Author: Biotech Express

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) on Thursday entered into a memorandum of understanding with philanthropist and entrepreneur Ajit Isaac and his wife, Sarah Isaac, who have donated Rs 105 crore for establishing a centre for studying public health. It will be named Isaac Centre for Public Health. The centre will offer dual-degree programmes Master of Public Health-PhD (5-6 years) and Master of Public Health-MTech (3 years) to nurture education and research in the area of public health. It will be operational by 2024 and will encourage students to pursue careers in clinical research to develop new treatments and healthcare…

An affidavit filed by Tamil Nadu Government in the Supreme Court makes the questionable, and scientifically false, claim that the unvaccinated can spread the virus, but not the vaccinated. Covid-19 vaccines have brought hope to many, especially the elderly and the vulnerable, in reducing their risk of severe Covid. However, several authorities in India have been resorting to coercive techniques, even as the Central Government has clearly said that there is no provision for coercion. Notwithstanding the benefit of vaccination, coercive techniques are legally as well as ethically questionable. The United States Supreme Court recently struck down President Biden’s workplace…

Vipasha Verma*, Meenakshi Thakur, Bhavya Bhargava and Gaurav Zinta Affiliation: CSIR-Institute of Himalayan and Bioresource Technology, Palampur Corresponding author email: vipasha.verma@yahoo.com Flowers are the most beautiful creation of God. Their sight is a joyful feeling. The sweet smell of flowers makes the air pleasant to breathe. Flowers add colour to rooms or gardens and mend the quality of life. They are of various colours and hues. Even the same species of flowers exist in several forms and tinges. Cut flowers, namely rose, lily, chrysanthemum, lisianthus, tulip, gerbera, freesia, alstroemeria, carnation and hydrangea, carnations, and chrysanthemums, are commercially important and…

The emails also indicate that Dr. Anthony Fauci flagged an article citing scientific studies was “decades-old research.”The Biden administration didn’t have data on students’ learning loss when the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its COVID-19 school reopening guidance, internal emails show. The emails also indicate that Dr. Anthony Fauci flagged an article citing scientific studies disputing the need for students to stay 6 feet apart, noting that the rule appeared to be based on “decades-old research.” Additionally, the CDC denied a Harvard University public health expert’s request for state-level vaccine distribution data, which she needed for her…

Editorial: Drs Ella deserve Padma Award for their innovations and management in biotechnology: India’s pioneer recombinant biologist Prof Ramareddy Guntaka Editorial: Cyrus Poonawalla, the ‘‘Vaccine King’’ awarded Padma Bhushan 2022 for his achievements in biotechnology Editorial: Dr Krishna Ella: From a Farmer to Biotech Tycoon Editorial: India’s Notable Padma Awardee Biotech Billionaires Editorial: Rajeev Varshney, India’s third highest cited scientist joins Murdoch University Australia | p24 Guestorial: Mahima Datla and BP Acharya to receive FABA 2022 special awards | p22 Featured BioNews ▶ VACCINE HESITANCY: Men Wrestles Official, Climbs Tree To Dodge Covid Shot ▶ Global response to COVID-19 pandemic…

Drs. Krishna Ella and Suchitra Ella traveled through a rough road to bring Bharat Biotech to the forefront in vaccine production. Dr. Poonawala also made Serum Institute the major Vaccine Production unit in the world. I am happy to see that the Government of India honored them with Padma awards. Ramareddy As I recall one of his interview, he said the Indian biotech sector is today worth about USD 7 billion and according to the National Biotechnology Development Strategy, the target is to make it into a USD 100 billion industry by 2025, which he surely can support through his…

This year in 2022, Cyrus Poonawalla again has been conferred Padma Award. He got Padma Shri before in 2005 and thus have joined few elite Indians who consistently are doing for betterment of Indian Biotech and thus getting recognized on national as well as international level. Cyrus Poonawalla’s life is an excellent example of taking challenges and turning it into opportunity. Though he came from a wealthy family background with an established business, yet he took a chance in a completely new domain when the chances of his survival were limited by government policies and he had to struggle for…

Bharat Biotech was the first and only company in India which has made COVAXIN, India‘s indigenous COVID-19 vaccine developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – National Institute of Virology (NIV). The indigenous, inactivated vaccine is developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech‘s BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) high containment facility. The vaccine received DCGI approval for Phase I & II Human Clinical Trials and the trials commenced across India from July, 2020. After successful completion of the interim analysis from the Phase 1 & 2 clinical trials of COVAXIN, Bharat Biotech received DCGI approval for Phase 3…

The previous articles in this issue have already mentioned about Dr Krishna Ella and Cyrus Poonawalla. This article discusses about other biotech billionares in the sector, though they are only few as compared to Pharma billionaires. K I Varaprasad Reddy (2005) Dr. K I Varaprasad Reddy is the Founder and currently, the Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Shantha Biotechnics Pvt Ltd. An electronics engineer by profession, Dr. Reddy established Shantha Biotech in 1993 with the sole purpose of developing efficacious and cost effective vaccines, within the reach of common man. Shantha Biotechnics’ successful development of recombinant products heralded the…

Prof Rajeev Varshney, an eminent agricultural biotechnologist, with an H index > 100 and ca. 49000 citations has joined Murdoch University on senior leadership positions such as Director, State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre; Director, Centre for Crop & Food Innovation; and International Chair in Agriculture & Food Security. It is a great recognition for India and Indian biotechnology that Australia has picked up an Indian scientist from India to lead their internationally recognised centre for research and development in agriculture and veterinary biotechnology in Western Australia. Professor Varshney served International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) headquartered in India…