The Ninth International Conference on Bioinformatics that was held in the Biopolis convention centre in Singapore recently has demanded that India and other Asian countries, who have not signed in the Seoul Resolution, should join together for sharing of expertise and exchange of information on Bio-medicine and other areas of bioinformatics.

Based on the concept, the conference has passed a resolution and the lone Indian delegate in the conference, professor Dr S Rajarajan of the Presidency College in Chennai has proposed the inclusion of India and signed in the resolution. This conference was organized by the Association of Medical & Bioinformatics, Singapore.

Professor Dr Rajarajan, coordinator of Bioinformatics Infrastructure Facility Center of the Department of Biotechnology, and head of PG & Research Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Presidency College Chennai has presented a comprehensive database on Semi-Synthetic Antibiotics in the technical track session of the conference. The presentation was appreciated by the chairperson of the Association, Scientists and Pharma Industry representatives.

The database contains all the background information about the semi-synthetic antibiotics, its structure, chemical name approved by IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry), susceptible and resistant bacteria, dosage, side effects, industrial production, and Genomic information on resistance. Dr Rajarajan and his research team had presented a unique and comprehensive database on natural antibiotics in the international conference on bioinformatics held in Taiwan in 2008. These two databases are declared as the first of its kind in the world by the ABC (Asian Bioinformatics Centre).

He said these two databases will be of great use to doctors, scientists, researchers, pharmacists, students of medicine & life-sciences, patients, the general public and academicians working on antibiotics.

While speaking to Pharmabiz he said semi-synthetic antibiotics are partially modified natural antibiotics in the pharmaceutical laboratory in order to improve the efficacy of the natural product. They have not only lesser side effects, but ensure development of resistance by the pathogen (bacteria) to the antibiotics. Penicillin Derivative, the first natural anti-biotic, Cephalosporin Derivative and Tetracycline Derivative are semi-synthetic antibiotics. These semi-synthetic antibiotics are derived from natural antibiotics by bringing in desirable change in their chemical structure, he said.

In both of his presentations Dr Rajarajan mentioned about the yeoman contribution made by an Indian scientist, Dr Yellappragatha Subba Rao, in the development of an important antibiotic of tetracycline namely Aureomycin. Dr Rao who discovered this Antibiotic when he was with the Lederle Pharma Company in the United States and rose to the position of director of Research there. He was popularly called in US as 'Man of Miracle Medicine' due to his synthesis of Diethylcarbamazine (DEC), an anti-filarial drug, an anticancer drug and Vitamin B 9 in addition to Aureomycin. Dr Yellappragatha Subba Rao was an old student of Madras Presidency College.

To a query, professor Rajarajan said the aim of the Seoul Resolution was to build an extensive network of Asian Bioinformatics Centre at the national and institutional levels throughout Asia to fulfill the aims of collecting, curating and preserving bioinformation, and later it helped for the formation of an Asian Bioinformation Institute, similar to the European Bioinformatics Institute in UK.