Author: Biotech Express

Days after Mankind Pharma inked a ₹13,630 crore deal to buy Bharat Serums and Vaccines (BSV), its top management said BSV would run as an independent business, reporting to the Mankind board. Giving broad contours of the integration process, Juneja said, TTK Healthcare’s human pharma business – acquired by then Advent-backed BSV about two years ago – would be absorbed into Mankind’s consumer healthcare business. Mankind expects the BVS acquisition to bring in synergistic benefits of ₹50-100 crore in 12 -24 months, he added. Mankind had said last week, it was acquiring 100 per cent equity in BSV, a move…

Professor Chandrabhas Narayana is currently Director of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB). Prof. Narayana a Bangalorean by birth, born to parents from Kerala did his PhD from the Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore after completion of his Bachelor and master’s in science education from Regional Institute of Education, Mysore (affiliated to Mysore University). He then went to Cornell University, Ithaca, New York for his Post Doctoral Research. Before joining as the Director at Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), he was the Dean (Research and Development), the Chairman (Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit) and the…

This year, in budget 2024, the allocation for the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has been cut from Rs. 2,683.86 crore to Rs. 2,275.7 crore this year or around 16%. But if we see the unspent funds then it looks normal because DBT has more than 1000 crore Rs from last year. DBT was allocated Rs. 2683.86 crore in 2023-24 but could utilize only Rs 1607.32 crore. In 2022-23, the Ministry of Science and Technology has been allocated Rs 14,217 crore. This comprises: (i) Rs 6,000 crore to DST (42% of the total), (ii) Rs 5,636 crore to DSIR (40%), and…

Dr. A. S. Ninawe, Ex-Advisor, Department of Biotechnology, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003. E-mail: ninawe@gmail.com The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) is the nodal agency supporting research and it’s applications in life sciences, promotes and accelerates the pace of development and large scale use of biotechnology in the country. The setting up of DBT in 1986 gave a new impetus to the development in the field of modern biology and biotechnology in India. In more than three decades of its existence the department has promoted and accelerated the developments in agriculture, health care, animal sciences, environment and industry. It has…

Jaanvi Bhakri, B.Sc. (H)- Biotechnology Amity Institute Of Biotechnology (AIB), Amity University Haryana (AUH), Gurugram-122413 HR E-Mail ID: jb.jaanvibhakri2002@gmail.com Dr. Gargi Bagchi, Professor Amity Institute of Biotechnology (AIB) , Amity University Haryana (AUH), Gurugram- 122413 HR E-Mail ID: gbagchi@ggn.amity.edu 1. Introduction Autoimmune diseases arise from an aberration in immunologic tolerance, leading the immune system to mistakenly target self-molecules. They emanate from a multifaceted interplay of diverse factors, encompassing environmental, genetic, hormonal, and immunological aberrations. The combination of these factors may be referred to as the mosaic of autoimmunity. Some common examples of autoimmune diseases include Insulin-Dependent Diabetes, Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid…

An adult man dubbed “The Next Berlin Patient” has been declared the seventh person to be cured of HIV, and his case provides valuable information that could lead to a more broadly accessible approach for the 39 million people living with the virus around the globe. Immunologist Christian Gaebler, M.D., M.Sc., of Charité – Berlin University Medicine, will present the new case at the 25th International AIDS conference in Munich, which runs from July 22 to 26. In a press preview on Thursday, Gaebler described how the patient was diagnosed with HIV in 2009 and then later developed acute myeloid…

By Kamal Pratap Singh, Managing Editor- Biotech Express It is shocking to see that one of India’s most revered biotechnologists has been dragged by the Elsevier publishers who have now retracted some of his publications from their journal (Bioresource Technology) for no fault of his. It came to light when the news was published in The Hindu that quoted PubPeer having shared the retracted articles due to ethical misconduct and not scientific misconduct. When one delves into these papers, it is noted that the authors have vehemently denied that retraction but Elsevier which is a multi-billon dollar publisher perhaps due…

According to resources, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), India’s premier ranking system for higher education institutions, has come under scrutiny for its opaque and often questionable methodologies and continues to remain controversial for a decade now. One of the most contentious issues is NIRF’s emphasis on peer reputation, as pointed out by Achal Agrawal, an assistant professor at Sitare University. This holds a 10% weightage in the overall ranking. The parameter is determined through a survey, the details of which are not disclosed, leading to concerns Amit Sheth, the founding director of the Artificial Intelligence Institute at the University…

By Kamal Pratap Singh, Managing Editor, Biotech Express E-mail- kamal9871@gmail.com Now it is apparent that covishield is indeed responsible for deaths of many who were not subjected to emergency vaccination. The governments and the international organizations including Blackrock, Bill and Melinda Gates foundation forced people to take vaccine for the sake of profit of their partners, one of them is Serum Institute of India (SII). But that is not limited to serum only, Bharat Biotech the other company was also criticized for their low quality as safe as water vaccine. Ethically if we see the history, only one company in…

The 48th Annual meeting and international conference of the Indian Society of Human Genetics, jointly organised by FRIGE’s Institute of Human Genetics and Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, was held from Jan 21 to 24, 2024, in Ahmedabad, India. The motto of this year’s event was Sarva mangalam bhavatu, which means peace, health, and prosperity for all. The conference was attended by over 700 delegates, including 130 faculties and 36 biotechnology companies from 13 countries who discussed and deliberated on the progress made in basic genetics, and translational aspects including screening, diagnosis, prevention, and novel treatment approaches in rare genetic disorders.…