May 5, 2020 | Adamas University

MBA in Pharmaceutical Management- A Prospective Professional Career

Pharmaceutical industries- An overview of growth

In the recent time especially in India is a big challenge for innovators to design a concept which can be unique. As we know that most of industries are not showing growth in terms of market return and all the core industries are running under losses as a result unemployment increases. So it is a big challenge for the young graduates to get a good job in the corporate world and there is a need to provide directions for solution of this problem. But if we look into the pharmaceutical industry the picture, it is a different scenario in terms of market growth, prospect and demand. Looking into the nature of household buying, these products also have same demand like regular commodities of the household. From the study of different reports (especially IBEF), it is obviously a sector enjoying high growth and can boast of huge level of investments. The industry is one of the major contributors to a nations GDP and, in case of India, to its export basket. In India more than 2000pharmaceuticalmanufacturers operate produce more than 50000 drugs. The nature of disease is changing, and companies investing money to develop new medicines to match the demand of the country and outside. On the other side, growth of insurance sector is increasing and at the same time government also taken lot of initiatives to access health services in the different level of communities. This may be up gradation of medical services, and also insurance scheme. As a result, country like India is now in a good position to provide heath service and people also maintaining taking these opportunities. At the same time this is sector generate huge scope of employment in the area of research and development, hospital services, community service but the huge scope in the marketing of pharmaceutical products. So above fact helps us to understand the icebreaking growth of pharmaceutical industries in India and also have a very strong competitive market in India.

Why MBA in Pharmaceutical Management:

The above discussion makes us clear that the growth of the pharmaceutical industry in India is huge. When a sector grow, it is obvious that the surrounding market condition also improves. If we go back few year ago there are few companies operating in the market with some specific drugs. But now the scenario changes, local player are entering in the market with different drugs as a result of branded companies are facing difficulty to meet the challenges with local players. The local players are designing all their marketing strategy by looking into market environment of this region and in the country. Now the market is very much competitive, so the workforce used by the companies earlier may not be effective for longer because of competitive nature of the market. Now industry requires different level of skill set who can generate and create market with effectiveness and efficiently. In this connection, I found the candidates from MBA in pharmaceutical management program will play a huge role to bridge the gap between market and companies expectation because they will be able to manage the market with knowledge of products, industry and strong professional skills. That helps the companies to implement a good marketing strategy which may protect them from market declining position.

Uniqueness of MBA in Pharmaceutical Management

The course has been designed with the specific requirements of pharmaceutical industries. Skill sets have been drawn up to fit the industry requirements. There are few areas which make the program more in demand, including a strong knowledge of pharmacology, intellectual property, how pharmaceutical organisations should operate to cater to international markets. Maximum emphasis has been given to market research as a result, it will help the organisation to understand the market properly and help to take right strategic decisions. This will lead to development of strong competitive advantage in the market, and as this industry is always concentrating on new product development and modification, it is a distinct advantage. Similarly, to assess market breadth, it is very important to know market economics, investment patterns and develop the right managerial skills. Thus, this course will help the students develop the skills which are required by the industry in the current context.

Prospective professional career dimensions:

It is well known that the government is encouraging pharmaceutical industries for foreign direct investment and the number of manufacturing units are introducing new drugs/pharmaceutical products regularly. In terms of job prospects pharmaceutical companies offer several opportunities related to development of molecules, apart from marketing.

Pharmaceutical companies are looking at different skill sets compared to other industries since the marketing of pharmaceutical products is quite different from that of other industries and relies on conceptual marketing. This industry also has some specific requirements, such as more preferences given to pharmacy, science, bio-science and a recent trend is that of most of the companies are preferring candidates who possess specific skills of selling of pharmaceutical products. In a study (Business Line in 2017), it was projected that an additional 54000 job will created by the pharmaceutical industry by 2025. Thus, in terms of job prospects, it is very large in comparison to any other sector. Not only that there are more than a thousand companies operating outside India, and students graduating from this course with specialised knowledge about both domestic and global pharmaceutical operations are likely to be preferred. A few of the areas where MBA in Pharmaceutical Management candidates are required are mentioned below.

Sales Manager and Marketing Manager
Market Research Analyst of pharmaceutical companies.
Customer Relationship Manager in reputed pharmaceutical companies
Logistics managers of pharmaceutical and other allied products
Leadership in Product management department
Opportunities as an export/ import managers
Quality assurance manager.
Pharmaceutical Purchase managers and few others area.

Reference:

https://www.ibef.org/industry/pharmaceuticalceutical-india.aspx. retrieve from Google on 04.20
Consolidated FDI Policy, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Press Information Bureau (PIB), Media Reports, Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council, AIOCD-AWACS, IQVIA, *Top 10 companies as per research by HDFC Securities
Pharmaceutical sector to create 58,000 more jobs by 2025, feel experts, The Hindu Business Line 28 February 2017.

Publish in Best Journals, Get out of Mediocrity: A Reviewer’s Perspective

40^th Day of 2020 Lockdown. An email notification popped up on my phone- a renowned journal inviting me to volunteer as a peer reviewer for a manuscript. As I accepted it, I had a sudden flashback to my conversation with a young researcher a few days back. Recently, her article got rejected from one of the best journals. She was extremely worried as she had no clue that despite having a strong technical content why her paper got rejected! My experience as a reviewer for many quality engineering journals (Science Citation Index Expanded & Scopus Indexed) and conferences of international repute helped me to guide her on this aspect. However, just like her, many budding researchers of our country struggle to write a paper even if they are great at their technical domains. With a dream of quality publication, after several attempts of submitting manuscripts to different good journals due to successive rejections, they get frustrated and they finally give up. Unfortunately, all their efforts end up with a publication in a mediocre journal that does not allow them to be recognized as good researchers. So, it is important for them to know the exact evaluation metrics used by the reviewers to judge the quality of a manuscript.

Quality Journal Review Metrics

I summarize eleven crucial metrics that are commonly used by the reviewers for evaluating the quality of a manuscript.

Complete Originality: The work must not be previously published by the authors elsewhere. The manuscript must be free from plagiarism.
Clear Novelty: The manuscript must contain new and substantial information. Therefore, the authors need to explain the novelty very clearly.
Proper Title: The title is the banner-element of your manuscript. It should contain the fewest possible words but should describe the work in the fullest possible way.
Good Abstract: The abstract should clearly and correctly describe the content of the manuscript.
Meaningful Problem Statement: The problem addressed must be significant and concisely stated.
Comprehensive Research Method: The theoretical and/or experimental methods must be described comprehensively.
Well-justified Interpretation: The interpretations and conclusions must be justified by the results. The article must be free from potentially serious errors which may invalidate the results.
Adequate reference cited from the best journals: Sufficient reference from the best journals must be added in the literature review of the Introduction section. Also, a tabular comparison must indicate the superiority of the proposed method/technique/design over other 5-6 techniques published in the best journals in the last 2-3 years.
Well-indicated Application: The manuscript must contain a precise note regarding the application of the proposed method/technique/design.
Acceptable Quality of Language: The manuscript must be free from all grammatical errors. It is very crucial as it may lead to direct rejection. Also, the language should be clear, interesting and engaging for the reviewers.
Correct Format & Typesetting: The template given in the journal website must be followed. All font types as prescribed by the journal must be maintained. The reference format should not deviate from the journal requirements. No plots, diagrams and illustrations should be given in .jpg format as it blurs the detailing. The graphic content should be of either .png and .tiff (with 300 dpi resolution) or .eps (most acceptable vector image) format.

How to Measure the Manuscript Quality?

The quality of your manuscript must be ‘measured’ quantitatively. Here I give a score-card template that may help you begin the quantitative assessment of your manuscript.

Manuscript Quality Assessment
Manuscript Title:
Authors:
Date of Assessment:		Assessed by:
Score Card
Sl. No.	Manuscript Assessment Metrics		Score (Out of 10)	Remarks
1	Originality
2	Novelty
3	Title
4	Abstract
5	Problem Statement Clarity
6	Description of Research Method
7	Interpretation of Results
8	Adequacy of Quality of References Cited
9	Description of Possible Application
10	Grammar & Quality of Language
11	Format & Typesetting
Average Score

Your manuscript must not score less than 7 at any of the eleven assessment-metrics of scale 10. If it scores less in any metric, please improve and re-evaluate until number 7 comes at your end. This systematic self-assessment before submission will lead to fewer rejections by good journals.

Four Tips for Future Engineering Researchers

For any research work, it is essential to set a specific goal for achieving significant outcomes which in turn will increase your paper publication frequency. In this regard, I would like to share four tips that may help reduce the “Inception to Publication” time.

Tip 1: Grab the current trends

All research works done at the primary level of any technological development have a higher acceptance rate. So, you need to start early. The researchers must refer to The Hype Cycle, yearly published by Gartner, Inc. It predicts the trending technologies yearly that are going to impact Worldwide trades and community for the next 5 to 10 years. As per Gartner Hype Cycle 2019, I enlist some of the technologies that are in the rising stage- for example, Cultured or Artificial Tissue, Decentralized Autonomous Organization, Nanoscale 3D Printing, Flying Autonomous Vehicles, Light Cargo Delivery Drones, etc. There are some other tools like- MIT Technology Review & IDC Predictions that may also be helpful.

Tip 2: Link your research to the current trends

It is important to find all possible ways to link your research area to the current trends to be an early-contributor. My suggestion is that even if you don’t find the topics in Gartner’s list that you might be working on currently, try to bridge your topic with Gartner’s list in all possible ways. For example, if my research area is “Antenna Design”, I can bridge it to the trending technology in the following way: “High-Performance Antenna Design for Flying Autonomous Vehicles”.

Tip 3: Pick the right journal

Before submitting your manuscript to any journal, it is important to verify whether your research topic meets the journal’s focus area. I would like to mention three online tools that help in finding the most suitable journal out of the crowd for an engineering research article.

IEEE Publication Recommender™
Elsevier JournalFinder
Springer Nature Journal Suggester

In these tools, once the Title or Abstract is given, a possible list of journals under their publication group is generated. The authors can select their best-fit journals based on several parameters like- Publication Type, Impact Factor, Indexing, Acceptance Rate, Submission-to-Publication-time, etc. As per my opinion, the journals showing Impact factor greater than 1, Indexed in SCIE, with moderate publication time & medium acceptance rate are highly preferable for a quality publication in optimum time.

Tip 4: Use the Power of Collaboration

It’s a reality that an academic institution might not have all the research facilities. But still, you can have if you look out for. After getting some initial success in your domain, simply find out the active researchers of the same domain who are working in different research laboratories of the country or abroad. You need to create a stable professional network with them. Discussing a current research topic or sharing ideas will help you get many potential research collaborators across the globe.

A Promise

I believe that the review metrics and tips discussed so far will help all promising researchers of different engineering backgrounds to get out of all mediocrity in publication quality. The post-pandemic world will bring several opportunities for new humanitarian technologies. Let’s contribute together in making a pool of research findings through publication in best journals for sustainable development of humanity.

Further Readings

SCIE journal search

https://mjl.clarivate.com/search-results

Scopus-indexed journal search

https://www.scimagojr.com/journalrank.php

Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2019

https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3956015/hype-cycle-for-emerging-technologies-2019

MIT Technology Review

https://www.technologyreview.com/

IDC Predictions

https://www.idc.com/cee/events/66895-idc-predictions-2020

IEEE Publication Recommender™

https://publication-recommender.ieee.org/

Elsevier JournalFinder

https://journalfinder.elsevier.com/

Springer Nature Journal Suggester

https://journalsuggester.springer.com/

Virtual Environmentalism: Another lens of Sociology

Today, I will be discussing on the issue of environment in general, and virtual environmentalism in particular.

Framework of thinking about Sociology and Environment

I would like to state that when I talk about environmental sociology then ‘sociology’ comes first and then comes the environmental issues. Thus, we need to understand how environment plays an important role in shaping the society. Hence, both micro and macro sociological perspectives are needed to be applied to this study. The routines of daily life and its embedded social relations are very much part of the cause of world environmental crisis. Attention should be given to human and non-human natures and the role of power and social inequality in shaping this human and non-human interactions. In the light of classical sociological theories we can build new directions towards a better environment building and a critical interdisciplinary approach to environmentalism. Previously, I discussed why we need to study sociological theories. Below is the link for those who have not yet seen that:

Why study virtual environmentalism

Environmentalists everywhere state that it is hard to be environmental in the way that spending time and money in the cause of environment do not bring in immediate changes in society. But general people usually seek immediate results of their efforts they put and the money they spend. In the case of working for environment immediate result is impossible. What we already have done to this environment needs time for its healing. We have already been trapped in the ‘treadmill of production’ and consumption. We do not have time for ‘extra’ (think whether the thought process is really ‘extra’) thoughts. In such cases, we desire for change but ‘easy’ change.

This is why the concept of virtual environmentalism is much needed in our present-day society. It is doing something for our environment without putting much effort! We can make it part of our everyday life without even thinking of it!

Few examples may help you to be a part of virtual environmentalism:

Using energy efficient electrical appliances
Using bi-cycle whenever and wherever possible
A proper recycling method (separating bio-degradable and non-biodegradable trash)
Switch off the lights and fan or AC before leaving your room
Stop the tap from constantly flowing water if you are not using it
Try to avoid food with preservatives (anyway it is not good for your health also)

These are few of those that we always can practice in our everyday life. There are companies that already have started living for a virtual environmental society by giving rebates in environment friendly electrical appliances.

We can also take few more steps ahead. Don’t you think it is boring for students to sit in your class and listen to your lecture on climate change? Let them have the experience to eradicate the ill effects of global warming in their virtual world.
You can also let them assess their individual contribution to rising carbon dioxide levels in their virtual world by their ‘carbon footprints’.

In this manner students will learn about environment very quickly and they will try to contribute at least something good for their environment.

The outcome of the study

From this vantage point of view, we can analyse the picture from a sociological perspective where it reflects on environment and society, economy and society, public relations and society behaviourism and society to name a few. Thus, sociology deals with both macro and micro perspective to analyse the subject of environment in general and virtual environmentalism in particular. You would be able to interpret human-nature relationships, environment and various environmental movements, its causes and consequences, human needs and social consumptions, the economics of production and consumption, population growth, the concept of development and under-development, how to be ecologically responsible to name a few. We, being a part of this society and responsible citizen, must know about our environment and how to keep it balanced for our own sake. Thus, studying environmental sociology makes you understand society and environment in a critical way. Join the debates and try to solved the unresolved questions within environmental sociology.

(For further scholarly information consult Borden 2008, Dunlap & York 2008, McCright & Dunlap 2008, Tierney 2007, Goldman & Schurman 2000, Buttel 2002, Durkheim 1950 etc.)

Will 2025 see the Manufacturing Sector Dwell in Additive Manufacturing Ecosystem?

The genome of Additive manufacturing have strengthen the Society in terms of converting ideas into products, ready to be practically launched within a very short span of time. The Manufacturing sector is reinvigorating in terms of adapting additive manufacturing technologies. Business setups in the near future will emphasize largely on 3D Printing technology to upgrade product design and development. Rapid prototyping of parts can create products to ensure quality that the consumer expects is actually being met during the build process. This becomes a vital part in terms of budget allocation for small business set ups.

Rethink-Re Design-Reprint:

A new product or an existing product- constant monitoring in terms of product design as an outcome of customer feedback is the call of the hour. A digital thread which takes in physical manufacturing process in the loop to recreate the product design is what Industries are likely to adapt. Additive Manufacturing methods offer you flexibility in terms of accommodating
modifications in design with great ease.

Creation of prototype is a process of 24 hour design cycle: design at work, print 3D parts overnight, dispatch for testing, upon customer feedback tweak the design, and the cycle keeps repeating. A hopping increase in the additive manufacturing services of almost 40% every year, clearly signifies the commercial potential of 3D printing in terms of mass personalization

Gradually with manufacturing exodus the Global market is witnessing a paradigm shift in terms adapting Technological innovation. Engineering expertise has taken the pilot sit and companies are adapting newer and faster manufacturing methods. 2015 marked demand for Additive Manufacturing technologies largely in automotive industries, consumer products, business and industrial equipment, aerospace and prototyping which shall really catch up faster to a CAGR growth of 21.8% within the term of 2019-2025, as reported in Allied Market Research

Increase in expenditure on final part production as reported by Wohler’s associates in the year 2020 is a clear marking of trend of Manufacturing Sector to scale up production while adapting Additive manufacturing technologies.

Additive Manufacturing Ecosystem in a nut shell

Havard Business Review states that “The ecosystem now includes an array of contract printers, consultants, and suppliers of software and quality-control scanning systems along with makers of printers and materials” Manufacturing by additive manufacturing is the plunge to be taken
by most of the Industries whilst summing up stratum of decisions at various levels of management.

• Less Inventory-Manufacturing Onshore
Gone are the days to order and wait for parts to reach you with a long time gap, huge transportation charges, and shipping faults. Creation of local hubs to manufacture parts is the key advantage. Additive Manufacturing, at your door step offers solution to strengthen supply chain system by creating local hubs. Part complexity addressed with ease leads to increased
lead time hence boosting the entire production process. The ideas of devoting acres of shelving to vast inventories are kept at bay. Companies are
envisioned to turn hub warehouses into mini-factories accepting challenge to produce and deliver customized parts to customers as and when required

• Integrating Electronics into the system
With a capability to print electronic circuit and components like antennae and sensors embedded onto the walls of objects, the requirement of post assembly has been largely reduced. The latest breakthrough in terms of printing antennas working at different band-with and reconfigurable design has been reported by Harris Corp. in 2019, which can prove its potential in impacting precision machinery configurations largely utilised in defence and satellite services. The flexibility of systems in terms of customization or fragmentation in many product categories provides a new dimension of manufacturing especially for the defence equipment manufacturers and medical equipment manufacturers.

• Additive Manufacturing for End-Use Parts
Ease to manufacture End-Use Parts has boosted largely the automotive sector in terms of part assembly requirement. Based on reports, major automobile companies like BMW and Honda, are adapting manufacturing of many industrial tools and end-use car parts in their factories and dealerships. In the month of January 2020 Boeing 777X set its first flight with more than 300 3D printed parts paved a success way for the entire Aviation industry to work in terms of adapting additive manufacturing processes.

• Outsource 3D Printing Services
With small investments setting up a manufacturing unit is no more a dream. How about a platform of technological data exchange like in terms of design data and product realisation? Any person can create design sitting at any part of the world and in terms of design realisation there are hubs where the product can be outsourced. Large Companies vie on developing platforms connecting small companies to build and connect. The flattening cost curve of 3D printers will further open up scope to get the job done without even owning multiple set ups. The future clearly lies in contemplating high standard product quality while fostering
innovation. The bottom up approach for manufacturing adapted is predicted to redesign the entire canvas. Adapting Additive Manufacturing technology for a Company is a mere time taken by it to put a toe in the water and start experiencing, once the benefit of manufacturing flexibility bask in they will definitely dive in deep!

Suggested Read:

https://hbr.org/2015/05/the-3-d-printing-revolution

https://adamasuniversity.ac.in/the-game-changer-3d-printing-technology-for-rapid-prototyping/

https://www.nano-di.com/blog/breakthrough-3d-printing-of-rf-antennas-showcased-byharris-corp-at-2019-ieee-radio-wireless-week-0

https://www.3dnatives.com/en/boeing-777x-300-3d-printed-parts-290120205/

https://adamasuniversity.ac.in/a-key-to-smart-supply-chain-management/

How studying Biochemistry has brought changes in my life: in the perspective of future biochemists

To build large building high, bricks, cement, stone chips, blueprint, etc., everything is required Each of these materials will play an important role in determining the shape, size, and structure of the building. Just like that, we need biomolecules which are the building blocks of all living things. The knowledge of these building blocks is encapsulated in the subject ‘Biochemistry’. It helps us to understand the operating system of living bio-machines. Thus it has a huge impact on every sector of life such as agriculture, medicine, diagnostics, nutrition, forensic, pharmaceuticals, and many more. To many young minds who have chosen ‘Biochemistry’ to build their future career path, this is an interesting venture towards their dream. Let’s hear from the horse’s mouth about their feelings.

View of Ms. Samanwita Mondal (MSc 1^st year Student, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science, and Biotechnology).

“No one knows where the dream begins and where the truth ends”, the meaning of the line from Lila Majumder’s ‘Halde Pakhir Palok’ had always made me think from childhood. When I realized the meaning, I never thought that it’s going to happen in my life. I always dreamed to be a doctor. But there is something else written in my destiny. The journey faced many ups and downs in between my dream and destiny, finally, destiny wins the battle. And my destiny becomes Biochemistry. There’s always a story behind a story, mine is not exceptional. When I failed to grab my dream after trying several times, the combat of mind began. That time, I just had to pursue any course to get a minimum degree, as I lost all power of thinking. It’s something like “struggle for existence” according to Charles Darwin in the biological term.

My parents took me to Adamas University and enrolled in a Bachelor’s course in Biochemistry. That moment I didn’t know much about Biochemistry, according to me in medical studies there is a paper named Biochemistry, that’s it. I was a bit late when I joined university. After ten days of my joining, the first mid-term started and my condition was like drowning in water. The subject was entirely new to me, I didn’t even know what’s in the syllabus, what to read, and write in the exam. Another problem was my homesickness as for the first time I was staying in a hostel, far away from home. But, with all obstacles, I had managed to give the mid-term without any preparation and that only became possible due to encouragement from some of my teachers. I was scared when I got questions in my hand, but surprisingly the questions were not that much unknown to me! The medical preparation worked for me in that situation. Teachers were also surprised to see my exam copies. And from now on another story started to happen.

When I started to feel incompetent in all aspects after my failure, found little hope and confidence in the subject, ‘Biochemistry’. Later on, my path began to walk by holding the hand of Biochemistry. Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. Biochemical processes give rise to the complexity of life. Almost all areas of the life sciences are being uncovered and developed by biochemical methodology and research.

Slowly, I got to understand the chemistry inside the Biochemistry. I found my success from the subject. I got my lost confidence back, day by day by involving in the subject, the help of my friend-philosopher-guide like teachers. They are like my pillars, I know because of them I will never lose my way again in the dark. And yes, now I can proudly say that I have taken the subject into the core of my heart, that’s why I have dared to dream again.

My dream changes from doctor to be a successful Biochemist. Perhaps, that is how destiny meets with reality. Now, I truly believe that no poison can kill a positive thinker, and no medicine can save a negative thinker. With this positive energy, I want to make sense of the significance of the word “Adamas” in my future.

(Writer has been selected for a short time project at National Changhua University of Education, Taiwan, 2020).

View of Ms. Manisha De ( BSc 3^rd year Student in Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Biotechnology).

Hi! To all the people, who are reading this, you’ve found your way to the tiny corner of my world, where I have shared some regular basis about the things that excite and challenge me in Science, specifically in Biochemistry. There’s one important thing to know about me at the start: I am a huge nerd about the molecules and reactions. While many students break into a cold sweat at the mentioning of ‘reactions and the molecular structures’ involving them. Students generally find them to be a topic to mug-up, but it is just the reverse. The chemistry behind every molecular structure paves the way to easily make through the reactions which keep on taking place in every cell of every individual. It is highly fascinating to see the world through a lens of molecules and their interactions. I love thinking about the molecules that drive our lives and the environment around us. Starting from the necessity of the water molecule, repairing of the damaged DNA to the fighter in us to face the foreign world, every single protein involved in the above-mentioned phases has literally created a fascination towards Biochemistry. Isn’t it very interesting to know that mundane things like the smell of the air after it rains or the way a hot iron straightens hair or even the bubble formed while washing clothes also have molecular explanations! There’s a hidden richness of molecular phenomena around us. Molecules shape the world.

When we look at the fields that study molecules of life, it doesn’t help that the names of many related disciplines are so damn confusing. Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biological Chemistry all mean roughly the same thing in the dictionary. However, those of us working in these fields know that they refer to different communities that have distinct organizational cultures, and that target different types of problems using different methods and technologies. To me, Biochemistry seeks to explain biology at the chemical scale. Starting with simple building blocks like carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen, how can complex things as a tree, cat, or human emerge from these materials? Or even a single, replicating bacterial cell? There are biochemical questions to answer at every level of complexity.

On a serious note, it has encouraged me to look through the ingredients of every other strip of a tablet and supported me in narrating the physiological action of the well-known Paracetamol. The swelling of a region on an ant bite quickly reminds me of the inflammation pathway and makes me feel relieved when I remember that my own WBCs in the blood is there to heal the inflammation. As a whole, Biochemistry has been my pupil to observe the great challenges surrounding nature and rule a confident life over it.

(Writer was awarded Best Speaker award for a project presentation on ‘Stereochemical Effects on Drugs’2019).

Student Contributors:

Samanwita Mondal (MSc 1^st year Student, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Biotechnology).
Manisha De (BSc 3^rd year Student, Department of Biochemistry, School of Life Science and Biotechnology).

The curious case of our microbiome and COVID-19 pandemic

Student Contributor: SHRESTHA SENGUPTA, B.TECH Biotech Sem-IV

The novel coronavirus first isolated and identified as SARS-CoV2 from Wuhan, China responsible for respiratory-related outbreak throughout the world. The pandemic situation compelled the countries and their people into self-quarantine to prevent further spread of infection. The absence of a suitable cure with the help of available drugs and vaccines, scientists, and medical professionals around the world are racing to unravel every biological aspect of SARS-CoV2.

Now, a group of scientist especially microbiologists and genetic epidemiologists are looking at COVID-19 problems from a different perspective. Our gut is home to a complex group of microbes or microorganisms collectively known as the gut microbiota. There are approximately around 38 trillion microbes we possess in our whole body termed as the gut microbiome. Research shows the massive size of the microbiome and its diversity can play a crucial role in leading a healthy life. One area of interest related to the COVID-19 pandemic is a cordial relationship between our gut microbiome with our immune system and its response. Professor Ronald Collman, from the University of Pennsylvania, thinks that our microbiome — the bacteria and fungi that live inside our body are playing an important role in balancing the host-immune response against viral infections. Also, Professor Tim Spector from King’s College, London highlighted the role of the weak microbiome for the excessive immune response against the novel viral infections which leads to the severe acute respiratory syndrome-like situation. Constant diagnostic tests that truly recognize the presence of bacterial or fungal infections and drug-resistant pathogens play a very crucial role in the public health response to COVID-19.

The collective genome of microbes is termed as the microbiome, containalmost150 times more genes compared to the human genome. The exact relationship between the human microbiome and our immune system interactions is not yet completely understood. Microbiome analysis of COVID-19 patient and cured person utilizing the metagenomics approach can reveal the important factors responsible for the development of immunity. Earlier studies proved the role of antimicrobial peptides as major regulators of innate immunity to control pathogen growth. An in-depth analysis of those peptides identified their origin from gut microbiota and uncover their mechanism in host defense against pathogens. Antimicrobial peptide secretion, inflammasome activation, and induction for host interleukin (IL)-22, IL-17, and IL-10 production are the general strategies executed by the gut microbiota for host anti-pathogen defense. Hence, microbiome targeted therapeutics can be used to minimize the pathogen infection and also its role in the outcomes of COVID-19.

(Figure adopted from Cheng et. al. showing the role of gut microbiota plays in the induction of antimicrobial peptides expression against pathogen and subsequent immune response.)

Keeping a healthy and diverse microbiome is an important element to fight against COVID-19. Eating a wide range of fibrous food from plants enhance microbial diversity. Further presence of natural yogurt and artisan cheese in our daily diet works as a supplement of microbes (probiotics). Activation of Vitamin A in the diet plays to help to keep our immune system healthy and also in its proper regulation. The constant immunogenicity support from our healthy microbiome can prevent an overactive immune response against an incoming pathogen. It is also being observed how the microbiome diversity declines as we get aged (mostly due to the age-related changes that occur in our immune responses). That may be a reason for the higher percentage of COVID-19 cases among elders. Thus a better understanding of gut microbiota of COVID-19 patients can open a pathway for a new type of antimicrobial drugs against SARS-CoV-2.