Author: Biotech Express

In December 2024, the Delhi High Court delivered a verdict that sent shockwaves through India’s academic community: Sci-Hub, the controversial platform that provided free access to millions of paywalled research articles, was banned. The ruling, championed by publishing giants like Elsevier, Wiley, and the American Chemical Society, was hailed as a victory for intellectual property. But for researchers, students, and academics across India—particularly those in underfunded institutions—it was a devastating blow to their pursuit of knowledge. The ban exposes a stark truth: academic publishers, with their billion-dollar profits, are not champions of science but gatekeepers who prioritize revenue over human…

On August 18, 2025, a groundbreaking study by researchers at the BRIC-National Institute of Immunology (NII) in New Delhi was published in Nature Communications. The study revealed that vitamin B12 enhances longevity through its influence on serotonin signaling, which occurs via brain-gut interactions. Using the Caenorhabditis elegans model, the team, led by Gyaneshwer Chaubey, demonstrated how vitamin B12 promotes healthier aging. The research found that vitamin B12 supplementation increases serotonin production in the gut. This boost in serotonin enhances communication along the gut-brain axis, improving metabolic balance and stress resilience—both of which are critical for extending lifespan. Specifically, in C.…

A 2025 post-marketing trial funded by the Serum Institute of India, published in The Lancet, highlights RmAb’s potential to replace traditional rabies immunoglobulins (RIGs) in post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for severe animal bites. Current PEP involves wound care, rabies vaccines, and RIGs. Equine RIG (ERIG) is affordable but risks allergic reactions, while human RIG (HRIG) is safer but costly and scarce. RmAb, a lab-engineered antibody targeting the rabies virus glycoprotein, eliminates these issues. Produced via recombinant DNA in bioreactors, it avoids blood-derived risks and is scalable for India’s 17 million annual animal bites. The trial, involving 4,000+ participants, compared RmAb with…

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have created a glowing paper sensor to enable early, affordable liver cancer detection. The device uses the rare earth metal terbium to target the enzyme β-glucuronidase, which is linked to liver, colon, and other cancers. This innovation offers a sensitive, low-cost tool for resource-poor settings. The sensor works by harnessing terbium’s green glow under ultraviolet (UV) light. When β-glucuronidase is present, it triggers a reaction that releases a molecule acting as an “antenna,” which transfers UV energy to the terbium, amplifying its luminescence. This long-lived emission ensures a clear, strong signal. Designed…

In a recent peer-reviewed study published in the journal EXCLI J., researchers analyzed official government data from nearly 300,000 residents in the Italian province of Pescara. The study, titled “COVID-19 vaccination, all-cause mortality, and hospitalization for cancer: 30-month cohort study in an Italian province,” examined the relationship between COVID-19 vaccination status and health outcomes, including all-cause mortality and hospitalization for cancer, over a period of 30 months from June 2021 to December 2023. The study’s findings have ignited considerable debate, with some interpreting the results as a confirmation of a link between COVID-19 mRNA vaccines and an increased risk of…

Much of the recent conversation around the FDA’s move to incorporate AI-assisted reviews has focused on what it means for approval timelines and submission requirements. But what’s equally important – and what we see increasingly across the industry – is how it’s forcing biopharma companies to rethink their own regulatory operations. The reality is, submission volume and complexity have been rising for years. Many companies have quietly struggled with outdated, document-centric workflows that simply weren’t built to keep pace with today’s data demands. Now, with the FDA accelerating its digital transformation, organizations have no choice but to modernize – not…

The i3 Summit – Vimarsh 2025, a premier science conclave organized by a catalyst funder and non-profit, Blockchain For Impact (BFI), successfully concluded its inaugural edition, bringing together key stakeholders from India’s top science and tech academic institutions, government agencies, and industry. The two-day summit, held at the Pullman Aerocity, served as a multisectoral platform to advance India’s R&D landscape and drive translational biomedical research. The event featured a series of insightful panel discussions and keynote addresses on a diverse range of topics, including “India as a Global Destination for Biomedical Innovation & Manufacturing,” “Reimagining the Science Driven Enterprise in…

India’s recent release of its first two genome-edited rice varieties, DRR Rice 100 (Kamala) and Pusa DST Rice 1, has ignited a fierce controversy. Developed using CRISPR-Cas9 Site-Directed Nuclease 1 (SDN-1) technology, these varieties promise significant benefits, including increased yields and reduced methane emissions. However, a coalition of scientists, farmers’ representatives, and activists, led by the Coalition for a GM-Free India, argues the government has acted recklessly, bypassing critical safety protocols. A primary concern centers on the technology itself. While promoted as “precise,” critics like biotechnology scientist Dr. Krithika Yegna argue that SDN-1 can cause “off-target” mutations, creating unforeseen changes…

A potential conflict of interest has sparked debate over the neutrality of Reuters’ COVID-19 coverage. Public records show James C. Smith, President and CEO of Thomson Reuters from 2012 to 2020, also served on Pfizer’s Board of Directors from 2014. This overlap raises questions about journalistic ethics, as Reuters, a leading global news outlet, extensively covered the pandemic, including fact-checking vaccine-related “misinformation.” Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine, a cornerstone of the global response, tied the company’s success to public trust in vaccine safety and efficacy—topics Reuters reported on heavily. Critics argue Smith’s dual roles created a conflict, given his fiduciary duty to…

On August 28, 2025, Dr. Gradlin Roy, a 39-year-old cardiac surgeon at Saveetha Medical College Hospital in Chennai, died of a massive heart attack caused by a 100% blockage in his left main coronary artery. Despite CPR, angioplasty, and ECMO, colleagues couldn’t save him. This tragedy, reported by outlets like Times of India and shared by neurologist Dr. Sudhir Kumar on X, fits a grim pattern of young Indian doctors succumbing to sudden cardiac events. Cardiologists like Dr. Ranjan Shetty and Dr. V.V. Bashi cite rising heart issues in young Indians due to trans fats, inactivity, and ignored symptoms. Skepticism…