Author: Biotech Express

The Union Ministry of Science and Technology’s Technology Development Board (TDB) has decided to provide financial support to a Visakhapatnam-based startup company for the development and commercialisation of a range of medical implants, robotic surgical instruments, and devices using metal injection molding (MIM) process. Dr. Srivari Chandrashekhar, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, and Chairperson, TDB, said, “Currently, surgical instruments are either imported or made with casting or forging technologies and are not suitable for robotic surgical instruments or critical care surgical instruments applications. The global surgical instruments market currently comprises of only 2-3 global players, namely Johnson & Johnsons,…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the low-risk determination for the marketing of products derived from genome-edited beef cattle. The decision is the first low risk determination for marketing of products from an intentional genomic alteration (IGA) in an animal for food use. IGA refers to changes introduced into the DNA of animals using biotechnological techniques, including genome editing. The IGA in the beef cattle led to a short-hair coat trait present in some conventionally bred cattle, known as a “slick” coat. After the FDA’s review of scientific data, the product was determined as low-risk and does not…

Prof Ashok Pandey is the top scientist who is having h-index at 117, 2nd highest in India. His major research and technological development interests are in industrial and environmental biotechnology, which span over biomass to fuels & chemicals, waste to wealth/energy, industrial enzymes, solid-state fermentation, etc. Professor Pandey is currently Distinguished Scientist at Centre for Innovation and Translational Research, CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR), Lucknow, India and Honorary Executive Director at the Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability- India. Formerly, he was Eminent Scientist at the Center of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing (CIAB), Mohali and Chief Scientist & Head…

One in four Australian medical researchers involved in drug trials failed to declare money they had received from pharmaceutical companies when submitting journal manuscripts, a study reports. The authors cross-checked statements on financial conflicts of interest listed by Australian authors of 120 drug trials published in the first eight months of 2020 against a database of company-made payments reported to Medicines Australia, the country’s pharmaceutical-industry association. The research, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine1 this month, is one of only a few studies outside the United States to examine discrepancies between drug-company payments made to health professionals and…

Balwani is facing multiple counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. He and Holmes were both charged by the government in 2018 but were given separate trials. More than two months after Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty of fraud, the trial of her business associate and one-time romantic partner Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani has finally begun. Like Holmes, Balwani faces multiple counts of fraud related to the business practices of Theranos. During opening remarks, the prosecution painted Balwani, the company’s former president, as working hand-in-hand with Holmes as the duo fed false information to investors about its proprietary blood-testing…

Criminals saw crisis as an opportunity to sell more such products, taking advantage of vulnerability of people in need, ASPA president Nakul Pasricha says. Criminals saw crisis as an opportunity to sell more such products, taking advantage of vulnerability of people in need, ASPA president Nakul Pasricha says During the COVID-19 pandemic, incidents of substandard and falsified (SF) medical products increased by almost 47% from 2020 to 2021. Trade-in pharmaceutical counterfeits during this period spiked majorly relating to COVID-19 products, including vaccines, medicines, test kits, antibiotics, face masks and sanitizers. This, according to the latest report released by the Authentication…

Since the demand for energy is increasing day by day, the governments in major countries have started to explore options other than fossil fuels and to produce energy from alternative/renewable sources. The Government of India had set an ambitious target of 175 GW renewable power installed capacity by the end of 2022. This target aims to install a total of 10 GW worth of Bioenergy capacity. Bioenergy so far is especially prominent in rural India since agricultural residues such as straw and cow dung are easily available. As per the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (“MNRE”), about 32 percent…

Bharat Biotech, has partnered with BIOFABRI, a Spanish biopharmaceutical company, to develop, manufacture and market a new tuberculosis vaccine MTBVAC in over 70 countries in Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. MTBVAC is the only live attenuated vaccine against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in development. It is currently being developed for two purposes: as a more effective and potentially longer-lasting vaccine than BCG for new-borns and, on the other hand, for the prevention of TB disease in adults and adolescents, for whom there is currently no effective vaccine. MTBVAC will start phase 3 clinical trials in Senegal, South Africa and Madagascar in the…

Fibroheal Woundcare has raised a venture debt funding of about $1 million (about Rs 7 crores) from Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under their PCP Fund (Product Commercialisation Fund) and the existing promoters and investors. The company intends to scale up its go-to-market capabilities, recruit more people on board and create an impact through the economic multiplier potential of silk protein and healing different types of acute, chronic, non-healing, slow healing, difficult-to-heal wounds including post-operative wounds. The company has a range of products catering to different types and stages of wounds which include sheets, mesh, foams, powder, particles and…

To start with, it is important to note that energy is neither created nor destroyed, it only changes forms. Ultimately we i.e. human use energy for whatever ways we can and using alternatives sources to meet demands. Consumption of energy is a huge part of our day to day living. We eat with energy, we travel with energy, we work with energy and many more. This makes the availability of energy very necessary for humans. Energy means the capacity to do work. It exists in various forms such as mechanical energy, kinetic energy, potential energy, sound energy, etc. It just…