New Delhi: Baba Ramdev’s Haridwar-based Patanjali Research Foundation has surely got a shot in the arm as one of the best research brains of the country will be heading its research initiatives. Dr Rajeev Soni has taken over as the President-R&D of Patanjali Research Foundation and will spearhead the Ayurvedic drug discovery and development in the organization. With over 20 years of research and development experience including industry and academia, Dr Soni has worked as the Senior Manager (R&D) at Novozymes South Asia and as the Associate Vice President R&D, Biocon in the near past.
Dr Rajeev Soni is a PhD in molecular biology and biotechnology from the University of Cambridge, UK. He has been responsible for the design and management of state of the art molecular biology labs at Lidak (Avanir) Pharmaceuticals, La Jolla, USA, De Montfort University, Leicester, U.K., The Naval Research Lab, Washington D.C., USA, Ranbaxy biotechnology, Gurgaon, India and at PREMAS, Gurgaon, India. He has managed mutli-skilled and mutli-lingual teams across various functions and countries.
In 2005, he founded Premas Biotech, along with a team of entrepreneurs and investors and served as President and COO from inception until January, 2012. He was responsible for in-house innovative research and contract research and development. He managed marketing and business development aspects of the business as well and has keen understanding of the life science market in India, Europe and USA.
Patanjali Research Foundation is a part of Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar. The Foundation (and the parent body, Patanjali Yogpeeth) are named after the great Indian sage, Patanjali (circa 900 B.C.) who first compiled the numerous writings on yoga. The foundation aim to evaluate indigenous systems of medicine, particularly Yoga and Ayurveda, so that their physiological effects are studied using present-day scientific methods, with an aim of using these systems of medicine to promote health and manage the disease. Besides that, it is also studying the scientific basis for ancient practices used in various areas of life (e.g., farming and architecture) so that these ancient practices can be better understood and hence preserved.
While the Foundation largely uses actual scientific studies carried out in laboratories, it says the aim would also be to review the ancient texts for contemporary reading. It also wants to evaluate the use of home remedies through scientific studies so that these methods of healing may, if found suitable, be integrated in contemporary healing practices and hence be preserved.
