achievement as approved by Deakin,

and meet all other minimum entry requirements according to the Higher Degrees by Research (HDR) Admission, Selection and Enrolment Procedure. Please refer to the research degree entry pathways page for more information.

• Current students can apply for an RTP or DUPRS Stipend and will be assessed by the Faculty/Institute. Current students may not apply after they have completed more than 3 years of their doctoral course or 2 years of their master’s course (or parttime equivalent).

• For information about the RTP Fees Offset selection process and the offer process for all scholarships please refer to the Higher Degrees by Research (HDR) Scholarships Procedure.

applying for a higher degree by research. You need to apply via the online Higher Degree by Research Application Form. You’ll be required to attach a number of certified supporting documents, in addition to your research proposal and referee reports.

23

Candidature and Scholarship

The process and opening/closing dates for scholarship applications are different for each faculty/institute.

Some faculties/institutes require an Expression of Interest form to be submitted prior to submitting a full application via the online Higher Degree Application dates

by Research Application Form. The dates may vary depending on whethCandidature only er you are applying as a domestic or Research degree candidature appli- international applicant. cations are accepted throughout the year. Some faculties/institutes require Want to know what research scholan Expression of Interest form to be arships are available? submitted or that they be contacted prior to submitting a full application Find a scholarship and check if you via the online Higher Degree by Re- meet the eligibility criteria to apply. search Application Form. These faculties/institutes are listed below with Contact us the relevant form or advice. Applications to other areas can be submitted For more information please email directly via the online Higher Degree the Graduate Research Academy How to apply – research degrees: by Research Application Form at any time.

APPLY ONLINE Deakin has a streamlined process for

24

BIOTECNIKA TIMES

January 15th, 2019 Vol. 03 NO 61

Subscribe to Biotecnika Times for FREE on Whatsapp

Read News

Jobs

Career Advice

Scholarship

Admission

Exams

Internships & Projects

Research Proposals

Awards

Events

Workshop

Listen Podcast

Watch Videos

Order Lab Supply

Biotecnika.org

Attend Conference