The US-based Johns Hopkins Medicine is keenly looking forward for research collaboration with Indian partners in basic drug research activities, on the basis of available research funding opportunities.

The institution is currently handling at least 10 research programmes in collaboration with Indian partners, the government research organisations and non-government organisations (NGOs) on various diseases, mainly the infectious diseases like HIV, TB and malaria. Currently, the projects are executed with funding from organisations like World Health Organisation (WHO) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation even as the pharma companies are not investing more on basic research citing lack of immediate returns.

"We are interested to see if any Indian organisations including the pharmaceutical companies are coming forward with funding opportunities in the area," said Steven J Thompson, senior vice president, Johns Hopkins Medicine. "Johns Hopkins is also interested to explore the wealth of generic information which could be generated from the Indian population. I think there is another real opportunity to work with Indian partners on secondary level disease management on chronic disease," he added.

However, the infrastructure and regulatory environment should be established well in the country for better research and industry opportunities. Research funding sourced from sources like pharmaceutical companies or other research organisations except the government and NGO sources is only under development. The funding options should be better established in the country to accelerate the research activities, commented Steven.

He added that there is a clear opportunity available for middle range of biomedical research and translational research for developing the biomedical research results to various end products. The institution is currently in partnership eminent universities in India for research and has earlier, in 2005, signed an agreement with Apollo Hospitals Group to introduce best healthcare practices in India.