Indian Innovators by Akshat Agrawal

Author:Akshat Agrawal [Agrawal, Akshat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mobilism
Publisher: Jaico Publishing House
Published: 2015-04-29T00:00:00+00:00

Abhijeet Joshi

Implantable Biosensor for Diabetes Monitoring

Abhijeet was born in Latur, Maharashtra, but was brought up in Ambernath (near Mumbai), where his father worked as a supervisor in an ordinance factory.

Abhijeet had a carefree childhood with little affinity for academics. Most of his time in school was spent playing cricket; he also represented his school in the sport. After he completed Class XII, there ensued a period of confusion, for he did not know what he wanted to do next.

On his father’s insistence, he joined a diploma course in Pharmacy at the University of Mumbai. He did not know much about the subject, but joined the program for the sake of doing something. During the diploma, however, he learned a lot and decided to pursue a career in this field. Because opportunities are limited for diploma holders, he decided to follow it up with a degree course.

Thus, Abhijeet joined the B Pharma program at the University of Mumbai. Years went by rapidly and he appeared for the GATE exam in his final year, obtaining a good score.

This enabled Abhijeet to secure admission in the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali, which is the first national-level institute set up by the Government of India for pharmaceutical research and education. It is now an Institute of National Importance and employs eminent faculty in the field of pharmacology in India.

“I changed a lot during my years at NIPER, starting with my shy persona. My fellow students at NIPER came from all parts of the country. Interacting with them was quite enriching. My first brush with research was also at NIPER, where I worked on various aspects of drug delivery and testing. My master’s thesis was on soluble drugs, and by the time I graduated, I already had a research article published on the subject.

After I completed my master’s degree, I received a job offer from Nicholas Piramal. However, my experience at NIPER motivated me to go into more active research. Therefore, I turned down the offer and joined the PhD program at IIT Bombay.

At IIT, I was associated with the Biomedical Engineering Department. It was unlike anything I had done before. I was from a pure pharmaceuticals background and had to learn a lot of things, but my guide always helped a lot.”

As part of his PhD, he started working on an implantable biosensor for blood glucose level monitoring. Little did he know that his achievements over the next few years could have a phenomenal impact on the life of millions of diabetes patients across the world.

Diabetes mellitus or simply diabetes is a condition where the beta cells of the pancreas stop producing sufficient level of the hormone, insulin. Insulin is required for the metabolism of glucose in the body. Thus, the glucose level in the bloodstream rises, and if it is not controlled via external medication, it can cause various complications such as permanent damage to the kidneys and eyes.

Globally, about 250 million people are affected by diabetes. Unfortunately, India

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