In a major co-development effort by Avestha Gengraine Technologies Private Limited (Avesthagen) with the European-based bioMérieux, leader in-vitro infectious disease diagnostics, the tuberculosis chip is in an advanced stage of development. The TB chip based on virulence detection will be ready in 2008. The novel chip's 13 markers will detect whether the patient has TB strains and will indicate if it is a virulent type or not.

"This TB chip will be a landmark development in the area of TB genomics in the country. Initially, we will offer the TB chip as a service from Avesthagen because expensive equipment will be needed to provide the results. The samples from TB medical care centres in the country will be sent here and we will conduct the tests. We have worked on the single nucleotide polymorphism or SNIPS linked to virulence factor. The partnership research initiative has been on for over three years, Dr. Villoo Morawalla Patell, founder and managing director, Avesthagen told Pharmabiz.

As part of its efforts to ensure that its products reach the market at a faster pace and also to bolster its research process outsourcing model, Avesthagen had gone several collaborations with companies abroad and in India since its inception in 1998. These include AstraZeneca for its TB studies. Though this project is complete, it is associated with the MNC for other projects.

With Intas, Avesthagen completed assignments on proteins for osteoporosis. For Ranbaxy it has built cell lines. It also partnered with Novartis and Sequennon. The latter was a strategic pact for purchase of the high performance MassARRAY genotyping system under a US grant.

Now the Rs 31 crore Avesthagen is focusing on long-term alliances where products are visible. "We do not want the research service model unless there is a strategic alliance because right now the company's business interests are towards Intellectual Property and product development," informed Dr. Patell.

The company is also gearing up to launch its new registered company 'Avestha Genome Project Pvt Ltd., which will help to establish linkages between genes and disease. This is a critical segment which involves a lot of complexities and responsibilities. It has just completed the company charter and Avesthagen is the first investor in it. The company has also tied up with blood collection agencies and is likely to associate itself with Red Cross for the same. The documentation for blood collection approvals with patient consent are being put into place. In May, this year, the company had announced the launch of The Avestagenome TM project, to build a complete genetic, genealogical and medical database of the Parsees.

With such a variety of projects from bio-pharmaceuticals to genome studies and TB chip development, Dr. Patell is confident that Avesthagen will be one of the top 10 companies by 2015 in the world going by its promising projects and scientific teams.