A scientist and startup entrepreneur Dr. Nusrat J. Sanghamitra shares her journey from a humble childhood in Odisha to pioneering a breakthrough technology that promises to transform the painful reality of cancer therapy while delivering a TEDx Talk at SCBMCH
OdishaPlus Bureau
I want to talk to you about dreams—not the kind that visit you in sleep, but the kind that keep you awake at night.
My story begins in a very simple home in Soro, a small town in the Balasore district of Odisha. I am the eldest of six children. We lived in houses provided by the Food Corporation of India, where my father was a Grade II officer. These homes often had only one room and a kitchen, but they were electrified with ambition. My mother dreamed of nursing; my father dreamed of mastering English literature. Though poverty and circumstances kept them from their own goals, they had the audacity to dream that all six of their children would receive the finest education. They never gave up, and that tenacity became my first great lesson: to dream big and work relentlessly.
Like many students in India, I initially wanted to be a doctor. When that didn’t happen, I was heartbroken. But then, a thought struck me: if I became a physician, I could help a limited number of patients. If I became a scientist and discovered a drug, I could serve humanity globally, even beyond my own lifetime.
This path led me to a PhD at the Indian Institute of Science (IIS), Bangalore. I chose to focus on cancer, naively thinking I could easily synthesize a “better” drug. But in 2001, reality hit home. My father was diagnosed with cancer. Watching his struggle, I realized that in cancer, it isn’t just death that scares us—it is the notorious side effects and the trauma of the therapy itself. That was the moment my “sleep-stealing dream” was born: Could we make cancer drugs as innocent as an aspirin or a paracetamol?
For twenty years, I pursued this. I moved from chemistry to biology, biophysics, and biochemistry, working across continents from Oxford to Kyoto. The problem with current “targeted” delivery is that it often relies on positive charges to enter cells, which causes toxicity and low efficiency.
During my research in Japan, I had a “Eureka” moment. I discovered a mechanism where a negatively charged molecule could cross the negatively charged cell membrane directly, bypassing the usual “trash can” of the cell (the endosome) where most drugs get stuck. It went against all conventional wisdom. I faced years of skepticism and even humiliation, but I stood my ground.
When my professors wouldn’t agree, I returned to India. With a grant from the government, I proved the concept and founded CyGenica in 2017. Today, we are an international team working to ensure that 100% of a drug reaches its target safely.
This journey is far from over. Drug discovery is a long, arduous road that costs millions. I am not from a business background, and I hear “you can’t do it” almost daily from experts and executives. But I am not afraid to fail. I have three tools that keep me standing:
- Never be afraid: If an opportunity won’t kill you, take it. You can always rebuild.
- Pursue excellence: Excellence is the best deterrent to any “ism”—racism or sexism.
- Find your ‘Why’: When the storm comes, your purpose is what keeps you upright.
In the face of adversity, you have a choice. You can be like a carrot that goes soft in boiling water, an egg that goes hard, or a coffee bean—which changes the water itself and turns it into something beautiful. I choose to be the coffee bean.
(Dr. Nusrat J. Sanghamitra is the Founder and CEO of CyGenica, a health-tech startup focused on pioneering safe and efficient drug delivery systems. Hailing from Odisha, India, she is a multi-disciplinary scientist whose breakthrough research in molecular transport aims to make cancer treatments less toxic. This article is based on her inspiring TEDx talk delivered at SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH), Cuttack.)
Can watch the full-length interview with Dr Nusrat J Sanghmitra under the series ‘Startup Story’ hosted by Subroto Bagchi – celebrated author, entrepreneur and cofounder of Mindtree, at:
Encouraging story.