r/biotechnology

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I want to do mRNA pcr for HPV. Anyone know any commercial kits available. Not closed platform or have any experience in developing in-house mRNA PCR?. Pls suggest

I'm a life sciences postgraduate finishing up my degree this year. My background is in cell therapy, exosomes, biologics, etc. I have about a year of hands-on wet lab experience from an internship at a funded biotech startup incubated at one of India's well-known science and technology incubators. Beyond the bench, I've had some commercial exposure too, as I represented my startup at a major national startup summit where I pitched the startup's primary research to investors, and I've been regularly presenting research papers at formal journal clubs throughout my postgraduate program.

Here's where I'm struggling:

I've been applying to positions across the board: research associate roles at CROs and biotech companies, commercial trainee programs at MNCs, and even short-term academic internships under professors at premier institutes. The response rate has been dismal. The market feels completely saturated and everyone seems to be getting laid off.

What I've tried so far:
- Applying directly on company career portals (Biocon, Syngene, Thermo Fisher, AstraZeneca, Abbott, GSK, Roche, Novartis, Dr. Reddy's, Eli Lilly and more)
- Targeting both wet lab roles and commercial pivots simultaneously

What I want to know and understand from people who've been through this:

1. In a market where even experienced people are being laid off, what actually works for a fresher trying to break in? Is mass applying a waste of time?
2. For those who've successfully pivoted from wet lab to commercial roles (medical affairs, pharma consulting, MSL, sales, marketing analytics, CRAs, etc.), how did you make that transition? What actually got you the interview?
3. For anyone who's done a research stint at a premier institute (IITs, IISc, NCBS, inStem, CCMB), was it worth it career-wise? Did it help with industry placement afterwards or does it only help if you're going the PhD route?
4. Any honest advice on what NOT to do right now that most freshers waste time on?

I'm not looking for generic "network more" advice (I have been doing it alot). I genuinely want to hear what has worked for people in similar situations, especially in the biotech/pharma market.

Thanks in advance.

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What we're looking for:

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If you're passionate about biotech, have experience in lab ops/research/startups, and want to build something legendary in Odisha, DM us or comment below!

Let's chat and turn this into reality.