Empowering India Through Synthetic Biology: Ruchika Tekethotil’s iGEM Journey
Interviewee: Ruchika Tekethotil
Written by: Shibly Chowdhury
Ruchika Tekethotil, iGEM Promoter for Asia & Oceania, began her journey with the iGEM Community after hearing inspiring stories from her university seniors, Sabyasachi Banerjee and Onkar Date, who had been a part of different iGEM Programs and had attended an iGEM Grand Jamboree. Hearing about their experiences motivated Ruchika to explore synthetic biology and connect with the global iGEM community to enhance her understanding of this rapidly evolving field.
Trying to Advance Synthetic Biology in India
As an iGEM Promoter, Ruchika has dedicated herself with passion and commitment to raising awareness of synbio and fostering participation. “Being selected as an iGEM promoter has shown me how to grow my experience and network, providing a platform to represent my country, India,” she said.
However, she observed that funding limitations continue to be a major obstacle. Much of the available funding is spent on purchasing laboratory equipment and consumables, leaving little for project continuity. Many teams, she noted, struggle to continue their projects beyond the competition due to financial constraints. In contrast, teams in countries with established biotechnology ecosystems have easier access to sponsorship and institutional support. Ruchika appreciates the Indian government’s recent initiatives to improve funding and infrastructure but emphasizes that implementation across all states remains a hurdle, especially in schools that lack basic laboratory facilities. She believes community labs could help bridge this gap: “India’s biotech companies and well-equipped research labs should provide community lab facilities to high schools and universities,” she suggested.
Transforming India with SynBio, with iGEM Leading the Way
Ruchika was delighted to see the first high school team from India participate in iGEM. a milestone she sees as evidence of growing awareness of synthetic biology. Since 2011, around 15 teams from India have participated in iGEM. While participation has fluctuated over the years, Ruchika is optimistic about the future. She highlighted that in 2024, iGEM introduced a program supporting teams in transforming their projects into startups, marking a new era of applied synthetic biology.
“Though it is time consuming to fix all problems, iGEM has already achieved half the journey to success by arranging sponsorship workshops, providing better guidance, and expanding its support in India from the iGEM community” Ruchika noted.
Vision for Future
When she was asked about her vision for her future journey in synthetic biology with iGEM, she said that taking much needed initiatives could make the path smoother. Ruchika added, "We should focus on securing more funds and increasing collaboration, especially with government institutions, to ensure project stability."
As an iGEM Promoter, Ruchika is trying to identify the underlying reasons that hinder the growth of synthetic biology in India. She believes that raising awareness of synthetic biology among students and authorities can solve most of the existing challenges, “as doing so would directly tackle the root causes: lack of human capital, lack of political/financial will, and lack of public trust”. Together with the other iGEM Ambassadors, she is working passionately and assisting iGEM in expanding the community across India and Asia.
