India is now exploring the biotech field of study despite facing a lot of difficulties, long duration and amount of money required to carry out such highly advanced research. The Startup Awards that are being held recently recognized the work in this bio-ecosystem and awarded Top Innovator Awards to the two startups who stood up to their expectations.

About Bugworks Research

Bugworks Research is working to beat bacterial drug resistance, developing novel antibiotics to counter the threat of superbugs, bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotic drugs.

About Pandorum Technologies

Pandorum Technologies is involved in creating 3D-printed human tissues for medical research and therapeutics.

Bugworks Research’s Work Agenda 

Bugworks is presently in pre-clinical development stage. It expects to begin human trials in two years. Its currently targets hospital-associated infections. The chemical series used in the startup kills a broad spectrum of pathogens via a novel mechanism.

What Anand AnandKumar has to say

Bugworks chief executive Anand Anandkumar on receiving award said “Team Bugworks is deeply honoured and humbled to receive the coveted Top Innovator award from the Economic Times. The last antibiotic breakthrough happened in 1984; there has been a huge gap in innovation in this space”. He also said “The novel class of antibiotics that Bugworks is working on has the potential to cure a wide range of hospital-and community acquired infections caused by deadly superbugs.”

Pandorum Technologies’ Achievement

After becoming the first in the country to design a 3D-print human liver tissues for medical research, the startup is working on bio-engineering human cornea that can potentially be implanted. These human tissues can be used in medical research for drug metabolism and disease modelling. This will help in discovery of novel drugs with better efficacy.

What Arun Chandru has to say

Arun Chandru the co-founder of Pandorum said “This award has strengthened our resolve to develop and disseminate high-end innovations for the benefit of the masses. The credit goes to the whole team at Pandorum, our mentors and investors”

The Funding

Both Bugworks and Pandorum are funded by the Government of India’s Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). Bugworks is backed also by Baxter Ventures, 3one4 capital and Biocon chairperson Kiran MazumdarShaw, and Pandorum by Flipkart founders Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal, and the government’s Small Business Innovation Research Initiative.