Dr Anindita Sen: Breaking the wall of undetectable drug harm
Second place winner in 2026 Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand.
Dr Anindita Sen
Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Drug-facilitated sexual assault often relies on gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) – a colourless, odourless, tasteless substance that disappears from the body
within hours. Existing lab tests are too slow for legal evidence, and rapid field tests lack the sensitivity required. Victims are left without proof, and perpetrators
walk free. There is a need for a reliable, accessible test that can be deployed at the point of need.
Anindita Sen is a postdoctoral fellow at Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington and DNA Chemist at Advemto, a New Zealand spectroscopy start
up. With a background spanning biotechnology, industrial biotechnology, and chemistry, her research sits at the intersection of molecular science and real
world diagnostics. Driven by a passion for justice and innovation, she develops cutting-edge biosensor technologies that translate complex science into
accessible, human-centred solutions. Her work bridges disciplines to tackle problems where science can directly protect and empower people.