An Insight into the Life of Anirudh Jaisimha, Biologist @ Eurofins
We have all experienced taking medicine when we’re sick. But have you ever wondered what the process of validating and commercializing them is?
Meet Anirudh Jaisimha, a trained cellular and molecular biologist working at Eurofins. Eurofins is currently one of the leading companies involved in testing pharmaceutical products, before releasing them into the market. Anirudh and his team specialize in testing gene therapy products. Gene therapy is, by definition, “The transplantation of normal genes into cells in place of missing or defective ones in order to correct genetic disorders.” This restores functionality of any gene by fixing any major defects. He and his team focus specifically on treating rare genetic diseases where many genes have low to no function.
Work in the Industry 🔬
His employer, Eurofins, have clients based in the US and Europe who design therapeutics. To ensure that they are safe, effective and high-quality for patients, these drugs are sent to the Eurofins GMP compliant facility which has been audited by the major regulatory bodies, FDA in the United States and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Europe. They are all tested here to ensure that the therapeutics being manufactured will provide the desired effect to the patient by meeting all the quality requirements stipulated by the regulatory bodies. This is an important step to gain approval for their release into the market for use.
In simple terms, Anirudh tests drugs that are designed by pharmaceutical companies seeking approval by regulatory bodies such as FDA or EMA. For example, he tests therapeutics which contain viral vectors — the most common method for delivering genes into patients. These viral based vectors contain the missing gene of interest in the patients being treated. As described by Anirudh, a gene is a part of your DNA that codes for proteins which are one of the most important parts of the cell. He explained that proteins are crucial for your body to function properly, but it is possible for them to malfunction due to genetic defects. This can happen in conditions such as sickle cell disease, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis and various lysosomal storage diseases. To solve this problem, Anirudh and his team test these gene therapy therapeutics at their site, to confirm whether they adhere to strict quality norms set by the regulatory agencies. Subsequently, these therapeutics (viral based vectors) are injected or given intravenously (by IV) directly into a specific tissue in the body, where it is taken up by individual cells to perform the function of the faulty/missing gene.
An “Unwritten Code of Ethics” 📜
When you think of gene therapy, you may think of gene editing. Gene editing is a newer technique that has the potential to be very widespread in use for gene therapies. Instead of adding new genetic material through vectors, genome editing introduces tools that can modify the existing DNA in the cell. Gene editing technologies allow genetic material to be added, removed, or altered at precise locations in the genome. CRISPR-Cas9 is a well-known type of gene editing tool. Anirudh, though, told us that he currently doesn’t work with this technology because it is in very early stages of development. However, we did have an interesting conversation about the ethics of gene editing using CRISPR.
It’s well known to anyone that knows about gene editing that there are a lot of ethical issues surrounding them. Anirudh stated that scientists have an “unwritten code of ethics” that must be followed. CRISPR-Cas9 is a huge tool that is being utilized to potentially treat genetic disorders. However, it needs to be optimized before giving it to patients, because certain off targets may develop, causing severe side effects. This is definitely not an insurmountable problem, and can be solved. And though these technologies should be used to help as many people as possible, there is a certain extent to which they can be used. Describing the views of many doctors and researchers, he said, “I am all in for utilizing these technologies within the ethical framework to treat these deadly diseases and to make a difference to patients.”
The concept of creating designer babies has been up in the air for a while as well, and was even attempted in China in 2018, creating a large uproar in the scientific community. However, there are a lot of ethical issues with this concept. An example of one such problem is that many children will have advantages over others in the world, as some will be designed to be naturally smart and high in IQ, thereby creating genetic elites and another class of people who do not opt for their use. Therefore, it’s crucial to set ethical boundaries and limits until gene editing technologies are overseen by appropriate regulatory bodies.
This subject is obviously very controversial, and rightfully so. It is a difficult question, and there is no correct answer. However, one important takeaway from this interview is that debate is important. Anirudh himself stated, “I think debate is important to arrive at a consensus.”
His North Star⭐
Anirudh’s job is really interesting, and we were curious to find out how he got there. He explained that he’s been a researcher for most of his career but has now transitioned to a more industry based role.
His passion is to be of use to the general public by helping develop and bring therapeutics into the market to treat various diseases. He wishes to contribute to the creation of new knowledge, and address fundamental problems relevant to medicine. He emphasizes that research aimed in this direction impacts people’s lives and society in general. He wants to make a difference to patients, and has followed his passion for the past 13 years.
“So my passion has always been to treat, and be of use to the general public by improving their health, help patients lives in whatever little way I can.”
This is a great inspiration, as it goes to show that it’s crucial to follow your dreams and do what you love to do for the right reasons.
Takeaways 🔑
Our main takeaways from this interview were:
“Don’t be scared of not knowing. Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know.”
Don’t ever be afraid of a complicated subject. You’ll be able to understand it by asking questions and doing research, so don’t give up just because you don’t know.
“Surround yourself with the right people and inspirational people. And always be keen to learn.”
Learning is what helps us grow and become better people, so sticking with the right people will allow us to keep learning every day.
“Help spread whatever you have learned to the wider community, so that more people are inspired to follow your footsteps. And that’s the way you kind of make a difference to the world, is it not?”
This quote is a great way to live life: spreading knowledge to others allows us to build our community and become more successful people. Instead of being competitive, help others and work towards a common goal.
“You have to be a constant learner. And you have to keep asking people if you do not understand, ask them.”
This means, despite what people think, ask as many questions as you can and stay curious. This is what will help you get ahead.
“Speak to people across various disciplines, I think you should build a network.”
Though it’s simple, it’s really important to talk to the right people and have connections. This allows you to have people to ask questions to and get opportunities from.
Note: The views expressed by Anirudh in this blog are his own and do not represent the views of Eurofins in any way.
TL;DR 💭
- Anirudh is a senior scientist specializing in cell and molecular biology at Eurofins.
- Eurofins is the world leader in pharma product testing.
- Anirudh and his team test the pharmaceutical drug sent by their clients to ensure it’s safe, effective and high-quality for patients.
- Viral vectors are the most common method for developing gene therapy drugs. A viral based vector is basically a virus containing the gene of interest. Anirudh and his team test gene therapy drugs that are made using viral vectors by injecting it intravenously into patients.
- CRISPR-Cas9 is a huge tool that is being utilized to treat genetic disorders, but it is still in early stages of clinical trials.
- Anirudh himself stated, “I think debate is important to arrive at a consensus.” when discussing the ethical implications.
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