The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, and Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University of Wales, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote co-operation in the biosciences area including cellular and molecular biology. The MoU was signed by Professor Martin Evans, Director, Cardiff School of Biosciences, and Dr Lalji Singh, Director, CCMB.

The MoU will focus on promoting co-operation in the areas of Mammalian Genetics, Mammalian Development, Embryonic Stem Biology, Mouse Transgenic and Gene Knockout technologies. The MoU was signed during the silver jubilee celebrations of the CCMB and the symposium on "The Current Excitement in Biology."

"We are extremely excited to be working with CCMB in these areas and believe that the strides made by both institutions could be beneficial to the larger scientific community. We see a considerable common interest and complementary expertise and this interaction will benefit the progress of science in both of these institutes. The intellectual property and development made by the CCMB is very impressive and I am confident that Cardiff University will be able to contribute significantly to CCMB," said Professor Martin Evans.

Prof. Martin, who is also recipient of the Albert Lasker Awards for Medical Research in 2001 and the discover of mouse embryonic stem cells, added that this agreement would provide an important platform on which to build further collaborations.

"Cardiff School of Biosciences is by far a world leader in the area of transgenics, neurosciences, molecular cell biology and connective tissue research, Cardiff University will help us develop our nascent bioinformatics unit especially with the Wales Gene Park which will bring in expertise from an internationally renowned genetics community," said Dr. Satish Kumar, Scientist who heads these programmes at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology.

"This MoU will provide a major impetus to the faster development of theses front-line areas of biology in India," he added.

The MoU will lead to a transfer of knowledge, joint research programmes, scientific visits between CCMB and Cardiff University primarily to expedite the process towards solution of significant problems in the areas of mammalian genetics and development of mouse models of human disease through applications of transgenics, stem cells, gene knockout microarray and proteomics technologies. The MoU will be for a period of five years and would include exchange of personal and material.