BioSpectrum honors Indian biotech leaders

BioSpectrum Awardees were chosen by the 7th BioSpectrum Awards Jury headed by Prof. Samir K Brahmachari, director general, CSIR. BioSpectrum Awards now in its 7th edition, in 2009, recognizes exceptional performances by individuals and companies in this sector. Serum Institute of India and The Oxford College of Science, Bangalore, were the associate sponsors; and BD Biosciences and Pall Life Sciences were the support sponsors of the event.

BioSpectrum Life Time Achievement Award

Prof. D Balasubramanian
LV Prasad Eye Institute

Trained as a chemist, he became an eye researcher and today is an inspiration to thousands of biologists who look up to him not just for his leadership but also for his contribution in popularizing biochemical research. BioSpectrum honors Prof. D Balasubramanian with the Life Time Achievement Award—2009, for his significant fundamental contributions to translational biology through scientific discovery and body of work.

BioPerson of 2009 Award

Hari S Bhartia
Jubilant Organosys

Co-chairman and Managing Director of Jubilant Organosys, Hari Shankar Bhartia, has showcased how to leverage the India advantage and maintain the competitive edge. Under his active leadership, Jubilant Organosys is riding on the pharmaceutical and life sciences business, and is continuously evolving. BioSpectrum recognizes his pioneering vision in leading the company with the integrated business model offering, pursuing a fast clip of growth and its positive impact on the industry.

BioEntrepreneur of 2009 Award

Apurva Shah and Binoy Gardi
Veeda Clinical Research

Establishing a global presence across Europe, India, the US and South East Asia, through a succession of acquisitions, Veeda’s success story would not have been possible without the skillful leadership of this entrepreneurial duo, Apurva Shah and Binoy Gardi. BioSpectrum honors their effort in making Veeda a major player in the global CRO landscape with the BioSpectrum Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2009.

BioProduct of 2009 Award

Dry Tri-T STAT
ReaMetrix

ReaMetrix is the first company in the world to successfully pioneer an FDA cleared dried-down product to measure CD4 counts that needs no refrigeration.

Dr Bala Manian’s ReaMetrix, started in Bangalore, has lived up to the founder’s visionary expectation. The jury decided to give the ‘BioSpectrum BioProduct of 2009’ to Dry Tri-T STAT, an HIV detection and management product for the masses. The world’s first US FDA approved product, available in a dry form, could replace the currently widely used liquid-based alternatives in HIV detection kits which make them dependent on expensive and complex cold chain network. The ReaMetrix product will drastically reduce the cost of HIV tests and increase the reach of technology to the people who need it most.

Meeting of minds

The winner of the BioSpectrum Life Time Achievement Award, Dr D Balasubramanian, has had tremendous influence on the Indian biotechnology sector. The acclaimed stem cell researcher from the Hyderabad-based LV Prasad Eye Institute enthralled the audience during a fireside chat session held in Bangalore. During the chat with the theme entitled 'Stem Cells and Personalized Medicine', he said, "The word biotechnology is hardly 50 years old. And I look at biotechnology at various stages, from molecules to genes."

He has tremendous influence on the Indian biotechnology sector. Whether it was in laying the foundation for the growth of University of Hyderabad which today has one of the country’s finest life sciences school or in consolidating the success of Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) after taking over from Dr PM Bhargava or in playing the pivotal role in incubating India’s first pure play biotech company, Shantha Biotechnics, Dr Balasubramanian who is affectionaly known as Prof. Balu, gave the science of sight, a human face. By restoring the sight of over 700 people, the LV Prasad Eye Institute is setting another milestone in the annals of healthcare under his leadership.

The other fireside chat with the theme 'The prospects for India's BioServices Sector', was interesting and enlightening too. Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, founder of Biocon and Narayanan Suresh, group editor of BioSpectrum, Hari Bhartia, the co-chairman and MD of Jubilant Organosys shared their thoughts on the Indian bioservices. Bhartia, who was awarded the BioSpectrum Person of the Year Award, stressed on the need of public private partnership (PPP) for new ideas to emerge. "Government has the money and will, but execution is required to tap young minds. And to attract them, capacity building is required."

Dr Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw whose group company Syngene International shared BioServices Award with Jubilant Organosys said the key challenge in India is in terms of employable manpower. She said, “There are young and eager minds who are keen to contribute to India's growth. Emphasizing on the need to curtail the time period taken for taking a 'file from one desk to another', Dr Shaw said, "We still have lengthy procedures which retards and delays work. It's because of this that there are regulatory delays. There's a need to bridge the gap." The moderator for the fireside chat at the BioSpectrum Awards 2009 was Narayanan Suresh, the group editor of BioSpectrum.

Company Awards

BioSpectrum Company Awards recognize the contributions of companies in the biotech sector. These Awards are given to the top company in each of the biotech segments that BioSpectrum covers. And the Awards are decided on the basis of the India Industry Survey conducted by BioSpectrum-ABLE Top 20 Survey conducted in June-July every year

BioPharma Company Award
Serum Institute of India
BioAgri Company Award
Rasi Seeds
BioIndustrial Company Award
Novozymes South Asia
BioServices Award
Syngene International & Jubilant Organosys
BioSuppliers Award
Waters India
Biotech School (Public)
JNU
Biotech School (Private)
Sastra University

BioSpectrum India Awards 2009: Jury

The jury headed by Dr Samir Brahmachari, director general (DG) of CSIR, and BioSpectrum Person of the Year 2008, comprised: Dr Rajiv Bhat, professor and dean, School of Biotechnology, JNU; Narayanan Suresh, group editor, BioSpectrum; KV Venugopalan, president, Waters India; Dr Jasmin Patel, managing director, Fidelity International; Dr BV Ravikumar, CEO, XCyton Diagnostics; E Abraham Mathew, chief editor, BioSpectrum

Next on Agenda

BioSpectrum Asia Pacific Awards 2010 ceremony will be held in Singapore on March 12, 2010