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For many of us,
keeping up with the "biotech revolution" is virtually an impossible
task, as new procedures, new acronyms, and new buzz-words appear almost daily.
But for Dr. Sharanjit (Sharan) VedBrat it is just another day at the office.
"It is very exciting to be part of the process and a part of new
developments," says Dr. VedBrat, founder of the biotech firm KamTek, Inc.
Located in Gaithersburg, MD, KamTek has been pro-viding
biotechnical services and products to support further advancements in the areas
of molecular biology technology, immunology, microbiology, and cell biology
since 1993.
Sharan, who earned her undergraduate and Masters degrees
in India, received another MS in zoology in 1973 and her PhD in cell biology in
1975 from the University of Illinois. She worked with professors James
Kitzmiller and Gregory Whitt in the area of organismic developmental genetics.
"Urbana was the first place I came to from India.
School-wise, Illinois was great, but weather-wise it was a disaster. I really
didn’t like the winters and all that frozen precipitation! At the same time I
have always been fascinated by the beauty of frozen icicles on trees with the
sun shining through them."
From Illinois, Sharan went to Kentucky Medical Center,
where her focus shifted to cell biology and cancer research. She then moved to
New York and worked at Sloan-Kettering, where she was exposed to hybridoma
technology, a major contributor to the biotech industry in its infancy. Sharan
used monoclonal antibodies to discover inappropriate levels of expressions of
normal tissue antigens in tumor tissues and expression of viral antigens of
noninfectious retroviruses.
After working in academics for a short time, Sharan made
the shift to the business world, and has not looked back. With her experience in
hybridoma technology, retro-virology, and cancer research, she garnered major
government contracts for a new biotech company that she co-founded with her then
husband.
"At the time the AIDS epidemic was just beginning to
make the headlines. Scientists still were unsure of the causative agent of AIDS.
Since I had worked with Feline Leukemia Virus, which turns out to be very
similar to HIV, our company became involved in immunological and epidemiological
studies of populations at risk for AIDS and cancer."
"We also had a government contract to develop
monoclonal antibodies to viruses that were, at that time, only of interest to
the Army. One such virus is now in the news—the West Nile Virus."
Several companies were making AIDS screening test kits to
assure the safety of the nation’s blood supply. "The Food & Drug
Administration contracted with us to assist in quality assurance for each
production lot from each company. We also developed reference panels of sera to
monitor performance of these test kits."
Sharan continues her work in the area of HIV screening and
monitoring. "Currently it costs about $100 for an HIV monitor kit, which is
too expensive even for this country but all the more so for third world
countries." With the Center for Disease Control, Sharan is working to
develop a less expensive and simple-to-use screening/monitor test kit. But she
notes, "The approval process is long and it is expensive to market such a
product in the US."
"An advantage for my system is the small sample size
required, maybe only .2-.5 ml of blood. This will allow newborns at risk of
having HIV to be tested within 2-3 days of birth with just a small withdrawal of
blood."
With the help of Small Business Innovation Research grant
funding, Sharan has been studying the feasibility of using PCR (polymerase chain
reaction) methodologies to develop DNA tests for Leishmania, a protozoan
parasite carried by tsetse flies, and for HIV. "I had worked at Illinois on
mosquitoes as vectors of the the protozoan plasmodium, and I just built on that
experience, along with my diagnostics and PCR experiences." Her goal has
been to find a universal system for test kits.
Sharan’s company has developed KamPlatesTM—a
plastic plate with 96 micro-wells with covalently linked oligonucleotide probes.
With this plate, 96 samples for a given virus or gene can be tested at one time.
Or a plate can be set up with mini gene-arrays. Plates
with such arrays can be used to study polymorphic genes, to test for different
variants of highly mutagenic pathogens such as HIV, to test for the presence of
different pathogens from the same clinical sample (e.g., testing for
hepatitus B virus, Herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr
virus, HIV, and HTLV in the same blood sample), or to study expression of
different genes for the same metabolic path-way or disorder.
"Currently a major emphasis at KamTek is the
development of these plates, as well as the development of follow-up
technologies. But our services are also expanding into other areas, such as
growing neurons in culture and other primary cultures for the National
Institutes of Health and for the pharmaceutical industry for drug development
and testing."
Sharan enjoys running her own business. "My biggest
reward is that if I want to do something, no one can tell me that I can’t. I
just do it! There is a sense of achievement and the understanding that I am
still contributing to science, just in a different way."
However, being in business is not without its challenges.
"You feel that you have to do everything. If a job has to be done it is
your responsibility, whether it’s paying bills, delivering products, or
working in the lab."
Sharan readily admits that she wishes she had had more
business-related classes. "I have had to
learn a lot of things on the job, like how to incorporate a business, how to
apply for patents, and how to advertise. I often wish I had more training in
these areas."
Because Sharan appreciates the value of hands-on
experience, she offers internships for community college students in the area.
"They may have had course work, but they need to have work experience—even
sometimes in such tasks as how to handle a pipette."
In April 2000, Sharan came back to campus and
shared her experiences and insights with students through the Howard Hughes
Program for Undergraduate Education in the Life Sciences. "Sharing
experiences with students is very important—as well as being a delight."
More information about KamTek, Inc. can be
obtained from their website, www.kamtekinc.com/
Sharan has one son, who received his degree in computer sciences from Purdue
University. He is carrying on his parents’ legacy of pursuit of technological
advancements in his own way.
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