Committed To Curiosity

Women in medicine. Women in research. Women in entrepreneurship. Dr. Chaitra Harsha, Chairperson of the board of Vipragen Bio-sciences, has been breaching all  these glass ceilings for almost two decades now. An Outlook insight on what drives her.

The co-founding of Vipragen Biosciences was Dr. Chaitra’s foray into entrepreneurship in life-sciences. Vipragen is a Mysore-based preclinical CRO and drug discovery company that offers end-to-end services across sectors from agro-chemicals to medical devices. Vipragen was a big leap for Dr Chaitra after her medical training, her doctoral study at the prestigious IISc and her stints as an entrepreneur. She was committed to bio-sciences since her days as a medical student. So much so that instead of entering clinical practice after her MBBS, she joined the Doctoral Programme at the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. When asked how difficult was it to get into the IISc, Dr. Chaitra said, “Getting in is tough. But leaving is more rough. Such is the charm of IISc.”

What fueled this interest? “Curiosity”, says Dr. Chaitra. She continues, “I am always questioning the world around me and how can I contribute to improving it? It was the same with IISc. As they say today's curiosity is tomorrow’s cure. I always knew basic biomedical research is important, and that so many key advances in medicine are derived from basic research. My work here propelled me to enter the Doctoral Programme after completing my medical degree. There was no looking back since.”

Once she completed her doctorate, the burning question was again, “What next?” Her entrepreneurial spirit wanted to achieve something of her own but she lacked that confidence.  Incidentally, a course at IIM Bengaluru for women entrepreneurs came to her notice. This course gave her the perspective and confidence she needed and she was all set to chase her dream. “This was a turning point” says Dr Chaitra. She realised she wanted to be a healthcare entrepreneur. She started two ventures – cosmetic dentistry and medical tourism. She however quit both the ventures to be part of Vipragen with Dr. Chandrashekaran Siddamadappa, her senior from IISc.

Dr. Chaitra says “After 10 years in the field, I knew what would work. I was equipped to lead. However, as a woman, leading a team of mostly male senior scientists and veterinarians was indeed an uphill task. Even with the full support of my team I had to walk the extra mile to lead a team of such experienced scientists . Through my hard work and God's grace, within a year I had the full confidence and support of the team. Together, we are now exploring new frontiers.” Today Vipragen is a 50-member-strong team charting a strong growth path. Vipragen has received several prestigious grants and garnered the interest of investors, a clear proof of its trajectory.

What is the outlook for the company and the industry? Dr Chaitra replies, “Immense. Especially post-Covid - the world and we ourselves have woken up to our existing skillsets.” She explains that the need to handle increasingly complex drugs and associated clinical trials is leading to a large percentage of the R&D studies being outsourced to third party contract research organisations (CROs) with specific expertise at the preclinical and clinical stage. The Global Contract Research Organization (CRO) market is expected to reach USD 86.5 billion by 2026 from USD 53.2 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 10.2%. lower development costs and favourable government policies have placed India in a strong position to ride this growth wave.

What does Dr. Chaitra feel about entrepreneurial responsibility, especially diversity and inclusion? “Biotech has many women scientists and researchers. This brings several positive elements to the table including hard work, perseverance, patience which is crucial in this field. Initially it seemed getting talent to Mysuru might be difficult but our HR policies have made us a preferred employer for promising researchers from all over India.”

Dr. Chandra, a multi-dimensional entrepreneur in the biotech space, and now the MD of Vipragen proudly says, “At our company, the top management team now has enough guts and ammunition to take on the world”.

It is now our turn to ask Dr. Chaitra, what next? Smiling, she responds, “Doing our part to make the world more equitable. For me, that means an active role in TiE Bangalore, especially with women entrepreneurs. And always exploring, always looking out for opportunities and remaining committed to curiosity.”