Necessity is the mother of invention and perhaps one’s best invention comes when it is personal. When Dr. Pooja Goswami was working as a clinical scientist at AIIMS, her father was diagnosed with cancer. He managed to beat cancer, but his demise came just after it because of infections that occurred during the chemotherapy. The diagnostic reports of Pooja’s father came after his death. This prompted Pooja to make it her mission in life to not let anyone’s family members die due to infections. That’s how Ramja Genosensor was born.
It was the delay in the detection of her father’s infection that took his life, so Pooja was determined to reduce this time gap and effectively save lives. Ramja Genosensor, Pooja’s brainchild, is a pioneering biotechnology company that has developed a groundbreaking paper-based device for the rapid detection of microbial infections and antibiotic resistance. Their product can deliver results in just 90 minutes, significantly faster than traditional methods, which can take several days. This device is particularly useful in critical medical situations, such as in intensive care units (ICUs), where timely and accurate detection of infections is crucial for patient survival.
Apart from state-of-the-art technology, Pooja also focused on cost-effectiveness and accessibility to the masses. The existing tests cost almost Rs. 1000-22000 and hospitals invest almost Rs 2-3 crores for the staff and the necessary laboratory infrastructure. With Genosensor, Pooja aims that the testing will be faster, more accurate and will not require an expensive lab. Additionally, with this mission, they are focusing on reducing consumption of antibiotics which will prevent AMR.
Today Ms Goswami has grants from various prestigious institutions like BIRAC, Pfizer, Facebook, Government of India to name a few. However, this journey was not a walk in the garden. When she first approached AIIMS for the grant for such a unique device, AIIMS was not able to support her. So she applied to whatever grants she thought would be perfect to go ahead with this life-saving venture.
However, as soon as she was able to walk again, she discontinued where she had left. It was 2019 and as she was just starting with her astronomical rise, COVID was at the doors to disrupt the lives of the whole of humanity. Pooja describes that period to be one of the most difficult in her life, giving wings to her start-up when the world had come to a standstill.
Like all the glorious entrepreneurs, Pooja is not someone who’s affected by adverse conditions. When one of the foreign companies approached her to assist her financially and logistically, it was an offer too good to refuse. However, the international company had one condition, that the ‘Made in India’ tag be removed. But Pooja is not someone who would have compromised with the identity of her invention. She refused that golden opportunity and kept on pushing her venture and today, she’s one of the most successful and innovative entrepreneurs in our country.
When we think of businesses we think of making money out of it. However, ventures like Ramja Genosensor with visionaries like Pooja at its helm live and breathe to make a difference in the world. Her mission and commitment to fight against infections for the whole of humanity is truly inspiring.
