Frugal Innovation facilitates easier access to diagnostic tools in low-resource settings, thus playing a a crucial role in reducing the time gap between diagnosis and treatment.
Anindita Sen, our next pathbreaker, R&D Scientist at DNAiTECH Ltd (New Zealand), works on the development of low cost and effective diagnostic devices for monitoring pathogens in soil, water as well as human specimens.
Anindita talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about her PhD (Victoria University of Wellington) in the multi-disciplinary field of biosensors, with the objective of monitoring methamphetamine (meth) addiction which is a real problem that demands a smart solution.
For students, we often think about what scares us more than what excites us and that is what holds us back. So, seek challenges and you’ll find opportunities for growth !
Anindita, Your background?
Growing up in a Bengali family, life primarily revolved around a strong emphasis on education, particularly higher education. This was especially true for me, given that my parents were doctors. Like many other Indian parents in our society, whether consciously or unconsciously, they wished for their children to follow in their footsteps, ensuring familiarity with the challenges and opportunities in their chosen profession, and the ability to offer guidance. During my secondary and higher secondary years in school, I opted to study a combination of Science subjects: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Biology (PCMB). My natural inclination towards science stemmed from my observant and inquisitive nature. Alongside my studies, during my childhood, I also attended classes in dance, music, and painting. I was initially drawn to sports as well because I liked the idea of being athletic, but as time passed, the mounting academic pressures in India led me to lose touch with these extracurricular activities. Upon graduating from school, my initial aspiration was to pursue a degree in veterinary science, fueled by my fascination with wildlife. However, this dream remained unrealized due to various factors, including the lack of popularity of veterinary science as a career path in India and a lack of encouragement to pursue it. Ultimately, I discovered an equally intriguing path and ended up pursuing a degree in Biotechnology. Biotechnology, being a highly interdisciplinary field, proved to be a perfect fit for my analytical mind.
What did you do for graduation/post graduation?
I did my BTech in Biotechnology (from Haldia Institute of Technology) followed by a Master of Engineering degree in Industrial Biotechnology from Delhi Technological University (aka Delhi college of Engineering) for my graduation and a PhD in Chemistry specializing in biosensors which I obtained from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand for my post-graduation.
I was on full scholarship for my PhD, which was from MBIE (Ministry of business, innovation and employment) Smart Ideas scholarship in NZ. For my Masters as well, I was on 2-year MHRD scholarship in India.
What were some of the influences that made you choose such an offbeat, unconventional and unique career?
During my Master’s at DTU, I chose to do my dissertation research in the Nano- bioelectronics laboratory. Nano-bioelectronics simply means combining nanomaterials with biology and electronics, a highly interdisciplinary area with wide applications~ effectively miniaturized (nano) biotechnology. My main area of research focus in this laboratory was developing biosensors for early screening of cancer using novel materials. Here, I met inspiring people and mentors who ignited a deeper passion for research within me motivating me to aspire to become a Scientist myself. I chose a career in Biotechnology because it appealed to my interests. I find interdisciplinary fields stimulating and hence rewarding.
I consider myself fortunate to have had mentors throughout my academic journey who were inspirational, motivating me to persevere and never lose sight of my goals.
How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path
During my masters, I was introduced to the field of biosensors. This period played an immensely decisive role in my life motivating me to pursue a PhD. Working with excellent high achieving researchers inspired me to aim higher and achieve more. So, for my Masters thesis, I was specializing in developing paper-based biosensor platforms that could be used to detect carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a cancer biomarker that has been found to be associated with colon, ovarian, breast and lung cancers. We used Whatman (filter/chromatography) paper as the electrode and modified it with various conducting polymers or (nano) metal oxides such as gold to make the surface conducting. Then this conductive paper was used to detect the cancer biomarker CEA in real serum samples. The idea was to develop a flexible, disposable and cost-effective biosensing platform that could be used to develop a point-of-care (near-patient) detection device. It was quite cool developing something so incredible and being involved in and exposed to such interesting science during my Masters.
That’s when I decided to pursue a PhD in the field of biosensors seeking to expand my skills and knowledge. In the final year of my master’s studies, we were encouraged to participate in campus placements organized by the university. I recall receiving a couple of job offers from companies, but I chose not to accept any of them because I was resolute in my decision to pursue a PhD immediately after completing my master’s degree. Consequently, my first PhD offer came from a technical university in Germany. Initially, the plan was to work for a biotech company while transitioning to a PhD program at a partner university in Heidelberg/Freiburg within a year, facilitated by DAAD scholarships. After working as a Research Assistant for a few months at Life Science Inkubator in Bonn, Germany, I realized that I would have a more fulfilling life in a country with fewer language barriers. This prompted me to change my course of action, and I began applying for PhD opportunities outside of Germany. Fortunately, I received an offer for a PhD program in New Zealand while continuing to work for the company in Germany.
In New Zealand, methamphetamine (meth) addiction is a real problem which demands a smart solution to help monitor meth addiction at roadsides as well as workplaces. My PhD thesis was focused on developing one such smart solution to address this problem. The idea was to develop a colorimetric test/biosensor which uses DNA aptamers (aptasensor), in other words, synthetic DNA (oligos~ synthesized in the laboratory) to detect methamphetamine in saliva. With such a test, the NZ police would be able to screen and catch meth impaired drivers on the roads. Also, the test could be used at workplaces to monitor levels of meth impairment. The current state-of-the art technologies in meth detection involve bulky instruments that detect meth in urine and blood samples. These tests are not only time-consuming, but are also heavily lab-based, invasive and expensive, thus limiting their use on-site. Moreover, urine tests are not totally reliable because of the possibility of adulteration during sample collection by the suspect. Therefore, a rapid and cost-effective point-of-care test that can detect methamphetamine in saliva might just be the solution to a lot of these problems, eventually ensuring a much safer society.
How did you get your first break?
My first industry experience after submitting my PhD thesis was a 3-month internship with a consulting company in Wellington NZ at CreativeHQ. It was a social-science based internship (not related to my PhD or science) which had many new learnings to offer. I was assisting on a secondary education support co-design a project where we were co-designing possible solutions to inform the design of funds (aid) allocated to promote secondary education in Vanuatu, an island country in the pacific. I chose to intern with a consulting company to challenge my comfort zone because that’s when you learn more and grow. These internships were sponsored by the university to encourage PhD students and graduates to get an opportunity to explore industry jobs, both science based and non-science based. It’s quite common for science PhD graduates to find it challenging to transition out of academia into applied organizational research roles or managerial roles after a PhD. So, it was a good learning experience and a great opportunity to pick up additional cross functional skills while waiting for my PhD defense.
Moving on, after graduating with my PhD, my first job offer was from a biotech start-up company in the US. I enjoy working for start-ups because I like working in a fast-paced environment with lots of exciting things to learn and do. So, I moved to the San Francisco Bay area to work for this biotech startup, Genendeavor LLC. I worked as a postdoctoral researcher where my main focus was to develop a biosensing device to monitor SARS-Cov-2 in aerosols. After about 3 months, I left the company to move back to NZ because I felt my role and the environment wasn’t fulfilling enough for me to enjoy it for a longer term. Though it was a tough decision to make since very few people would choose to leave an opportunity in the US, but I think it’s equally important to work with people that resonate with your values in life. So, I guess, life simply had other plans!
What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?
Challenge 1: The main challenge during my internship was around adapting to an environment that heavily emphasized interaction with people. I tend to lean more towards introversion, so this aspect wasn’t something I naturally embraced, nor was it one of my strengths. Interestingly, my role primarily centered on data analysis and evidence-based decision-making, which I found immensely enjoyable due to my robust analytical skills. Also, I was part of an excellent and supportive team which made learning new skills fun and smooth. This internship provided me with the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and expand my horizons in unfamiliar territories.
Challenge 2: The main challenge working for the start-up in the US was to enjoy my role which I unfortunately did not, so I decided to not force myself but look for other opportunities that I would enjoy instead.
Where do you work now?
I work at a start-up company, DNAiTECH Ltd. It’s a biotechnology company that is building diagnostic devices for monitoring pathogens in soil, water as well as human specimen.
What problems do you solve?
At DNAiTECH, we are passionate about building diagnostics that are low cost and highly effective at providing diagnostic solutions at the point-of-care, meaning near patient care settings. Low resource settings disproportionately share the burden of infectious diseases, and we at DNAiTECH are trying to equalize this disparity.
What skills are needed for your role? How did you acquire the skills?
As an R&D scientist at my present company, my responsibilities demand proficiency in interdisciplinary skills and the capacity to be creative, by thinking innovatively to overcome daily challenges. Creativity is essentially an innate quality; I don’t think it can be cultivated through training alone! An ability to think out of the box comes from being in highly diverse environments and having an open mind to absorb various techniques and perspectives. For me, coming from a highly diverse country like India that celebrates its diversity has undeniably played a significant role in accelerating my learning of diverse skills.
What’s a typical day like?
A typical day starts at 8 in the morning and finishes around 4:30-5 in the evening, but there isn’t any fixed time-frame for R&D and I am sure a lot of scientists would agree that being a scientist involves lots of thinking and reading which you do even outside of working hours (willingly!).
What is it you love about this job?
I enjoy being a scientist in a start-up like DNAiTECH as every day is interesting with lots of approaches to try, devices to design, and problems to solve. Problem solving is at the core of what I do and I seem to enjoy it very much. Of course, some days can be frustrating, but overall, I enjoy using my critical thinking skills to overcome challenges.
How does your work benefit society?
I work in the field of biosensors, which are essentially diagnostic devices designed to expedite the monitoring of diseases, environmental pathogens, food toxins and similar elements compared to conventional bulky instruments. These biosensors play a crucial role in low-resource settings, such as developing countries, and even in remote areas of developed countries. They facilitate easier access to diagnostic tools, thereby reducing the time gap between diagnosis and treatment. Similarly, the monitoring of water, air, or food quality is a valuable and essential service that should be accessible at the point of care, close to the people who need it. Biosensors have the potential to make this accessibility a reality, offering tremendous benefits to society.
Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!
My greatest moments at work have always been related to solving a problem or deepening my understanding of a certain process or technique. So, one such recent memorable moment at work would be succeeding at developing a paper-based platform for carrying out molecular assays on paper which may have promising outcomes in the near future.
Your advice to students based on your experience?
My honest advice to students would be to follow your intuitions as they will lead you to the right places where you intuitively want to be. Even though it’s challenging to listen to that frail inner voice among all the chaos that we have surrounded ourselves with, isn’t that what life is about? To learn the art of following your intuitions and finding out your true self and purpose. We often think about what scares us more than what excites us and that is what holds us back. So, seek challenges and you’ll find growth.
Future Plans?
Just continue working to advance science, look for the next growth opportunity and engage in projects that align with my values. All while enjoying life and living in the present and avoid stressing about the perfect career because it may not exist! I always try to remember our careers are a part of our life, not our whole life!