The COVID pandemic has now become a part of our lives and I’m sure we’ve all heard of the TrueNAT success story. TrueNAT is the world’s only WHO approved point-of-care platform – a real-time quantitative micro-PCR system that helps detect over 30 diseases. On the 9th of October 2021, we at MAHSS were graced by the presence of the very man, the pioneer of this revolution that has been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, Sir Sriram Natarajan.

Sir begun by speaking about his initial days, how he went on to study botany and then came back to the field of zoology when he came across the Radio Immuno-Assay during his tenure at BARC. He further shared with us his experience of working at Krishnakeshav laboratories. However, having a larger vision of make-in-India diagnostic products for the global market, he made the courageous decision of quitting his job.

Sir founded his first company – Tulip Diagnostics where they produced the first ever Hepatitis B and Malaria test in the world. With this, Tulip grew to become the largest in-vitro diagnostic exporter in India.

However, Sir soon realised that Micro Biology was the burning field that needed attention and invention, and that was when ‘MolBio’ was born. The idea was to try and undertake artificial DNA replication by the use of ‘primers.’ (A primer is basically a sequence that provides a start point for DNA synthesis.) Sir then explained to us, beautifully, the entire process of thermal cycling in PCR, which was nothing short of FASCINATING.

We then discussed the sophisticated yet efficient process of real-time PCR, which was most reliable in terms of sensitivity and specificity. Even though this was a useful technology, it was merely a confirmatory tool that didn’t provide immediate results. This was when Sir met Dr Chandrashekhar Nair, and the both of them together founded MolBio. As is known, Tuberculosis diagnostics has been in the backseat in India, and that is exactly what Sir and his team at MolBio worked on. It was necessary to provide a point-of-care diagnostic unit, such that the statistics would be available on the cloud.

Lastly, Sir gave us sound advice that we must have proper domain knowledge before delving into any field and must have a clear vision. Sir’s brainchild has contributed significantly not only to the scientific community but also to the human society. Sir gives us Goans so many reasons to be proud of. The work he is doing continues to touch so many lives and make a difference, all thanks to his tireless perseverance and relentless energy.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sir VPD, who provides us this kind of unmatched exposure.

Written by,

Nidhi Thakur,

Class 11