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Journalism of Courage
Driven by a deep curiosity about microbes and their role in human well-being, Dr Asha Kembhavi, a former scientist at the National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) and the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), began exploring how gut health could be enhanced by supporting the beneficial microorganisms in our digestive system.
Her journey led to the formation of Jinsei Bioscience Pvt Ltd, a Pune-based start-up she jointly heads with Dr Ria Deshpande, a systems biologist and the company’s CEO. Together, the duo is on a mission to tap into India’s vast microbial diversity, isolating and developing locally adapted strains of lactic acid bacteria to create next-generation probiotic formulations.
“Most probiotics available today rely on strains imported from European suppliers,” said Dr Kembhavi. “We believe that indigenous microbes, better suited to Indian diets and conditions, can offer enhanced functional benefits—such as boosting vitamin B12 or D levels, and supporting immune and metabolic health.”
As Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Kembhavi has decades of experience in microbial research, including tenures at Denmark-based Chr Hansen, Novozymes, Strangeways Research Laboratory in Cambridge, UK, and the Medical University of South Carolina, USA.
Jinsei Bioscience is looking at sourcing the strains from Indian microbial strain banks and is open to collaborations aimed at developing targeted probiotic products for Indian consumers. With a focus on immune resilience and metabolic wellness, the start-up is set to redefine how India thinks about gut health—using its own microbial heritage.
India’s diverse climate, with both tropical and temperate regions, has led to a rich tradition of fermented foods. “However, the wide range of microbes involved in these traditional methods is mostly unexplored for commercial use,” the scientist said, and pointed out that researchers across the country have conducted preliminary characterisations of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). “Only a fraction of these strains have been deposited in culture banks,” she said.
The biomanufacturing initiative by the Department of Biotechnology is playing a significant role in supporting the commercialisation of indigenous strains. “To accelerate innovation, start-ups should be granted free access to screen and characterise deposited cultures in strain banks and personal collections housed in various research institutes and universities,” the scientist said.
This initiative could pave the way for developing unique probiotic formulations suited to India’s dietary and health needs, fostering self-reliance in the probiotic industry while unlocking new opportunities in functional foods and nutraceuticals. “We could devise a reasonable mechanism for access benefit sharing,” Dr Kembhavi added.
