SK Patel College of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Ganpat University, Kherva, Gujarat has organised two-week long staff development programme (SDP) on 'advances in herbal drug technology and research' with the sponsorship of the AICTE from January 29 to February 11, 2007.

GC Bhavsar, retired professor of Pharmacognosy, L M College of Pharmacy, Ahmedabad, has inaugurated the function on January 29, 2007 at the campus. P I Patel, vice-chancellor, Ganpat University, Kherva, and Dr G Vidya Sagar, principal & director, Veerayatan Institute of Pharmacy, Mandvi, Kutch were the chief guests of the inaugural function.

Speaking at the inaugural function Dr G Vidya Sagar and G C Bhavsar stressed the need of staff development programmes for the teaching faculty and threw light on the recent advances in Pharmacognosy. Addressing the function P I Patel explained the significance of ayurvedic medicine in the holistic system of health care.

In the scientific session, Dr G Vidya Sagar has made a thought provoking presentation on 'plant tissue culture and production of secondary metabolites'. In the lecture, he spoke about the various aspects of tissue culture technique including micropropagation, transgenics and genetic engineering of plants. The lecture was followed by an interactive session with the participants where several question and answers were discussed. The teaching faculty from the States - Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra has attended the programme.