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Highlights
- Exploring the journey of TCS Research scientist, Rakesh Gupta, and his contribution to the development of microscopic models of the skin layers that enable the in-silico testing of drug and cosmetic formulations.
- Rakesh and his team have also computationally designed peptide functionalized nanomaterials that capture the natural binding phenomena of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to human lung cells. This development helped the scientific community further their research on the virus.
- Rakesh was conferred the INAE Young Engineer Award in December 2019, and TCS Young Scientist Award in August 2020, for his efforts toward developing a digital twin for human skin.
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The skin’s digital twin
It was around 2013 that regulatory authorities worldwide imposed strict restrictions on testing cosmetics and their ingredients on animals. This development led to the ideation and conceptualization of a digital twin of the human skin.
“The digital twin of human skin is developed based on a concept called ‘multiscale modeling’ which mimics the skin’s physiochemical nature,” explains 32-year-old Rakesh Gupta—a budding scientist at TCS Research.
Rakesh’s team has been credited for developing microscopic models of the human skin’s layers which enable in-silico testing of various drug and cosmetic formulations. The development has also proved useful in the designing and testing of nanomaterials for other healthcare applications.
In recognition of this work, Rakesh was conferred the INAE Young Engineer Award in December 2019, and TCS Young Scientist Award in August 2020.
‘Molecular behavior is fascinating’
Rakesh joined TCS Research in 2013, where he worked in the biological and physical sciences research space.
Prior to joining TCS Research, his academic interests were toward computational modeling and simulation, with a focus on molecular dynamic simulations of charge interfaces, among others.
“I had to learn new domains, tools, and techniques, while on the job. The imposition of regulations on the use of animals in cosmetic testing and the scope of scientific research in the skin biophysics space is what drew my attention to the subject,” Rakesh says.
“I was always fascinated with the molecular world and curious about how tiny arrangements of molecules lead to astonishing macroscopic behavior,” he added. It was this fascination with molecular behavior that led him to pursue a Master’s in chemical engineering at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, after gaining a Bachelor’s in chemical engineering from National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, India.
Rakesh began exploring the world of ions and molecules to understand their behavior in nano pores and to design better super capacitors. “I always wanted to know how research would be different in industry as compared to academia. And what inspired me to join TCS Research was the work by some of its senior scientists that I had followed very closely while at IISc,” he says, explaining why he chose to work as a scientist at TCS Research.
A microscopic model
Rakesh and his team embarked on a bold journey to develop a digital twin of the human skin, ultimately trying to eliminate the need for animal testing in the production of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
The team worked for over a year and a half. Non-availability of prior experimental data in the public domain related to testing on real human skin was among their biggest challenges.
“It was frustrating when things were not going in the right direction, but we kept moving forward with the hope and belief that if we were to succeed, it would be of immense contribution not only to the scientific community and TCS Research, but also to millions of people,” Rakesh says.
The team validated models through minimal data obtained from scientific literature after extensive research.
Rakesh’s first paper and patent on the digital twin of human skin was published and filed, respectively, in 2015-16. It featured a microscopic transport model of the skin’s top layer. In 2017, the design was detailed further, and a full multiscale model was presented via the paper and the patent—a milestone that the entire team is proud of till this day.
Digital unravelling of the SARS-CoV-2 virus
Rakesh’s curiosity piqued at the onset of the pandemic in 2020 while he followed social media chatter on the discussions around virus detection by global research laboratories.
His team computationally designed nanomaterials that capture the natural phenomena of the binding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to human lung cells and could be used in biosensing applications.
The development proved useful at a time when labs were shut, and many internationally acclaimed groups were still tracing the characteristics of the virus. The research on proposing strategies to develop therapeutics and a cure, too, were in nascent stages at that time.
'Tastant' molecules
Apart from research, Rakesh enjoys whipping up a meal and has applied his culinary skill to his work in biological research.
An assignment he’s currently working on involves exploring human taste. The team is applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to biological systems to develop new tastant molecules.
“We can quantify the mass, length, distance, and time, but taste is always relative. How one designs new tastants for making flavorful products is not so straight forward and that’s where we are contributing to make it simple,” states Rakesh.
A scientist and an engineer
Rakesh’s work has been published in several international journals.
Over 20 international articles have been published on digital skin and seven patents have been granted across geographies.
Rakesh’s work has been showcased at several technological forums and TEDx events to audiences as diverse as investors, academicians, and CXO-level decision-makers. Finding simple yet effective responses to complicated problems is a skill he constantly applies at work and in life. “Think like a scientist but build like an engineer” is what he uses as a fundamental guideline in his research journey.
