Today, India is playing a vital role in the worldwide pharmaceutical research arena as R&D remains key to the future of pharmaceutical industry. India is getting itself transformed into an R&D hub for pharmaceutical research with the skill-sets from the enormous pool of scientists from the various institutions scattered across the country. The number of well-known research institutes in India itself proves its leading role in the R&D world.
Hyderabad is home for some of the reputed research institutions such as Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics and National Institute of Nutrition.
The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN): Pioneering efforts
The National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad is one among the premier research institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), an autonomous body under the aegis of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.
The institute has started as "beri-beri unit" in 1918 with a one-room laboratory in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. The establishment of this unit laid the foundation for research on human nutrition in India. Within seven years, this unit was developed into a "Deficiency Disease Enquiry" and later in 1929, emerged as full-fledged "Nutrition Research Laboratory" (NRL) with Dr. McCarrison as its first director.
Since the facilities available at Coonoor for the expanding activities for clinical work were inadequate, the NRL was shifted to Hyderabad in the picturesque Osmania University campus in a 30-acre plot, in 1959.
At the time of the golden jubilee in 1969, the laboratories were re-designated as National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) in recognition of its diverse activities and role it was playing in investigating and finding solutions to nutritional problems of the country. The institute celebrated its diamond jubilee in 1978 and the platinum jubilee in 1993.
In the seventies, ICMR created three additional centres of NIN. The Food and Drug Toxicology Research Centre (FDTRC) and National Centre for Laboratory Animal Sciences (NCLAS) and the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB), which are located in the campus. These centres are under over all administrative control of the director, National Institute of Nutrition. Establishment of these centres at the institute helped in a further enhancement of the scope of research activities.
The institute is undertaking laboratory investigations covering a wide range of specialities like biochemistry, food chemistry, pathology immunology, haematology, microbiology, endocrinology, physiology, toxicology and molecular biology. The institute is equipped with sophisticated instruments needed for modern biomedical research investigations. The Nutrition Units, established in three local hospitals, have been providing patient care to individuals with various nutritional disorders.
NIN has been providing inter-laboratory services on mutual basis to other institutes. The Institute has been organizing short and long term training programmes to personnel in clinical and applied nutrition and also in allied fields where NIN has developed expertise.
The NCLAS has been providing animals to over 160 institutes in the country for carrying out biomedical research. The documentation division in NIN provides information to other institutions on matters related to nutrition research. The library has a collection of several books and periodicals for compiling and collating data on nutrition.
NIN has been developing the technology for double fortification of salt and salt testing kits for quick identification of content of iodine and iron in salt. It has helped industries in manufacturing iron fortified salt. The Instrumentation Division has been providing its services to various other ICMR centres in maintenance and repair of sophisticated equipment.
NIN has Nutrition Units for outpatients and inpatients in three local hospitals viz., Osmania General Hospital, Niloufer Hospital and Govt. Maternity Hospital at Hyderabad to carry out research on clinical aspects of nutrition. Besides, there is a Metabolic Unit in the Institute for carrying out metabolic studies on volunteers.
The institute is offering regular training courses- MSc (Applied Nutrition) Course (affiliated to NTR University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada); Post-Graduate Certificate Course in Nutrition; Annual Training Course on Endocrinological Techniques and Their Application.
NIN in collaboration with ICMR is developing an animal resource facility at Hyderabad. The facility may be commissioned by 2006-'07.
CCMB-Setting trends in Biomedical research
CCMB, one of the constituent national laboratories of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has developed a procedure for the preparation of superior quality of RNAase.
The ongoing research programmes at the CCMB are mainly in three major categories -high quality basic research in the frontier areas of modern biology, research relevant to societal needs, and application-oriented research towards commercialisation. These include the areas of biomedicine & diagnostics, evolution & development, gene regulation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, host-parasite interactions, membrane biology, protein structure, bioinformatics, functional genomics, theoretical biology, etc. CCMB has been chosen as a Centre of Excellence by UNESCO Global Network for Molecular and Cell Biology and has been designated as a South Centre for Excellence for Research and Training by the Third World Academy of Sciences.
Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), a premier research institute, has kept a vision for 2008 to establish balance between innovation and discovery driven research to protect the industry's present and secure future. It will meet the expectations for the publicly-funded research programmes viz. NMITLI, DBT, DST etc.
IICT has been working with various pharmaceutical companies providing technologies and expertise in various fields. It had won several contracts / assignments from industry to develop technologies and process know-how. Companies that have come forward to work with IICT include Neuland Labs, Saket Biotechnologies, Sami Labs, Krebb's Biochemicals, Biological Evans, Indigene Pharmaceuticals, Gland Pharma, SMS Pharmaceuticals, Zenenpep Biotechnologies, INGA Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceutical Corporation Ltd, Natco Pharma etc.
CDFD-Synthesis of IT and biotech
The Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) is working closely with state/central forensic science laboratories to popularize this technology. To ensure proper quality control and quality assurance, CDFD has taken pro-active measures which also involve setting up a national level statutory body. It is also set towards establishing a Disaster Management Cell and development of several new DNA based services in the areas of seed authentication, certification of genetically modified foods (GM foods) and wildlife and animal identification.
CDFD is an autonomous centre of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India and is engaged in providing services and carrying out research in the frontline areas of modern biology. The major service components of CDFD involve DNA fingerprinting, diagnostics, genome analysis and bioinformatics. Basic research in overlapping frontier areas of modern biology, especially in the post genomic scenario, is an integral component of this institute. CDFD is also the European Molecular Biology network (EMBnet) India Node (EIN) for bioinformatics.
In the diagnostics area, CDFD has increased the range of services provided, encompassing cytogenetic, biochemical and molecular diagnosis. The diagnostics laboratory at CDFD runs a new-born screening programme with a mission to prevent the development of genetic disabilities through early intervention and treatment. This screening program, initiated in October 1999, is designed to provide high quality clinical testing for ante-natal detection and diagnosis of metabolic disorders pre-symptomatically. Under this programme, which is partly funded by Dr Reddy's Foundation for Human and Social Development, CDFD had selected four major hospitals located in the city of Hyderabad to screen every child born at these hospitals.
The number of software and databases for genome analysis with databases at CDFD's website includes an indigenously developed database known as the Database of Structural Motifs in Proteins (DSMP).
CDFD is making an effort to bring about synthesis of IT with biotechnology by initiating new programmes in bioinformatics by collaborating with IT schools and institutions both in the private and public sector.
CDFD is networking with hospitals, tuberculosis centres and tuberculosis research institutes in the country and outside the country to set up a National Epidemiological Databank of Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotypes based on whole genome fingerprinting of clinical isolates of tuberculosis which has been perfected at CDFD. As of today, CDFD has about 1,000 isolates typed and compared with standard isolates from around the world including Europe, Australia, South America, Netherlands, etc. Another pathogen under this effort has been the human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori. Considerable leads have been established in typing, mapping and sequencing of the Indian strains of H. pylori with reference to molecular pathology (ulcers),drug resistance and sub-clinical invasions.
Working together with the L V Prasad Eye Institute and the Hyderabad Eye Research Foundation, CDFD has been looking at the molecular basis of primary congenital glaucoma, which, if not treated, leads to childhood blindness. CDFD is an intellectual partner in the global effort to sequence and map the silkworm genome and has provided molecular markers (microsatellite markers) to generate a physical map, which is the first step, in genome sequencing.