Nicholas Piramal India Limited (NPIL) has entered into a research collaboration with the National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi, one of India's premier research institutions supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

The collaboration will be an integral part of NPIL's broader R&D programme to discover and develop new chemical entities (NCE's) in the field of inflammation. Dr. Ram A Vishwakarma, a renowned scientist from NII, will spearhead this collaborative effort, a release from NPIL said.

Dr. Somesh Sharma, Chief Scientific Officer, NPIL said, "NPIL is proud to be in the forefront of establishing research collaborations with talented Indian scientists in leading academic institutions."

NPIL is focusing its R&D efforts on development of NCE's and New Drug Delivery Systems (NDDS) in select therapeutic areas including Cancer, Diabetes & Metabolic Disorders, Inflammation, and Anti-infectives. The company's lead molecule in Oncology, P-276-00, is undergoing advanced toxicology testing prior and is on track to enter human clinical trials by the end of this year, the release added.