IIT Bombay alumnus Raj Nair to fund new biosciences and bioengineering lab

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has signed an agreement with alumnus Raj Nair and IIT Bombay Alumni Association (IITBAA) for the construction of a biosafety level 3 (BSL3) good manufacturing practice (GMP) lab at the department of biosciences and bioengineering (BSBE) which is expected to shorten the time it takes to get life-saving solutions from research stage to the market by manufacturing materials required for human clinical trials. Under the agreement, Nair has committed to lend financial support to IIT Bombay’s biosafety lab and to manage its implementation with assistance from Ajit Jawle, who is an alumnus and an expert in GMP systems.

According to a statement from IIT Bombay, the new lab will help in manufacturing nanomaterials, tissue-engineered grafts, CAR-T constructs, drug nanoparticles and other such materials required for human clinical trials and thus facilitate the progression of research to the market. The facility is expected to reduce the time taken to get life-saving solutions from the research stage to the market.

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“Mr Nair’s vision for this initiative is that India and IIT Bombay become a place where the output of research will result in bold and impactful solutions for the masses that facilitate a 10X improvement - better, cheaper, and faster - than the existing solutions anywhere in the world, so that thousands of patients suffering from difficult-to-treat diseases will benefit,” said the statement.

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“There was a critical need for a GMP lab at the Institute’s BSBE department and we are extremely grateful to Mr Nair for tending to it. Mr Nair’s donation will serve to further our vision of making lab-produced products easily available in the market and facilitate real-word practical applications that are faster, better and beneficial to the masses. The establishment of this lab is a step towards our stated objective of being among the top 50 institutions in the world,” said Subhasis Chaudhuri, director at IIT Bombay.