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India's first Centre for Energy Biosciences established in Mumbai

Our Bureau, MumbaiMonday, June 1, 2009, 08:00 Hrs  [IST]

The Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai (formerly UDCT) introduced India's first Centre of Excellence of Energy Biosciences DBT-ICT Centre. The ceremony was conducted in the presence of Dr M K Bhan, secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, and the centre was inaugurated by Padma Vibhushan Prof M M Sharma, ex-director ICT, one of India's leading chemical engineering scientists. The Department of Biotechnology funded India's first Centre of Energy Biosciences at the Institute of Chemical Technology in early 2008. The centre's objective is two-fold: enhance the biomass yield per hectare and develop technologies for converting non-fodder agricultural residue to liquid and gaseous biofuels. ICT also partners with national and international Institutes and Industries in this endeavour aimed at reducing India's dependence on petroleum fuels and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Commenting on the DBT-ICT centre, Dr Bhan said, "The most important aim of setting up this centre was to develop an economical process for producing liquid biofuels by bringing down production costs by as much as 50 per cent compared to existing known technologies. The objective is also to train young minds in developing abilities and confidence to solve the problems facing our nation." Speaking at the ceremony, Prof Dr Arvind Lali, co-ordinator, DBT-ICT Centre for Energy Biosciences said, "The aim of the DBT-UICT Centre of Energy Biosciences is to develop sustainable lignocellulosic biomass (LBM) to alcohol technologies through a four-pronged initiative to develop technologies for fractionation of lignocelluloses in ways that facilitate subsequent bioconversion of cellulose and hemicellulose to fermentable sugars that in turn will be converted to alcohol: development of crop varieties that are solar efficient and amenable to easier pre-treatment and bioconversions; development of cost effective enzyme and micro-organism systems capable of breaking down lignocellulose components to fermentable sugars and alcohol; and development of other technologies for conversion of biomass to fuels through biotechnology routes, as well as using all components of LBM to useful/viable products." Dr Lali added that in its efforts to develop world-class technologies for biopharma industry, ICT has enjoys useful collaborative partnerships with global companies like Bio-Rad Laboratories, who have helped the life-science market and given the Bio-pharma industry a much needed boost to further the cause the research and development in the different sectors of the market. ICT has helped the bio-pharma industry through a tie-up with many companies like Bio-Rad India, a cent per cent subsidiary of Bio-Rad Laboratories USA to improve their end product portfolio and research activities, to help them develop and deploy strategies for scaling up production and testing capacity for chromatographic separation, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Bio-Rad has been working jointly with the ICT in chromatography - one of the most effective, powerful and almost indispensible techniques in the modern era of biomolecule separation - for bio-pharmaceutical sector and allied industries. Bio-Rad has been at the helm of many groundbreaking inventions, providing a vast range of innovative products for the clinical diagnostic and life science market. "It is our endeavour to propel the Bio-pharma industry in exploring cost-effective solutions in the Chromatography practices which have developed for some time," said Balram Parath, country manager, Bio-Rad India. Bio-Rad Labs has played a leading role in the advancement of scientific discovery for over 50 years by providing a broad range of innovative tools and services to the life science research and clinical diagnostics markets. Bio-Rad India, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bio-Rad Laboratories USA, has its headquarters in Gurgaon, Haryana, and regional offices at Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

 
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