Major Achievements

The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a public sector undertaking of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), organized a two-day ‘Innovators Conclave & Bio-Innovation Fair’ at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The theme for the conclave was ‘BIRAC Bio-Innovations: Propelling the Bio-economy’. The conclave brought together nearly 300 innovators and start-ups, scientists from industry and academia, professionals from public and private sector, policy makers, and national and international organisations. BIRAC Success Impact BIRAC has been able to create a pan-India presence supporting over 700 biotech companies, research institutes, small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), which includes 500 start-ups and entrepreneurs. 147 Intellectual Property Rights (IPs) have been generated with the support of BIRAC. In addition, 30 bio-incubators are supported across India and around 70 products are being commercialized. BIRAC’s BIG programme has become one of the largest early stage programs and has supported more than 230 start-ups and entrepreneurs. Many of these BIG grantees have been able to generate and follow on funding from both public and private agencies. Entrepreneurial Success Stories A number of successful entrepreneurs have been supported who have brought out useful technologies Pandorum Technologies A biotechnology start-up with distinct synergy of life science and engineering competencies Product In-vitro 3D human liver tissues are undergoing validations. This product can be used for in-vitro medical research – hepatotoxicity & drug metabolism The company plans to expand 3D tissue portfolio to skin, cardiac, cornea, nephron, neuro etc. and integrate them as ‘animal on chip’ or ‘homo-chippiens’ for in-vitro medical research. It also plans to develop clinically implantable tissues Bugworks Research India Developed a stealth strategy by which antibiotics can successfully bypass efflux pumps Product The company is developing a first-in-class novel chemical entity (NCE) that exhibits potential of killing superbugs resistant to colistin, beta-lactams, cephalosporins, carbapenems, fluroquinolones, and difficult to treat pathogens such as E. coli (including ESBLs, NDM-1), S. aureus (including MRSA), K. pneumoniae (including KPCs), A. baumannii, P. aeruginosa, E. faecalis (including VRE), N. gonorrhoeae, H. influenza, Proteus sp., Citrobacter sp., C. difficile, S. pyogenes, S. pneumoniae, S. Epidermidis etc. It is now under pre-clinical development, and is planned to enter clinical development in 2019. Aarna Biomedical Products Product An affordable high-quality post mastectomy kit in which each component of the kit has been developed with iterative feedback as per the needs of the end user, leading to both technical and anthropometric betterment than the alternatives available through imports. The kit comprises of lightweight, external, silicone gel breast prosthesis, a two-pocketed brassieres with two prosthesis covers, a prosthesis holder, information and usage manual and an outer waterproof kit. This product can be used by breast cancer patients, who have lost their breast as part of surgical intervention, and benefits their physical and mental wellbeing as it boosts their confidence and dignity and prevents postural and gait issues. Jeevtronics Devised a low-cost defibrillator that works without electricity Product The company has developed the world's first dual powered (electricity + hand cranked) defibrillator that works in areas without electricity, and will be priced at 1/4th the price of big brands, while maintaining similar or better-quality levels. Thousands of primary and community healthcare centres (PHC/ CHC), sub-centres, small hospitals lacking diesel generators, ambulances, factories, army/border security force posts in India, Africa, Asia & South America could benefit from such a device. CycaOncosolutions Pvt Ltd. Products Oncology product transforming poisons to remedy by on site delivery of low doses of drugs: tested in laboratory cell model. CyPlatin is a novel composite of CyCa delivery device with generic anticancer drug Cisplatin. It retains the efficacy of Cisplatin with just 1/10th of the dose and potentially reduces the extracellular toxicity by at least ten times in vivo. This product is a versatile 'non-toxic, high speed, high precision molecular machine that can carry drugs directly into living cells like a drug delivery device. CyGlo series is a reagent to track live cells. The reagent labels the cytoplasm of 90 % living cells in just 10 minutes. The kit has reagents to label cells in three different colours and can be customized into any available colour. The bio-molecular machine can be programmed to target cell organelles and specific proteins inside the cell.