IISc Bengaluru faculty selected as EMBO global investigator for 2023

EMBO Global Investigator Network is an initiative that enables excellent early-stage group leaders based in Chile, India, Singapore and Taiwan, to access a wide range of collaboration, networking, and training activities.

A member of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) faculty has been selected as one of the 10 European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Global Investigators in 2023 for his project on enzymatic dispersion of biofilms to combat biofilm-mediated microbial infections.

Dr. Debasis Das, Assistant Professor, Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry is among the scientists to have been selected to join the EMBO Global Investigator Network, an initiative that enables excellent early-stage group leaders based in Chile, India, Singapore and Taiwan, to access a wide range of collaboration, networking, and training activities.

“Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by pathogenic microbes is a serious threat to human health. We have been working on reversing antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria. Biofilm is a major line of microbial defense against drugs, and a prime virulence factor for chronic diseases,” Dr. Das told The Hindu.

Biofilm-associated conditions are ubiquitous, manifested as soft tissue infections, and on medical implants.

“Using enzymes, we are preventing biofilm formation and degrading preformed biofilms. We are developing the first-in-kind enzyme-antibiotic combination therapy for the facile treatment of biofilm-associated infections in humans,” Dr. Das said.

His work would benefit millions of people, particularly Indian citizens, who suffer from various biofilm-associated infections, and would improve their day-to-day lives.

“Being selected as one of the EMBO Global Investigators would tremendously help us expedite the work and take our invention to the global stage. The EMBO platform would help us connect with leading scientists worldwide, build a global network, visit state-of-the-art laboratories, and initiate productive collaborations,” he explained.