Agilent Technologies has honoured Prof Anurag Rathore, a scientist at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, with an Agilent Thought Leader Award, for his contributions to the field of biopharmaceutical research and his work with advanced methods for molecular characterisation of biosimilars.

The 2020 award includes a grant to support research personnel and Agilent instrumentation including a 6545XT AdvanceBio LC/Q-TOF, a Bravo Automated Liquid Handling Platform, and a 1290 Infinity II 2D-LC System. Prof Rathore—who serves as professor at IIT Delhi’s Chemical Engineering department—is the first researcher in India to receive this award. Award funding will be used to promote academic-based research on critical areas impacting the biopharmaceutical industry.

“I feel humbled to be chosen for an Agilent Thought Leader Award,” said Prof Rathore. “As one of the many researchers at IIT Delhi working in the new COVID-19 normal, this is an encouraging and welcome event. The award will propel me to work harder as we strive to bring the technologies and products we have been working on to market.”

The work at Prof. Rathore’s lab will focus on the best practices towards molecular characterisation of monoclonal antibody-based biosimilars. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) include an important and growing group of biopharmaceutical drugs used to treat several diseases and conditions. Their activity, stability, and other physicochemical and toxicological characteristics are heavily influenced by the level and position of their amino acid modifications. As such, Agilent is invested in developing workflows to streamline the analysis of critical charge and glycosylation heterogeneity of these molecules.

“Prof Rathore is a leading scientist among an extremely motivated and talented research group at IIT Delhi. We are privileged to have him as the first recipient of an Agilent Thought Leader Award in India,” said Bharat Bhardwaj, Country General Manager, Agilent India.

Bhardwaj continued, “Over the next three years, this relationship will further help Prof Rathore’s development of biosimilar drugs, and improving human health.”

The Agilent Thought Leader Award programme promotes fundamental scientific advances by contributing financial support, products, and expertise to the research of influential thought leaders in the life sciences, diagnostics, and chemical analysis space.