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A monthly newsletter of Biocon Academy
INSIDE THIS ISSUE PG 1. COVER STORY
Alumni Meet 2019
PG 3. IN
CONVERSATION WITH
GUEST LECTURER
Ishtapran Sahoo,
Scientist II at Thermo
Fisher Scientific
PG 4. HAPPENINGS AT
BIOCON ACADEMY
Apply Now For Batch I
of Biocon Ramaiah
Certificate Program in
Quality Control
Analytical
ALUMNI MEET 2019
Happiness is Homecoming!
Happiness is meeting old friends and singing the same old songs!
Happiness is telling the same old jokes and laughing your heart out!
Happiness is meeting friends after a long time and realizing that nothing has changed!
Such was the happy evening we had at the Alumni Meet 2019.
The Biocon Academy Alumni Day 2019 organized on April 20, at Lemon Tree Hotel, Bangalore, saw a
coming together of Biocon Academy students since 2014. The day was filled with power packed
sessions on DNA Profiling Bill v/s Right to Privacy, Expert Talk by Mr Balachandar, Director, IT-IQVIA on
Current technologies in Clinical Trials followed by cultural events that included Quiz Competition and a
dazzling fashion show. The keynote address was delivered by our Chief Mentor, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
who extended gratitude to our education partners and spoke about how India is rising to be a leading
Bio-economy in the world and how Biocon Academy is playing a vital role in addressing the industry
academia skill gap.
Our guest speaker Suresh Subramanian, Head of Branded Formulations India & South Asia, Biocon,
talked about the importance of passion and perseverance to achieve the best in life. The Alumni Meet
witnessed an exhilarating evening where the alumni’s reunited and rebounded over meaningful
conversations and engaging activities. It was indeed a rejuvenating time for our alumni to meet their
friends and faculty members.
The event was organized by the Students Alumni Committee comprised of a Committee President who
managed all the committees, Technical Committee Lead who devised the content strategy, Activity
Committee Lead who was responsible for cultural and fun activities, Operation Committee Lead who
managed the logistics of the event and Communications Committee Lead who was responsible for
managing end-to-end communication strategies of the event. The Alumni Committee was set up with
a vision to strengthen connection among the alumni, faculties, current students and management. The
committee aims to stimulate interaction and maintain a support mechanism for the alumni network.
Cheers to friendships, knowledge sharing and unlimited fun!
VOL 5| 2019
S S EASWARAN
ACADEMIC DIRECTOR,
BIOCON ACADEMY
This is an exciting time at Biocon Academy as we are all set to launch a new program Biocon Ramaiah
Certificate Program in Quality Control Analytical (QCA).
One of the most significant functions in any manufacturing industry is the Quality Unit. It monitors the quality
of the product using various analytical methods and compares the data against the predetermined quality
parameters before releasing it into the market for human or veterinary use. Quality control department tests
the sample and analyzes materials ranging from raw materials to finished products. It also checks the in-process
materials used in manufacturing. They perform a wide variety of chemical and biological assays with the help
of analytical instrumentation techniques. Since this work is conducted in a laboratory setting, proper
knowledge and lab skills like using analytical instrumentation and methods is necessary. It also requires a broad
understanding of manufacturing methods, and regulatory guidelines that form the backdrop of both
manufacturing and quality control.
In the current scenario, the fresh talent pool that is passing out from college possesses theoretical knowledge
but they lack exposure to the industrial processes and work demands. Biocon Ramaiah Certificate Program in
Quality Control Analytical (QCA) is aimed at providing such exposure to the students so that they understand
both the strong regulatory framework as well as learn the skills required to work on high end laboratory
instrumentation. The students selected for this program will have a unique opportunity of getting hands on
training in the Centre of Excellence of Thermo Fisher situated in the IIT Powai campus, Mumbai. With no
exception to the existing programs, the participants will also get an opportunity to get experiential learning at
the Biocon facility. I am very excited for the launch of this program and to see the students get benefit from
this program.
Apart from this we are also launching batch II of Clinical Development Program and batch III of Faculty
Development Program. My best wishes for our forthcoming batches!
Message from Academic Director, Biocon Academy – S S Easwaran
Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Srikanth Kolluru
Dr. Srikanth Kolluru teaches Biopharmaceutical Sciences to students of Biocon KGI Program in
Biosciences and Clinical Development. He holds a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry with a BS and MS in
Pharmacy. Prior to his appointment at KGI School of Pharmacy, he worked at Texas A&M University,
College of Pharmacy as an Assistant Professor for more than five and half years. He played a key role in
building a new pharmacy program at Texas A&M University. He had his post-doctoral training from the
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Dr. Kolluru's research work in teaching is on the development of
novel assessment and instructional methods to effectively integrate basic science courses with clinical
courses and in drug discovery on the development of antiviral drugs & allosteric modulators for
cannabinoid receptors. Dr. Kolluru was elected as a secretary of the medicinal chemistry section of AACP
(American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy), member of Rho Chi, Phi Lambda Sigma and Phi delta Chi.
Commenting on his experience in teaching at Biocon Academy, Dr. Kolluru said, “Teaching has been my
passion since my college years. I taught pre-school, elementary, middle and high school kids as well as
college graduates. Irrespective of age group and teaching content, it is highly satisfying when you sense
that students are learning and becoming curious to know more about the subject. It has been my pleasure
teaching Pharmacokinetics and Pharmaceutical Formulations to Biosciences students and Pharmacology
to Clinical Development students. The curriculum of both these courses acts as a perfect bridge between
what is needed in real world and what students learn in school. In other words they provide a great
platform for translating science to real life applications. Even though, I take classes online, but still it feels
like teaching them face-to-face as technology allows me to see and interact directly while teaching. My
passion in life is to teach, serve people and strive to communicate the true nature of life to improve quality
of living.”
DR SHRIKANTH KOLLURU
FACULTY, BIOCON KGI
CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
Students Corner
Diksha Kumari Batch 13, Biocon KGI Certificate Program in Biosciences has made a mark with her maiden
research publication in The International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and
Technology (IJIRSET). It is a High Impact Factor, Open Access, International, Monthly, Peer-Reviewed journal
and it aims at promoting innovative research in various disciplines of Science, Engineering and Technology.
Her research paper is on Extracellular Lipase Production and Estimation from Staphylococcus and
Aspergillus Species Isolated from Oil Contaminated Soil.
In her study, she explained importance of enzymes, specifically microbial lipases which hydrolyze fats into
fatty acids and glycerol, and reverse the action into non-aqueous media. Lipases are of great significance in
fat and oil processing, detergents, pulp and paper industry, oleo-chemical industry, cosmetics and
perfumery. They are also used in biosensors. Lipases are produced by various microorganisms such as
Bacillus, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas of bacterial genera and Aspergillus, Penicillium and Candida of
fungal genera. Lipolytic microbes were isolated from oil contaminated soil and rotten samples of coconut
and onion. From both the samples, microorganisms were screened on enrichment media followed by
morphological tests and biochemical tests which included Tributyrin Agar Test, Catalase Test, and Triple
Sugar Iron Test followed by Gram Staining to characterize and identify the type of lipolytic microorganisms
present. Isolation, screening and identification of lipolytic bacteria was followed by production of lipase in
various kinds of mineral media having diverse types of oil sources like Olive oil, Coconut oil, Groundnut oil
and Castor oil. Quantitative estimation of lipase produced under submerged culture conditions on these
various sources under different pH and temperature conditions was carried using titration. Current studies
have significantly generated avenues for accentuating lipase production with microbial cultures of
Staphylococcus and Aspergillus species with the incorporation of groundnut oil in production media.
She has co-authored this article with her research partners and is published originally in International
Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and Technology.
To know more click here>>
DIKSHA KUMARI
BATCH 13, BIOCON KGI
CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN
BIOSCIENCES
In Conversation With: Ishtapran Sahoo, Scientist at Thermo Fisher Scientific
DR ISHTAPRAN SAHOO,
SCIENTIST II, THERMO
FISHER SCIENTIFIC
“With revolutionary advancement in Molecular Cell Biology, particularly in gene editing
tools such as Crispr-Cas9 technology, we are still far from elucidating many of the neuro-
degenerative diseases. Given the complexity of the pathological conditions, multi-
dimensional triggers, lack of appropriate model system, and overlapping symptoms,
neuroscientists are always on the edge of their research studies.”
In a fireside chat with Dr Ishtapran Sahoo, Scientist II, at Thermo Fisher Scientific,
Bangalore, he talks about his work on neurodegenerative pathway of Drosphila and also
how Biocon Academy is adding immense value to students in biotech sector.
Dr Sahoo delivers guest lectures at Biocon Academy on a regular basis. He is currently
working in molecular biology R&D in Thermo Fisher Scientific. He has devised specific
mutations in fruit-fly model to understand neurodegenerative pathways in their brains
which is similar to Alzheimer’s in human brain.
Read his full interview: Click here https://bit.ly/2RAg107
1. #ChennaiWaterCrisis Not just one, this man has built
four kinds of rainwater harvesting systems in his home!
Read: https://bit.ly/2NcJYoi
2. Scientists have developed a grape-sized, Bluetooth
implant that can be remotely controlled to deliver
scheduled doses of medication. The research paves the
way for people with chronic diseases like arthritis,
diabetes and heart disease. Read: https://bit.ly/2YbaiAh
HAPPENINGS AT BIOCON ACADEMY
APPLY NOW FOR BATCH I OF BIOCON RAMAIAH CERTIFICATE
PROGRAM IN QUALITY CONTROL ANALYTICAL
Keep up with Biocon Academy:
For suggestions and feedback, please write to us at:
Know more about us: www.bioconacademy.com
