The Biological Sciences in India

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THE JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY JCB: Published February9,2009 SPECIALREPORT JCB •VOLUME 184• NUMBER3• 2009 I systemswillallow.present educationalandfacultysupport countries thatareracingtoachievescientiﬁ acuteindeveloping challenges arefacedbytheUS/Europe,butparticularly itsnextgenerationofscientists.Such in educating,recruiting,andsupporting biological researchinIndia.To fulﬁ wepresentthehistory,this article, currentstate,andprojectedfuturegrowthof In by itsrecenteconomicgrowthandadesiretoaddbiotechnologyportfolio. playerinthelifesciences,powered India isgearinguptobecomeaninternational B largely by its service and information technology industries, fueled largely byitsserviceandinformationtechnologyindustries, fueled largest intheworld. India’s recenteconomicboomhasbeen driven setbacks, India’s economyisexpected togrow tobecomethethird and Beinhocker, 2007).Even withthepresentglobaleconomic class isprojectedtorise40%ofthepopulationby2025(Farrell to alarge extent byjobsprovided bymultinational companies. Correspondence to Ronald D.Vale: [email protected] 2 1 The Journal ofCellBiology The Journal ofCellularandMolecular The HowardHughesMedicalInstituteand Department Pharmacology, SanFrancisco UniversityofCalifornia, Y for thefuture R the At thetimeofwritingthisarticle,fourIndiansrankamong ndia, like China,hasbeenridingarisingeconomicwave. Aiming high ONALD ten wealthiestindividuals intheworld, andthemiddle

V ALE 1 AND The biolog K ll itsaspirations,India’s greatestchallengewillbe AREN

D ELL c excellence,perhapsfasterthantheir 2

scienc and afertileground fornew biotechnology companies.However, an increasinglyviablelocation toconductbiologicalresearch research institutesinIndiaand the US/Europe.Indiaisbecoming ing theearlierlarge disparityinsupportfacilities between thetop becoming available forstate-of-the-artequipment,thusdecreas- many new positions forlifescienceresearchers.Fundsalsoare ing several new biologicalresearch institutes,whichwillopenup this century, theIndiangovernment isexpanding aswellstart- agenda. Appreciating theimportantrolethatbiologywillplayin growth andanimportantcomponentinIndia’s nationalhealth will requireconsiderableinvestment ineducationandresearch. India’s futuremustrelyuponitsown capacityforinnovation, which However, this“outsourcing”modelisunlikely topersistindefi India Biotechnology representsapotentialsectorofeconomic es in ical

nitely.

on February 12, 2009 2009 12, February on jcb.rupress.org from Downloaded Published February 9, 2009

success need not rise in proportion to money ing independence in 1947 (with more press- invested, unless India attracts and supports ing needs occupying the nation at the start). its best young people to do research. In addition, physics, math, and engineering Many academic centers and industries in India have been considered as higher in the US/Europe are beginning to have an scientifi c endeavors than biology and have eye on India, the world’s largest democratic produced more internationally recognized country, for possible collaborations. West- scientists. Thus, it is useful to look at how ern institutions have long benefi ted from biology in India developed in the last cen- having Indian scientists on their faculty or tury, to provide a historical backdrop for its postdoctoral fellows/graduate students in current situation and a perspective for how it their laboratories (perhaps benefi tting more might develop in the future. than India itself). However, Western scien- In the middle of the 19th century, the tists, by and large, know very little about the British East India Company established scientifi c and educational systems in India. Universities in the three Presidency towns (As was true of authors of this article before of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay (now we began our 8-month sabbatical at the known as Kolkata, Chennai, and Mumbai) National Center for Biological Sciences in with the objective of training native Indians Fig. 1. Educational and research Institutes in biology Bangalore). The goal of this article is to pro- in liberal arts and sciences, medicine, law, in India, including Indian Institutes for Science Educa- tion and Research (IISERs) and Indian Institutes of vide a brief historical and contemporary and engineering (see perspective from Technology (IITs). (Note—only two of the seven IITs

view of the biological sciences in India. We VijayRaghavan [2008]). Just before Inde- currently offer degrees in biology). Arrows indicate Downloaded from also provide an editorial perspective on the pendence, India had ∼20 Central (Federal)- that Universities oversee the degree grants from the upcoming challenges for the Indian life sci- and State (Provincial)-run Universities, in majority of the undergraduate Colleges and Insti- ences, with a particular emphasis on how addition to the original Presidency Univer- tutes. Medical colleges and postgraduate institutes are not included in this diagram. India will grow and support its next genera- sities. These Universities provided a solid tion of scientifi c leaders. basic education, but did not conduct any signifi cant amount of research. The fi rst In- 1951. Jawaharlal Nehru, the fi rst Prime jcb.rupress.org stitute with a mandate to pursue scientifi c Minister of India, was a key force in estab- The Past and Present: research was the Indian Association for the lishing four additional IITs in other regions An Overview of Biological Cultivation of Science (IACS), which was of the country in the ensuing decade. Cur- Research in India established in Calcutta in 1876 and focused rently, India has seven highly regarded IITs on February 12, 2009 “It is science alone that can solve on chemistry and physics (as a note for new- that attract top students in a highly com- the problems of hunger and poverty, comers, a daunting aspect to the Indian sci- petitive admissions process. The IITs and of insanitation and illiteracy, of entifi c scene is the lettered acronyms by other research institutes such as the IISc superstition and deadening of which Indians refer to their numerous re- and the Bose Institute were focused pri- custom and tradition, of vast search Institutes, Universities, and funding marily on mathematics, physics, and engi- resources running to waste, or a rich agencies [see Table I as a guide]). The IACS neering. The legacy of this early investment country inhabited by starving poor… spawned a number of intellectual giants, carries through to the present; India now Who indeed could afford to ignore including Sir CV Raman who conducted trains over 400,000 engineers per year science today? At every turn we his Nobel Prize – winning research there. A (National Knowledge Commission [2006]) have to seek its aid… The future second prominent research Institute was and has a strong international reputation in belongs to science and those who the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in physics, math, and engineering. make friends with science.” Bangalore, which was conceived of in 1896 In contrast, modern biological re- —Jawaharlal Nehru (Independent and launched in 1909. These two Institutes search came into being much later in India. India’s ﬁ rst Prime Minister) continued to dominate basic scientifi c re- Until the 1960s, biological research was search in the physical sciences for the fi rst largely directed toward pragmatic applica- India’s footprint in the biological sciences is half of the 20th century. tions in agriculture, nutrition, and public relatively small, especially considering its At the end of World War II, a com- health. For example, the IISc in Bangalore population. Much of India’s high-level biol- mittee was convened to establish higher started laboratory groups involved in fer- ogy research is pursued at ∼15 Institutes technical institutes for the industrial de- mentation, pharmacology, and silkworm and a few Universities with good biology velopment of an independent India. This biology in 1941. The fi rst truly modern departments, each of which houses ∼10– 80 committee envisioned these institutes as “molecular biology research unit” began in faculty (Table I) (see Fig. 1 for an overview engaging in world-class engineering train- 1962 as a branch of the Tata Institute of of the Institute, University, and College sys- ing and research, following Western ex- Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai, tems). The relatively small size of India’s amples such as the Massachusetts Institute an institute originally devoted solely to life science enterprise is hardly surprising of Technology. The fi rst Indian Institute of physics and mathematics. (As an aside, given that the country began much of its Technology (IIT), as these schools came to TIFR’s current Department of Biological own national scientifi c agenda after achiev- be known, was inaugurated near Kolkata in Sciences faculty is still small (16 faculty)

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES IN INDIA • Vale and Dell 343 Published February 9, 2009

in comparison to mathematics [∼40] and director K. VijayRaghavan now has been physical sciences [>100]). Similarly, new instrumental in launching a nearby Stem LEADERS IN INDIAN BIOLOGY biological research units formed within Cell Institute (discussed later). In recent traditional physical science institutes in years, the government has invested heavily other locations. G.N. Ramachandran in the infrastructure of its research insti- (trained as physicist and inventor of the tutes, and some of their facilities are on par “Ramachandran plot” widely used in pro- with those in the US and Europe (e.g., tein structural studies) founded the Mo- state-of-the-art microscope and fl uores- lecular Biophysics Unit at the IISc in cence-activated cell sorter facilities). 1970. The Center for Cellular and Molec- Prior to the formation of biology re- ular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad also search Institutes, the top Universities were began as a semi-autonomous branch of a home to much of India’s best biology re- regional Indian Institute of Chemical search. However, since the 1990s the re- Technology in 1977 and became a Na- search Institutes have been heavily favored tional Laboratory in 1981. Other biology in research funding and faculty recruit- OBAID SIDDIQI founded the mo- institutes started with very pragmatic goals ment, which has contributed to a two- lecular biology unit at the Tata Insti- and then broadened their scope. The Na- decade decline in the stature of the tute in Fundamental Research (TIFR) tional Institute of Immunology (NII) be- Universities. Currently, there are more in Mumbai in 1962 and was the key ﬁ gure in founding the National Cen- gan in 1986 with the focused goal of than 350 Indian Universities, a spectacular ter for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in

developing vaccines but broadened several rise since Independence. Most are oper- Bangalore in 1992. Siddiqi is a Dros- Downloaded from years later and is now conducting a wide ated by State governments along with a ophila geneticist and studies olfaction range of basic biological research. The smaller number of Central, and, more re- and is a foreign member of the US Center for Biochemical Technology began cently, private Universities. The Universi- National Academy of Sciences. as a producer of biochemical reagents for ties are primarily dedicated to graduate India in 1977 but changed its name (Insti- training (master’s, PhD, and postgraduate ulty numbers are still relatively small. For tute of Genomics and Integrative Biology) training after a medical college degree). example, the total number of biology fac- jcb.rupress.org and mission (basic scientifi c research) in They also serve as offi cial degree-granting ulty at the Institutes listed in Table I is less 2002. In a somewhat analogous path, the entities for the graduate students at most than the number of faculty holding NIH National Center for Cell Science (NCCS) research Institutes. Universities also over- grants at the University of California, San

started in 1988 as a repository and distri- see the curricula, textbooks, and exams of Francisco (720). Thus, India has yet to on February 12, 2009 bution center for tissue culture cell lines the vast majority of India’s >18,000 un- achieve a much-needed critical mass in bi- (then known as the National Facility for dergraduate colleges; >100 colleges are ology. However, as described in the next Animal Tissue and Cell Culture) but be- often affi liated with a single University, section, plans are underway to expand the came a broad, basic biological science in- thus creating a complex administrative life sciences in India substantially. stitute and was rechristened with its current system (Fig. 1). Most of the Colleges are name in 1995 (Table I). physically separated from the Universi- Plans for Expanding More recently, research Institutes ties, a trend that was initiated at least four Biology in India have seeded new Institutes. Obaid Siddiqi, decades ago (a few exceptions exist such who started the molecular biology unit at as Benares Hindu University, which has “Five years ago, I would have not TIFR, Mumbai, went on to found the Na- retained undergraduate colleges on its gone back to India. But with new tional Center for Biological Sciences campus). A few medical schools also have initiatives and more funding, there is (NCBS) in Bangalore in 1992, which has basic science departments, most notably a chance to do serious research developed into India’s premier biological the All Indian Institute of Medical Sci- and I decided to come back.” institute (Fig. 2). NCBS’s current institute ences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. While there —recent faculty recruit are examples of fi ne biologists at the Uni- versities, fi nancial constraints and sub- Just like its cities, economy, and social stantial demands on faculty for teaching structure, times are changing rapidly for and administrative duties have made it dif- the biological sciences in India. The coun- fi cult for biological research to thrive in try now has the ambition and better fi nan- the current University system, as will be cial backing to begin to become competitive discussed later in the article. internationally in basic biological re- In summary, biological research in search. While biology still does not have India has progressed mostly through the the same prestige afforded to physics/ formation of independent, free-standing mathematics, interest in biology is grow- research Institutes, rather than through the ing rapidly and eventually will hold an Fig. 2. The National Center for the Biological Sciences, a center of research excellence and a green oasis in University system. The founding of these equal footing with the physical sciences. crowded Bangalore. Institutes is relatively recent, and the fac- At the time of writing this article,

344 JCB • VOLUME 184 • NUMBER 3 • 2009 Published February 9, 2009

Table I. Major Institutes and Universities conducting life science research in India

Location & Year Faculty Junior Women PhD Institutes Postdocs Institute Opened Number Faculty Faculty Students

All-Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 1956 85 39 42 278 ∼40 Basic Science Depts.

Anna University, Center for Biotechnology Chennai, 1993 12 5 5 100 5

Bose Institute, Dept. of Biochemistry Kolkata, 1974 7 0 2 19 5

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) Hyderabad, 1977 53 10 9 150 20

Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) Lucknow, 1951 156 43 31 297 5

Delhi University, South Campus New Delhi, 1988 33 12 9 137 26

Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB) Kolkata, 1935 75 12 20 190 21 Downloaded from

Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) New Delhi, 2002 (1977) 49 15 14 100 1

Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Division of Bangalore, 1941 57 12 15 305 55 Biological Sciences jcb.rupress.org

Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Kolkata, 2006 9 9 2 11 2 (IISER), Biology, Kolkata

Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Pune, 2006 9 8 3 11 1 on February 12, 2009 (IISER), Biology, Pune

Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Biosciences & Mumbai, 1990 12 2 2 96 2 Bioengineering, Bombay

Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), Biosciences & Kanpur, 2001 10 9 1 65 2 Bioengineering, Kanpur

International Centre for Genetic Engineering and New Delhi, 1988 34 8 5 101 44 Biotechnology (ICGEB)

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Life Sciences New Delhi, 1970 68 38 21 250 25

National Center for Biological Sciences (NCBS) Bangalore, 1992 25 8 8 110 14

National Brain Research Center (NBRC) Manesar, 2003 16 10 6 62 2

National Center for Cell Science (NCCS) Pune, 1995 (1988) 29 7 7 137 3

National Institute of Immunology (NII) New Delhi, 1986 47 13 11 130 30

Tata Inst. of Fundamental Research, Dept. of Mumbai, 1962 16 6 5 46 5 Biological Sciences (TIFR-DBS)

Several departments contribute to the numbers shown for AIIMS, Dehli University, JNU, and IISc. Junior faculty are considered as seven years or less on the faculty. Information for this Table was obtained from directors or faculty at the Institute or University. NCCS was originally the National Facility for Animal Tissue and Cell Culture (its founding year, 1988). IGIB was originally the Center for Biochemical Technology (its founding year, 1977).

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES IN INDIA • Vale and Dell 345 Published February 9, 2009

many new initiatives have begun or are in The pharmaceutical and biotechnol- the planning stage. Several of the premier LEADERS IN INDIAN BIOLOGY ogy businesses also are likely to grow research institutes (e.g., NCBS, CCMB, considerably in the coming decade. Big and TIFR [Dept. of Biological Sciences]) pharmaceutical companies already have are or will soon be constructing new a presence in India (e.g., AstraZeneca). buildings on their campuses, which will However, with the increasing cost of drug result in a doubling of their faculty. Sev- discovery and the high cost/enrollment eral new research Institutes also are being problems of clinical trials, it seems likely planned. Notably, a new Stem Cell Insti- that US/European/Japanese pharmaceutical tute has been approved recently by the companies will eventually outsource more Central government. Located adjacent to of their trials to India, which has many tal- the NCBS in Bangalore, this new research ented, English-speaking physicians. In ad- facility is expected to hire 40 faculty and dition, home-spun Indian drug discovery, will interface in clinical translation proj- M.K. BHAN is the Secretary of the genetic/bioinformatics, and bio-engineer- ects with the Christian Medical College in Department of Biotechnology (DBT), ing companies have emerged in the last few a Central government department years and entrepreneurship in biotechnol- nearby Vellore. The Stem Cell Institute is agency based in New Delhi that the fi rst of what may become a very excit- functions as a major funding agency ogy is likely to grow. Given the diffi culty/ ing and collaborative campus of several for biology. Dr. Bhan has been instru- expense in obtaining supplies and reagents adjacent research institutes. The other in- mental in developing the Wellcome- from Western companies, there also is a DBT India Alliance and the founding

stitutes, which are in an early planning clear niche for more Indian “Invitrogens.” Downloaded from of the Stem Cell Institute. phase, include (1) a center for platform Even if all of the plans mentioned technologies (e.g., imaging, mass spec- above do not come to fruition, the scope and trometry, etc.), which is provisionally tivities adjacent to the THSTI/UNESCO output of the biological sciences in India is called the Bangalore BioCluster; (2) an campus. A National Center for Transla- destined to increase considerably. But a sub- institute focused on problems at the inter- tional Science is being planned in Pune, stantial increase in output cannot be realized face of biology and material sciences; and which will have three units that study dif- by just giving more support to its existing jcb.rupress.org (3) a plant genomics center. In the na- ferent complex diseases and will empha- life science faculty. Rather, the future of In- tional capital territory around New Delhi, size stem cell and regenerative biology. dian biology must be built by a new genera- a new Translational Health Science Tech- Each unit will have ∼20 translational fac- tion: junior faculty who will be recruited

nology Institute (THSTI) is being planned, ulty, an associated hospital, and a training back to India from their studies abroad and, on February 12, 2009 as well as a UNESCO center for biotech- program for MD/PhD students. In Kolk- further down the road, by high school stu- nology research and education, which to- ata, an Institute for Human Genetics and dents who will become inspired to become gether might add over a hundred faculty. Medicine is in the proposal stage. scientists. In the next sections, we consider The National Institute of Immunology Biology also has come to the Indian what it is like to be a faculty member or a also has long-range plans to expand its ac- Institutes of Technology. The IITs at Kan- student in India today, which provides a per- pur and Mumbai have started biotechnology spective of where scientifi c research and ed- LEADERS IN INDIAN BIOLOGY departments, and several new IITs are being ucation in India will have to go in order to fi ll established, some of which are likely to their new institutes with capable scientists. have biotechnology/bioengineering departments. The Indian government also has Life as a Faculty Member launched fi ve Indian Institutes for Science “When I was at Columbia, for Education and Research (called IISERs), instance, I could simply pick up the which are new campuses devoted to under- phone and have reagents instantly graduate/master’s science education and re- delivered to my bench. Here (in search (Fig. 3; discussed later). Each IISER India), it can take up to four weeks is expected to hire ∼30 biology faculty, with depending on where the additional physical science faculty working manufacturer is located.” on problems that interface with biology. In —Satyajit Mayor (Nature, 2005) addition, the Indian National Science Acad- K. VIJAYRAGHAVAN is the emy, New Delhi and Indian Academy of Like the broader social structure of India Director of the National Center for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and a Sciences, Bangalore (2006) have recom- itself, opportunities for research vary tre- key ﬁ gure in launching the new mended establishing 10 Universities as pre- mendously at different institutions within Stem Cell Institute in Bangalore. His mier internationally recognized centers for India. At the top end, faculty members at group studies the wiring of nerves research as well as higher education. Other the Research Institutes possess, by and with muscles during development proposals have called for the building of large, the necessary equipment to perform and how this results in speciﬁ c lo- comotory behavior in Drosophila . >1,000 new Universities (National Knowl- high quality research and have access to edge Commission [2006]). central staff that take care of needs such

346 JCB • VOLUME 184 • NUMBER 3 • 2009 Published February 9, 2009

in India is not unusual, the delay coming degree. Without postdoctoral fellows and LEADERS IN INDIAN BIOLOGY both from administrative paperwork (often lack of adequate prior training, faculty must very laborious in India) and shipping, if the invest considerable effort in preparing/train- item is not stocked in India. Because of ing new graduate students (especially chal- such delays, reagents are sometimes pur- lenging for junior faculty who do not yet chased in anticipation of experiments that have senior graduate students to help). But might never be performed. Reagents and many faculty feel that the biggest problem is equipment also are generally more expen- that the brightest students in India are sim- sive for Indian than US scientists. This can ply not coming to graduate school. As one be particularly problematic, since Indian junior faculty said, “We are not getting the grants, which provide adequate support for best students. We are losing at every stage. salaries (much lower than the US/Europe), The brains are going elsewhere.” are often insuffi cient for purchasing equip- A third, and perhaps greatest chal- SATYAJIT MAYOR is the Dean of ment from foreign-based companies. Fur- lenge is the lack of a critical mass of life Research at the National Center for thermore, after succeeding in purchasing science researchers in India. New Indian Biological Sciences (NCBS, Banga- an expensive instrument, company sup- faculty members, who performed their lore) who studies the properties of microdomains (e.g., lipid rafts) on port/repair can be slow or inadequate, postdoctoral training in well-established plasma membranes and mecha- again delaying scientifi c progress. As one academic centers in the West, face a diffi - nisms of endocytosis. faculty with former training in the US cult transition of working in greater isola-

stated, “When things proceed without a tion without nearby collaborators and Downloaded from as autoclaving and media preparation. glitch, our research can go well. However, resources (e.g., mouse facilities, proteom- The Internet and electricity mostly work when there is a problem, then you know ics, genomics). As shown in Table I, most (generators providing back-up during in- that you are in India.” institutes are relatively small and the fac- evitable city outages). The faculty feel A second challenge cited by faculty is ulty work on very diverse topics, as a re- reasonably well supported fi nancially. In- fi nding good people to perform research in sult of their bringing back different dividual grants are usually relatively mod- their laboratories. Indian research is almost research problems from their postdoctoral jcb.rupress.org est, but the “pay line” is not highly entirely performed by graduate students, studies in the US and Europe. Many fac- competitive, so faculty spend less time since the vast majority of the better Indian ulty also feel removed from the rest of the writing for grant support than most US PhD graduates go abroad for postdoctoral world, due to the great travel distances

scientists. On the negative side, the re- training and the infl ux of foreign postdocs is and costs; some faculty feel that their re- on February 12, 2009 viewing process is often long, qualifi ed very limited (see Table I for numbers; for search does not receive proper recogni- reviewers are hard to fi nd, and grant out- comparison, the University of California, tion because of infrequent opportunities comes are generally not accompanied by San Francisco alone has ∼1,100 postdoc- to present their work at international critical feedback. Also, the time from toral fellows). Although Indian graduate meetings. However, more international grant review to receiving money can be students at the research Institutes are smart collaborations are beginning to take place, long. (An overview of grants and grant- and hardworking, many are unprepared for being facilitated by organizations like the ing agencies is provided in a review of research from their college undergraduate Wellcome Trust (discussed later), and the Indian biology by Dhawan et al. [2005]). experience and often even after a master’s critical mass situation will improve. Institutes also provide faculty/graduate housing, crèche services, and low-cost LEADERS IN INDIAN BIOLOGY cafeterias. Many Institutes have achieved a reasonable balance of female and male faculty (Table I; many in the range of 25 – 35% women faculty; for comparison, 17– 25% of the life science faculty are women at UCSF and Harvard). However, as is true in the US as well, Indian women face greater challenges in their academic jobs and relatively few have risen to leadership positions (Bal, 2004). Institute faculty cite several impedi- ments in their professional work and per- sonal lives. Many procedures that are At the Tata Institute for Fundamental Research (TIFR, Mumbai) Dept. of Biologi- relatively simple in the US/Europe can be cal Sciences, VERONICA RODRIGUES (Professor, left) studies how sensory neurons form and make connections in the Drosophila olfactory nervous slow and arduous in India. Waiting a month system. SHUBHA TOLE (Associate Professor, right) is studying the role of (indeed, sometimes up to four months) for transcription factors in the development of the mouse cortex and amygdala. a key reagent from an international vendor

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES IN INDIA • Vale and Dell 347 Published February 9, 2009

research and have developed successful Vidyalaya, “central school”) for the best LEADERS IN INDIAN BIOLOGY laboratories. The Indian government also students. Good private schools abound; recognizes the profound need to reverse the they encompass a wide range of admis- current slump of University research. sion fees, making many of these schools The salary and promotion systems more affordable to the middle class than for faculty (at both Institutes and Universi- is true in the US. During our stay in India, ties) also lack strong incentives for perfor- we witnessed impressive elementary mance. In the Universities, faculty have school science fairs and interacted with secure positions from hiring until retire- very scientifi cally astute high school stu- ment. In the research Institutes, formal dents. Much of the instruction focuses on evaluation takes place within the fi rst 5 performing well for exams rather than years, but few have been denied tenure emphasizing curiosity and scientifi c in- (only single instances at NII and NCBS in quiry, but the same criticism can be levied RAJENDRA PRASAD is a Profes- the past 21 and 16 years, respectively). against US K – 12 education. Educated sor and ex-Dean of the School of Life Frustrating to many hard-working faculty, people in India also are generally inter- Sciences at Jawaharial Nehru Uni- promotions and salary increases tend to be ested in science and technology. As an versity (JNU) who studies multi-drug resistance in pathogenic fungi. driven by years of service, and scientists example, a traveling science exhibit (the are often evaluated by the same procedures Science Express) sponsored by the Ger- as administrative and support staff. man government drew large crowds in

Being a science faculty member at a Faculty salaries also are generally Bangalore, with families waiting up to Downloaded from University is even more challenging than at lower (perhaps 2 – 5 times) compared with several hours in line to gain admission. a research Institute. Even at the very top jobs in the private sector. At the time of With such a strong early educational Central Universities, a typical start-up pack- writing this article, a junior faculty might system and a large population base, why age is $4 – 10,000 compared with $150,000 earn $8,500/year and a senior faculty ap- has it been so diffi cult for India to popu- at a nearby research Institute (although rea- proximately double that (salaries are late its biology institutions with the very sonable core facilities are available for slightly higher at research Institutes than top investigators in the world? The answer jcb.rupress.org young investigators at some Universities). state Universities but marginally so). A is that the pipeline from student to faculty Most Universities also lack or have mini- competitive Ramalingaswami fellowship investigator has many leaks (see also arti- mal internal discretionary research funds or a Wellcome Trust grant for a junior fac- cle by Desiraju [2008]). The fi rst and per-

that many research Institutes possess. Isola- ulty, however, would double their salary. haps greatest leak in the pipeline occurs on February 12, 2009 tion becomes more of a concern, since even While these salaries allow a decent stan- during high school, the turning point tak- the best University faculty generally only dard of living in University- or Institute- ing place in the 11th and 12th grades (ages have suffi cient funds to attend an interna- sponsored housing, it is diffi cult if not 16– 18). At this time, the academically tional meeting once every 2– 3 years. At impossible for new faculty (without a strongest students are directed to careers many State-run Universities, faculty also spouse working in industry) to buy or even in medicine and engineering by their must combat crumbling infrastructure, such rent modern condominiums/homes in cit- families and teachers, and, in many cases, as lack of reliable electricity, Internet, and ies such as Bangalore, Mumbai, and New are actively discouraged from pursuing running water. University faculty typically Delhi. We note, however, that a consider- teach 15 hours per week and have many ad- able faculty salary increase (∼50%) is LEADERS IN INDIAN BIOLOGY ministrative duties. Since there is insuffi - working its way through an approval pro- cient incentive/reward for mounting a cess in the Central government. While successful research program on top of the likely falling short of catching up with the mandatory teaching/administrative duties, rapidly rising costs of living in the major most faculty either do not perform research urban cities, this measure should improve or settle for a nonambitious research pro- the situation for faculty considerably. gram (10 – 25% of University professors hold a grant). As one faculty said, “There is Being a Student in India no recognition for my research in the Uni- “When I was young, money was versity system.” University-driven research not that important. The current India also has been steadily getting worse, as is about making money.” Universities fi nd themselves at a disadvan- —senior faculty member tage in recruiting new faculty, since most good postdoctoral fellows are eyeing posi- Education in science and math in India is VIJAYALAKSHMI RAVINDRANATH tions at research Institutes. However, de- excellent from elementary to high school, is the Director of the National Brain Re- spite many of these diffi culties, there are perhaps taught at a higher level than in the search Center (NBRC, Manesar) and her research focuses on the pathogenesis of many examples of remarkable University US. The Central government sponsors neurodegenerative disease. faculty who have retained their passion for outstanding public schools (Kendriya

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scientifi c research. The deciding factor is fi nd a job). Many colleges have started to money. Young people are assaulted daily encourage or require their students to ob- LEADERS IN INDIAN BIOLOGY with symbols of India’s emerging middle tain research internships, but most provide and upper class wealth—advertisements little help in facilitating these arrange- of luxury condominiums, fashionable shop- ments (a few good exceptions exist, how- ping malls, new automobiles, friends tell- ever, such as programs run by IIT, Kanpur ing of vacations abroad. Young people and the Vellore Institute of Technology, a and their families want to be part of this private college). As a result of inadequate new economic prosperity, and the surest college education/training, many students path for a bright student to achieve a com- take private commercial courses in run- fortable life style is to enter the medical ning electrophoretic gels, basic DNA clon- profession or obtain a job in the engineering, etc., in the hope of being better ing or IT sectors. As a result, entrance to positioned to obtain a job in industry. the IITs and medical colleges is fi ercely Following college, the most highly SANJEEV GALANDE is a Senior competitive. Study of the pure sciences is motivated students seek graduate degrees Scientist at the National Center for usually a second choice, if one does not in the US/Europe or at one of the Indian Cell Science (NCCS), Pune, who is gain admission to these training schools. research Institutes. However, given the studying higher order chromatin As one young (and successful) biology shortcomings of the three-year college assembly and structure and how this inﬂ uences spatial and temporal faculty member said somewhat tongue-in- training discussed earlier, students are usu- patterns of gene expression.

cheek, “We are all failures in the college ally not competitive for admission to a PhD Downloaded from exam system.” This problem also is true in program immediately. Thus, many students the US and elsewhere, although it is more often pursue a two-year master’s degree be- 100,000 students sit exams for 4,000 schol- exaggerated in present day India. fore applying for a PhD program overseas arships in the life sciences through various Given the large population (and in- or within India. For students who wish to funding mechanisms. Many research insti- herent inaccuracies of large-scale entrance apply to an integrated master’s/PhD pro- tutes also impose their own exam and inter- exams), there are still many very bright gram at a top research Institute, many stu- views. At NCBS, 5,000 students take an jcb.rupress.org students who pursue undergraduate biol- dents fi rst pursue a one-year “Junior NCBS-specifi c written exam. Based upon ogy degrees (three year). Here, another Research Fellowship” (JRF), a paid re- these results, 500 students are invited to opportunity is missed to entice and train search apprenticeship. Admission to the submit full applications and 200 are inter-

students for careers in the sciences, since best master’s or PhD training programs in viewed for 20 – 25 slots. The training period on February 12, 2009 college biology teachers have little, if any, India is competitive. Students take one or for a PhD is 5 – 6 years at research Institutes experience in scientifi c research. As a re- more national exams, the results of which (following a 2-year master’s), thus repre- sult, college undergraduates learn facts determine whether they will receive a post- senting a relatively long training program. from textbooks and do not understand the graduate fellowship that will make them An integrated master’s/PhD program of- excitement of research and are not taught also more attractive for admission to an In- fered at several Institutes typically shortens the latest scientifi c developments (see also stitute or top University. Approximately the total training time by a year. discussion of this issue by Sur [2005]). Students who fail to achieve high Being physically separated from research LEADERS IN INDIAN BIOLOGY marks in the national or institute exam or are Institutes and Universities, college stu- geographically constrained might enroll in a dents also are not exposed to the leading University to obtain a master’s and then a scientists in India. The separation of teach- PhD (the Central Universities being more ing and research contrasts the situation at prestigious than State Universities). The top US universities, where undergraduates time to achieve a PhD at a State University are taught by and can do research intern- might be ∼4 years, generally less than at a ships with the best scientists in the world. research Institute. The majority of State As one Indian University faculty stated, University master’s or PhD students hope to “Colleges have become mass teaching fi nd jobs in industry or as teachers. As one shops. How can you train students if you University faculty member stated, “If we do yourself do not do good research? They not provide job placement for students, need to be exposed to role models of sci- there is no way to motivate them.” entists who are excited about their work.” JYOTSNA DHAWAN is a Senior A third leak in the pipeline occurs at Scientist at the Center for Cell and A growing and increasingly popular Molecular Biology (CCMB, Hydera- postdoctoral training. Virtually all good In- track in colleges is a BSc Biotechnology bad) who studies the biology of dian graduate students seek postdoctoral degree, but sadly, most graduating stu- adult skeletal muscle stem cells, training in the US or Europe. Many students are ill prepared for jobs in the bio- with an interest in potentially mod- dents see a foreign postdoc as a fi rst step in technology industry or for graduate-level ulating their regenerative potential obtaining a permanent job overseas, but in disease. education (a default for many who cannot obtaining a good academic faculty position

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Highlights from Indian Life Sciences in 2008 Chopra, T., Banerjee, S., Gupta, S. Yadaz, G., Anand, S., Surolia, A., Roy, R. P., Mohanty, D., and Gohkale, R. S. 2008. Novel intermolecular iterative mechanism for biosynthesis of mycoketide catalyzed by a bimodular polyketide synthase. PLoS Biol. 6:1584 – 1598. The pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis uses polyketide synthase enzymes to produce complex lipids that are essential to its virulence. This study uncovered a novel mechanism for catalysis, which they term “ modular iterative biosynthesis ” (previously not discovered for polyketide synthases). The results have implications for engineering polyketide synthases to produce novel metabolites and in drug discovery for tuberculosis.

Goswami, D., K.S. Gowrishankar, S. Bilgrami, S. Ghosh, R. Raghupathy, R. Chadda, R. Vishwakarma, M. Rao, and S. Mayor. 2008. Nanoclusters of GPI-anchored proteins are formed by cortical actin-driven activity. Cell . 135:1085 – 1097. Several years ago, the Mayor laboratory developed a novel microscopy method (homo-FRET) that can detect the clustering of a few proteins in the plasma membrane, thereby providing an important tool in understanding membrane organization and lipid rafts. In this study, the authors show that a dynamic cortical actin network is needed to form nanoscale clusters of GPI-anchored proteins. This work provides a new perspective on how actin can contribute to membrane organization, reveal- ing that actin can actively drive membrane protein clustering and does not just act by forming “ static corrals. ”

Khan, A.G., M. Thattai, and U.S. Bhalla. 2008. Odor representations in the rat olfactory bulb change smoothly with morphing stimuli. Neuron . 57:571 – 585. This paper addresses the question of how the mammalian central nervous system decodes combinations of odors. This experimental and theoretical study examines how the output neurons of the rat olfactory bulb (mitral/tufted cells) respond to varying the mixture of a pair of odorants. Their data are inconsistent with an “ attractor network” model, which is widely used to describe many neural networks. Rather, their results are best explained by a model in which the inputs of different odorants act additively upon the mitral/tufted cell. Downloaded from Mangale, V.S., K.E. Hirokawa, P.R.V. Satyaki, N. Gokulchandran, S. Chikbire, L. Subramanian, A.S. Shetty, B. Martynoga, J. Paul, M.V. Mai, et al. 2008. Lhx2 selector activity specifi es cortical identity and suppresses hippocampal organizer fate. Science . 319:304 – 309. This paper reports a key fi nding on how the hippocampus, a critical structure in the brain for learning and memory, is formed during development. A region of the cortex called the “ hem ” was previously proposed to induce hippocampus formation. By using genetic tricks to control a key homeo- box protein called Lhx2, the authors were able to produce multiple hems in the cortex, each of which was found to be capable of inducing the formation of ectopic hippocampal tissue. This study clearly defi nes the role of Lhx2 in specifying cortical cells to adopt a “ hem fate ” as well as the hem’s role as an organizer of the hippocampus. jcb.rupress.org

Ravi, M., M.P.A. Marimuthu, and I. Siddiqi. 2008. Gamete formation without meiosis in Arabidopsis. Nature . 451:1121 – 1124. Certain native plants can produce seeds without undergoing genetic shuffl ing that normally occurs during meiosis, resulting in offspring that are identical clones of their mother. This process of clonal reproduction (termed apomixis) could be advanta- on February 12, 2009 geous for plant breeders who wish to fi x a collection of desirable traits in crops. In this study, the authors have found that mutation of a gene called dyad (which encodes a protein involved in controlling chromosome organization during meiosis) enables the normally sexually reproducing plant Arabidopsis to undergo an apomixis-like development. The study opens up the possibility of engineering a more effi cient apomixis process into crop plants in the future.

within India also requires international US and Europe. However, interesting bio- been established in the form of the Indian training. A second reason for the exodus is logical research is emerging from India Institutes of Science Education and Re- that postdoctoral salaries in India (∼$5,000/ (for recent examples, see above “High- search (known by the acronym IISER), year) have been only nominally higher lights from Indian Life Sciences in 2008”). which have been or are being established than that of a graduate student. Thus, post- Furthermore, new initiatives being set in in fi ve cities (Fig. 3). The IISERs are fi ve- doctoral work abroad is economically as motion will make it more attractive to year combined bachelor’s/master’s pro- well as scientifi cally attractive. However, pursue scientifi c careers in India. Below, grams for training in science education postdoctoral salaries will be increased by we briefl y discuss some of these new pro- and research, admitting a relatively small, nearly twofold in the near future, which grams and possible developments that select class (targeted at ∼150 students per will make it more attractive for many to might occur in the coming decade. year when the IISERs are in full opera- pursue postdoctoral training in India. tion). In their fi rst two years, students are Bringing Research to College exposed to an integrated curriculum in Changes on the Horizon Undergraduates physics, chemistry, math, biology, history “We should not be in a rush to hire Improving the educational pipeline for at- of science, and science writing, thus re- faculty. We must seek out the tracting and training students to become quiring collaborative teaching and curric- brightest and the most competent.” life science researchers is essential. No ulum development between faculty in single measure will suffi ce. The physical different departments. The third and —Obaid Siddiqi, NCBS separation of undergraduate Colleges fourth years are devoted to specialized di- India’s biomedical enterprise is poised at from research Institutes and Universities dactic and laboratory training, and year a critical juncture. As discussed above, stands out as a particular weakness in the fi ve consists of a research thesis. Impor- scientists in India have and still face many educational system (Fig. 1). However, an tantly, the faculty who are joining the more challenges than investigators in the important new educational initiative has IISERs are establishing internationally

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competitive research programs and will While this practice is diminishing, Insti- LEADERS IN INDIAN BIOLOGY train undergraduates to perform research tutes/Universities must continue to improve in their laboratories. While the IISERs their searching/hiring strategies to bring in will not provide an education in the hu- the best candidates. In addition, newly hired manities, they have the potential to train faculty must learn the necessary skills to be- students broadly within the sciences and come successful, such as choosing good re- produce graduates who will be competi- search problems and managing their tive for admission to PhD programs or to laboratories. As a step toward helping young obtain jobs in industry. scientists, a “Young Investigator” meeting is While the IISERs represent an im- taking place in February, 2009, which will portant educational advance, other pro- bring together 40 junior faculty from grams are needed for talented undergraduates throughout India and 20 Indian postdoctoral at the numerous Indian Colleges that lack fellows (mostly working overseas) to meet on-site research. Consolidation of some L.S. SHASHIDHARA is the Coor- each other as well as meet and obtain advice dinator of the Biology Department Colleges into new or existing University from well-established senior Indian scien- at the Indian Institute of Science Edu- campuses might be one route. Active part- cation and Research (IISER) at Pune tists, directors of Indian and international nerships between the research Institutes and studies how signals and genetic funding agencies, Indian biotechnology en- and Colleges represent another avenue for mechanisms specify the Drosophila trepreneurs, and nine well-known interna- exposing undergraduates to active scientists body plan during development. tional scientists. This meeting, which may

and modern research. The numerous com- become an annual or biannual event, could Downloaded from mitments of Institute faculty may preclude jointly sponsored by the Wellcome Trust serve as a model for recruiting and assisting more than an occasional lecture or sponsor- (Great Britain) and the Department of junior scientists in other countries. ing a student in their laboratories. However, Biotechnology (India) represents an im- Institute graduate students (perhaps with a portant step forward in stimulating a ca- Involving Senior Scientists in the small fi nancial incentive) could partner reer path for both postdoctoral fellows Development of Indian Biology with willing College teachers, allowing and junior faculty in the life sciences. The China and Singapore, by providing very jcb.rupress.org graduate students to offer their knowledge Wellcome Trust/DBT India Alliance an- substantial fi nancial resources, have been of research but also gain a valuable teach- nounced generous four-year postdoctoral successful in attracting well-known senior ing experience. fellowships (up to 40 per year, starting in scientists from the US/Europe to set up lab-

2009), which will allow Indians to pursue oratories in their countries. Such a model is on February 12, 2009 Reversing the Brain Drain: foreign postdoctoral training but require less likely to work in India, as Institutes/ Bringing Talent Back to India that at least one fellowship year be spent Universities tend to operate more by equal- India’s greatest challenge in the coming in an Indian laboratory. This interesting ity rather than by setting up a few individu- decade will be to recruit talented scien- program allows for valuable international als with much greater salaries and laboratory tists to the many life science Assistant training, but also cements a strong con- resources than their colleagues. However, a Professor faculty positions that are be- nection and possible international collab- growing number of senior international sci- coming available and to establish an ac- oration with an Indian laboratory. The entists are becoming actively involved in the tive postdoctoral training program and India Alliance also will support 20 fi ve- Indian life sciences, through collaborations culture within India. A recently announced year fellowships for senior postdocs, pro- and scientifi c advisory boards. In addition, $120 million/fi ve-year training program viding transition funds that will allow an interesting new program (with modest them to start laboratories in India. Finally, fi nancial incentives) will seek senior inter- the India Alliance will fund 10 renewable national scientists who are interested in grants per year for young investigators spending a minimum of two months per who have already started laboratories in year in India to run a small laboratory. India, providing them with salary, re- Instead of relying upon foreign research, and travel support. These grants cruitment, India must look to its own mid- should make a substantial difference for level and senior scientists to invest their time stimulating young scientists to return to in leadership positions, especially as new and be successful in India. institutes and programs are being launched. In addition to new funding mecha- However, this is easier said than done, since nisms, India must improve its recruiting many of the very best senior scientists are Fig. 3. An architectural drawing of the future Indian In- process and mentoring of young faculty. In working hard to run their laboratories and stitute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Pune the past, Indian Institutes and Universities maintain/improve their international stand- (state of Maharashtra). The current IISER at Pune is had a signifi cant amount of in-breeding, ing in research. Perhaps some type of incen- housed in a modern and well-outﬁ tted rental building near the future campus. IISERs offer a science education with former students returning to their prior tive might entice India’s best researchers to and research training curriculum as a ﬁ ve-year com- establishments as faculty members, in invest more of their time in the “big picture” bined bachelor’s/master’s program. sometimes less than fully open searches. of building science in India.

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New Institutes vs. Improving Existing “Pioneer Award” could be used to reward ingly absent or minimal at best. This was Institutes and Universities the top scientists in the country. However, not the case historically. Mahendral Sircar Perhaps the greatest juggling act for the programs also are needed to reward re- garnered donations to start the Indian As- Indian government will be balancing its searchers at Central and State Universities, sociation for the Cultivation of Science in investment in starting new life science who are performing at their best, given the late 19th century; in the early 20th Institutes versus improving the infra- their level of support. Similarly, Univer- century, the industrialist Jamsetji Nusser- structure and culture of its older Uni- sity and College faculty who demonstrate wanji Tata founded the Indian Institute of versities and Institutes. Starting new both excellence and extraordinary passion Science and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Institutes has advantages, since its mem- for teaching deserve national and/or state Bose founded the Bose Institute. Later in bers are freed from the inertia of a preex- recognition as well as fi nancial rewards. 20th century, the Tata family helped to isting faculty/administration. Indeed, Such efforts can boost moral and foster launch the Tata Institute of Fundamental many of the premier life science research improvement, even if large-scale improve- Research (TIFR). centers in India were built on new land, ments in infrastructure are not possible or India’s earlier philanthropists real- rather than from within the confi nes of ex- slow in coming. Most importantly, recog- ized that research and innovation are an isting Universities/Institutes (see Table I). nition/reward systems must be seen as be- important part of a nation’s identity. As discussed earlier, building of new ing fair and apolitical, thus requiring Even with India’s many pressing social Institutes is likely to continue and indeed careful national and perhaps even interna- needs, philanthropy also needs to be di- accelerate in the coming decade. How- tional peer review. rected toward India’s research efforts. ever, the Indian government and its advi- Yet, contemporary India, with more pri- Philanthropy and the Life Sciences sory panels realize that leaving behind vate wealth than ever, has surprisingly Downloaded from its Universities will ultimately have di- Science in the US and Europe has bene- little philanthropy directed toward basic sastrous consequences on science and fi ted enormously from philanthropy. In science. If such philanthropy were to education. However, the path is not sim- the life sciences, charitable foundations surface, it could a transform Indian biol- ple. There are many Universities that have impacted research and education ogy, as it has elsewhere. Being less con- need saving and recommendations have (e.g., Howard Hughes Medical Institute, strained, a private foundation (either as a jcb.rupress.org called for the building of many more the Wellcome Trust, the Gates Founda- stand-alone institute or as a granting Universities to educate and prepare Indi- tion), junior faculty development (e.g., agency) could operate using a different ans for jobs in the 21st century (National the Pew, Searle, and Burroughs Wellcome organizational system from government Knowledge Commission [2006]). A rec- awards), postdoctoral training (e.g., Da- Universities/Institutes, provide new in- ommendation by the Indian National mon Runyon and Jane Coffi n Child), and centives to scientists, and take on differ- on February 12, 2009 Science Academy (New Delhi) and In- disease-oriented research (e.g., Ameican ent scientifi c challenges. 21st century dian Academy of Sciences (Bangalore) Cancer Society, March of Dimes). We billionaires will hopefully eventually re- (2006) was to upgrade ten Universities in discussed earlier how the Wellcome Trust alize the lasting impact that they could India to high international standards in is promoting postdoctoral fellows and make on the Indian sciences, just as the research as well as education and pro- faculty in India. In contrast, Indian-based Rockefellers are credited for in early mote the development of one University philanthropy or private sector funding of days of American science and the Tata in each Indian State to the caliber of a academic biomedical research is strik- family has done in India. Central University. These will be important steps in improving the status of Uni- LEADERS IN INDIAN BIOLOGY versities and increasing their role in India’s research enterprise.

Identifying and Supporting the Best Investigators and Teachers in India Funding outstanding individuals, rather than institutions or departments, has been a very successful strategy for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the NIH (especially the new Pioneer Awards), and the Wellcome Trust. The new Wellcome Trust/ DBT India Alliance described earlier is a RAJESH GOKHALE (left) is the Head of the Chemical Biology Group at the positive step in this direction. However, National Institute of Immunology (NII, New Delhi) and an HHMI International India needs to put more programs in place Research Scholar; his research is focused on understanding pathways for cre- to recognize and provide incentives for its ating complex lipids in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. SATYAJIT RATH (right) is a senior Scientist at the NII who studies mechanisms for activating immune scientists and teachers at all levels of the cells and how HIV and parasites modulate the immune response. research/education system. Some type of

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Conclusions growth to fi nd opportunities for innova- LEADERS IN INDIAN BIOLOGY India is beginning its third epoch of tion. Will India try new experiments in aca- “nation building” in the life sciences—the demic research/biotechnology or continue fi rst being the construction of educational to adopt Western models? Will India de- institutions at the inception of an indepen- velop closer collaborations between biol- dent India in the 1950s, the second being ogy and its extensive physical science the launch of research Institutes devoted to enterprise (something that has been lack- modern biology in the 1980s, and now the ing in the past)? Will it formulate new investment to build a research/biotechnol- models for translational research involving ogy enterprise that can compete interna- a strong connection between research in- tionally. Like many developing countries stitutes and medical centers (underdevel- that are reevaluating their roles the 21st oped at present)? Will it develop a new century, India is no longer content to be an culture for collaborations between aca- “outsourcing center” for the West. demic centers and industry (currently min- P. BALARAM is the Director of the Without doubt, life science research imal in the life sciences)? And will it tackle Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in in India will change dramatically by 2030, biological questions and diseases that are Bangalore and is well known for his but what will it look like? Indians them- understudied in the West (particularly those studies using peptides to understand selves debate the outcome, some being that affect India)? While developing basic protein structure and stability. optimistic and others pessimistically pro- infrastructure for research and education is

jecting that India cannot rise above me- still of paramount concern, India also must Downloaded from diocrity in the life sciences. While pointing think about these grander challenges. How- Bal, V. 2004. Women scientists in India. Nowhere out weaknesses in this article, we stand on ever, interesting new initiatives are sprout- near the glass ceiling. Econ. Polit. Wkly. the side of optimism. The critical mass in ing in India, an example being a recently 39:3647–3654. biology will certainly increase, conditions launched “Open Source drug discovery Desiraju, G.R. 2008. Science education and research for conducting research will improve, the model” for tuberculosis. This initiative, in India. Econ. Polit. Wkly. 43:37–43. jcb.rupress.org life sciences will assume a more equal stat- launched by the Council for Scientifi c and Dhawan, J., R.S. Gokhale, and I.M. Verma. 2005. ure to physics, and even the launching of a Industrial Research (CSIR), will promote Biosciences in India: times are changing. Cell. few new programs for life science faculty collaboration and open access/Internet 123:743–745. will make a world of difference. But In- sharing of data from drug screening, bioin- Farrell, D., and E. Beinhocker. (2007) The next big spenders. McKinsey Global Institute. http:// dia’s success will not be measured solely formatics, and early-phase clinical trials. on February 12, 2009 www.mckinsey.com/mgi/mginews/bigspenders by the money that it invests, the number of One must keep in mind how far the .asp life scientists that it employs, and the num- life sciences in India have come in the past Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi and ber of papers that it publishes. It also must three decades. Many scientists have dem- Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore. (2006) take advantage of this unique period of onstrated their determination, resourceful- Higher education in science and research & devel- ness, and intellect under less than optimal opment: the challenges and the road ahead. http:// circumstances for scientifi c research. www.ias.ac.in/academy/misc_docs/sci_edu-insa_ LEADERS IN INDIAN BIOLOGY Thus, India’s journey in biology has in- ias.pdf volved courage and initiative as well as National Knowledge Commission. (2006): Report increased funding. Now, India must look to the Nation 2006, GoI, New Delhi, at http:// knowledgecommission.gov.in/reports/report06.asp to a new generation of pioneers—a successful postdoctoral fellow who turns Mayor, S. 2005. Coming home. Nature. 436: 488–489. down a job at Harvard to take a faculty po- Sur, M. 2005. Breathing life into biology. Nature. sition in India; a senior scientist who in- 436:487. vests time to teach undergraduates, mentor VijayRaghavan, K. 2008. Knowledge and human young faculty members, or assume an im- resources: educational policies, systems, and portant administrative responsibility and institutions in a changing India. Technol. Soc. not just focus on his/her own research; a 30:275–278. bright high school student who turns down SAMIR BRAHMACHARI is the an IIT to train in biological research at an Director General of the Council of We thank K. VijayRaghavan, S. Mayor, S. Rath, IISER; a graduate student who takes time L.S. Shashidhara, J. Dhawan, and J. Spudich for Scientiﬁ c and Industrial Research off from his/her thesis work to teach col- their critical feedback on this article. We also thank (CSIR), an important research/de- lege undergraduates; or an American or the many professors and students who provided in- velopment funding agency of the formation and perspectives for this article and most Central government (CCMB, CDRI, European who comes to an Indian labora- importantly, for making us feel welcome and “at IICB, and IGIB [Table I] are operated tory for their postdoctoral training. India’s home” during our 8-month sabbatical in India. by CSIR). Dr. Brahmachari developed future biology enterprise shall be built, the Open Source drug discovery ini- brick by brick, from such rewarding indi- tiative described in the article. vidual success stories.

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