The Biotechnology Initiative (TBI)

In a while...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 08:47:00 +0000

I breathe in air infused with aspirations and perplexing ignominy that seldom sustains the rhythm of life. Life in itself, a state of mind is devoid of any true indication of its existence. Life becomes the absence of death, nothing more. Asserting its compound, degenerate and lucid forms it bemoans for a reason to be, a purpose to fulfill.

In search of self, it is said, time is elementary. I am not in search of time as a quantity but its worth as an experience, as a truly lived entity. It governs our lives, but yet it is oblivious. We struggle to find it yet it is always right there. Waiting to be sought for, intermingling with our illusion of its scarcity.

I am on a sabbatical albeit a brief one, indefinite in time but only a moment in its conclusion.

Some of my work that you may want to read:

Reality check

Importance of being miserable

Indian History X

Euphemistic Euthanasia

Breaking the block

Bio mutiny

Conversations: After the blast

Clinically cynical

Times they are a changing

Bio mutiny

Quest for answers - Part III. End game.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 05:05:00 +0000

Change is the only constant, they say. How much ever I may want to believe in this universal law, the bureaucratic administration ensures that it deviates from the norm and keeps me guessing. So, it seems, they would want to go out of their way to establish their independence outside of the natural course.

The reply to the RTI filed on 14 November is now considered complete, well at least the process is. Last night I received the final piece of official documentation, which should have sufficed my nagging thirst for information.

Even though I was forewarned of the impending disappointment, the new found optimist in me hoped for the better. I was wrong, and how!

The general character of reply is evasive, as you can see below. What is shocking is the assumption that by categorically refusing to answer it would not amount to a follow up. Here, there is not even an attempt to provide explanation why the question cannot be answered. As though, a return visit to clarify the mysterious cryptic message is a given.

The circulars enclosed with the letter do not provide with much information, only that which is already known.

As a citizen, am I supposed to understand the departmental problems and bureaucratic hurdles that do not allow the PIO to do his job? Am I expected to empathize with the registrar, shackled by the system and bogged by the enormity of his task of seeking information from the big bad policy makers? Or should I, as any normal or delusional person, depending on your perspective would, expect a response close to reality?

The most common reaction to this would be the quintessential ‘I told you so’. Yes, you were right, I knew that already and still I went ahead with it. I want to know what next?

Is there a point in pursuing this cause? The people to whom this should matter seem the least interested in knowing what governs their collective academic destiny.

*****

For the complete application and previous progress see :

RTI Application

Previous answers

Dated 28th November 2006.

This has reference to your application for seeking information under the RTI, 2005, dated 14 Nov 2006.

1) A circular no. UG/380, dated 25^th September 2006, is enclosed herewith for your perusal. (Regarding eligibility to admissions, aptly answered)

2) A circular no. PG/1/2170A, dated June 2005, is enclosed herewith for reference. Regarding plan to increase the number of seats in the MSc biotech course PIO is unable to answer.

3) Permission for starting any new course is given by Higher and Technical Education Department, Government of Maharashtra. (Not enough information, the general passing the buck observed)

4) The list of colleges which offers MSc Biotech course at present is attached herewith. (Answered)

5) To 9) PIO is unable to give information in the matter. ( No further explanation provided as to why this cannot be answered)

Mumbai University Msc degree course in Biotech, Vidyanagri Campus, Kalina

List of colleges affiliated to Mumbai University –

1) Birla College, Kalyan

2) G.N. Khalsa College, Kings Circle.

3) C.K.Thakur College, New Panvel

4) Vaze College, Mulund (East)

5) Institute of sciences, Fort, Churchgate

6) Jhunjhunwala college, Ghatkopar

Quest for answers - RTI update

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 15:08:00 +0000

Quest for answers - Part II
RTI update.

Surprise! Surprise! …

After a long day of agitating at Azad Maidaan (See paradox paradigm ), I came home tired and demoralized. The protest rally was not as successful in terms of evoking an administrative reaction, as I would have liked it to be. But then again, in a democracy the important point is to ensure your views are heard.

At about 10.20 pm, yes at night, on 16 November, 2006, I heard a knock on the door. I opened the door, and then I was stunned and at a loss for words. I actually did not utter a word, only nodded my head to confirm the name and address. A man from Mumbai University was hand delivering a reply (marked urgent!) from the registrar regarding my RTI application. It was just two days ago that I filed my RTI application. Could this be a prank by my cynical friends to drive home the generally perceived futility of trying to get answers from the bureaucracy?

What if this was true…...................................and it was!

I managed to knock myself out of the momentary stupor and sign on the receipt. In my exhausted (and exasperated) state, I forgot to ask the gentleman his name.

There it was, nestled in my disbelieving fingers, glowing in its formal brown aura. It was heavy, at least my application was not rejected out right, I guessed. I opened the package and a letter fell out.

It was a reply to my first question... see my draft RTI application

Q...To which Post Graduate (PG) courses offered by the Mumbai University and its affiliated colleges in Mumbai can a Biotechnology graduate (BSc) apply? Please provide a detailed list of these courses and the colleges which offer them.

Answer:

Course list available Room 18, Ground floor, University Building, Publication Section, Fort Campus, and onwards list enclosed for your information.

Wherever mentioned “any faculty” in the course, a student is eligible for the course.

Further I am to inform you that point 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9 will be get information in the PG section.

Signed – Registrar

I know it sounds like I got the old ‘not my department’ from the wily registrar. The enclosure is a “detailed list” (as I had worded in my letter) of various courses – certificate and add-on courses that I never knew existed.

I wonder if the fact that he asked me to go and see the list put up in the University when I had clearly made a demand of a detailed list, could be challenged as avoiding his duty.

Also, I have been warned that they overload applicants with excess information (in this case I clearly dug my grave with the word “detailed”) to discourage them from filing RTI petitions.

I will follow this up with the relevant authorities this week as I check up on the status of the remaining 9 questions.

The quest continues….

*****

Some of the certificate courses enlisted in the reply are as follows. This list is indicative and not exhaustive. FOR COMPLETE DETAILS E-MAIL ME.

r. No.	Course	Eligibility	Duration
1	Forensic Biochemistry	Regular student along with his/ her BSc or MSc course. T.Y.BSc onwards	12 weeks
2	Drug Discovery and development	-- same -- F.Y.BSc onwards	12 weeks
3	Industrial Biochem	---same---	12 weeks
4	Diploma/ Advanced diploma in Vocational Biotechnology	Simultaneously with BSc	3 years
5	PGD in environmental laws and practice	Graduate: BSc	1 year
6	PGD in human rights and laws	Graduate : BSc	1year
7	PGD in Intellectual property rights (patenting)	Graduate	1 year
8	Certificate course in Horticulture	HSC passed	3 years
9	Food and Nutrition	---same--	3 years
10	MSc course in Herbal Science	Biological sciences 50% + and entrance test	2 year full time
11	Research methodology	Simultaneously with BSc or MSc F.Y.BSc onwards	12 weeks

Quest for answers - The Beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 09:08:00 +0000

I filed my RTI draft yesterday, 14 November 2006, aptly on children’s day as the questions in the draft (can be read in the previous post) if answered with complete honesty might just help those who seek a career in this field via academics.

It was relatively simple. I prepared the draft and after a day long hunt for a court fee stamp which incidentally can be bought with minimum hassle (at Simla stationary, opposite Mumbai University road, towards Regal) I was ready to undertake the quest for answers.

Here it gets tricky. One must know before hand where the draft is to be filed, with which PIO. Mumbai University has 20 registrars for various departments which act as PIOs.

To make things simpler, file your RTI application at the INWARD SECTION at the Mumbai University campus, Fort, Churchgate. It is the duty of the relevant department to answer questions pertaining to their section and forward the RTI to the other departments. It does help of your queries are all directed to a single department for a single matter, say finances, the probability of getting a answer increase drastically this way. But it is seldom the case.

Most people perceive filing an RTI as some sort of a battle with the lethargic and highly secretive system where answers are seldom provided. This application too may be dispensed by the relevant authority citing technicalities, like information is not yet documented or available, it is not of the relevant department, etc.

Despite this, the truly unfortunate part is that this act is seen as something alien, most are still not comfortable with the idea of filing an RTI. The perennial ‘what’s the point’ syndrome stifles any inclination towards seeking relevant answers to equally relevant questions.

I am of the opinion that this act of questioning authority to derive vital information from them which might affect the course of one’s career or life itself must be an inherent act. It must emanate from our basic thoughts and the urge to go beyond what is generically said, not only in Biotech but in all spheres of life. This might sound idealistic and it is to a large extent. But it is a start.

The primary point here is that asking questions and persisting till they are satisfactorily answered is a requisite. If not then it must be, at the least, a significant and viable alternative to internalizing generic information. The option is always there.

Right to know

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 15:36:00 +0000

After three years of biotech education there are rudimentary questions which I deserve an answer to. Right to Information Act, 2005, empowers us to seek relevant answers from the institution which is ironically widely perceived as a alien entity with respect to our immediate reality.

The following is a draft application that I will file under the act an try to get a few basic administration related answers. Although these questions may seem narrow as compared to the wider debate, it is a start.

The PIO is expected to provide a substantial answer to these questions within 30 calender days. I will keep updating this space in my quest to extract cognizable information from the annals of bureaucracy.

APPLICATION UNDER THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT, 2005.

To,

The Public Information Officer November , 2006

Vice Chancellor’s office

Mumbai University,

Mumbai, Maharashtra.

I… Full name of the applicant: HEMANT MORAJKAR

II… Address: C-5/7, Jeevan Veer Coop. Soc., LIC colony, Borivli (west), Mumbai – 400103.

III… Particulars of the information required:

Subject matter of information: Mumbai University Biotechnology course details required.

Period of which the information relates to: Information available up to date.

Description of information required:

1... To which Post Graduate (PG) courses offered by the Mumbai University and its affiliated colleges in Mumbai can a Biotechnology graduate (BSc) apply? Please provide a detailed list of these courses and the colleges which offer them.

2… The ratio of number of seats in MSc Biotech course to the number of Under-graduate students who passes out is grossly skewed (140/1000). Is there a plan to increase the number of seats in the MSc Biotech course?

3… Why is the permission for MSc courses at

§ SIES college of Arts, Science and Commerce in Sion and Nerul

§ Patkar College in Goregaon

§ RKT College in Kalyan

§ Pendharkar College in Dombivli

as reported in Indian Express , Mumbai Newsline on 22/09/2006, being upheld?

4… Provide a revised list of colleges, including newer colleges, which offer/will offer MSc Biotech course relevant to the academic year 2007-2008.

5… Biotechnology is currently an unaided course at the Under-graduate level making it costly. Do you intend to bring it under the aided purview to make it more accessible to students?

6… Are there any government recognised diploma courses related to Biotechnology that a BSc graduate student can avail of?

7… Biotechnology is a ‘technical’ industry oriented course, but is found lacking in terms academic progression (after 12^th Biology) and has none or little connection with industry requirements. Is there a plan to revise the curriculum to facilitate the same? If yes, then what are the changes being initiated?

8… There is little difference in the BSc Life Sciences and Biotechnology courses that are being offered by the University in terms of inherent lab requirements and subsequent opportunities in academia or industry. Then why is the Biotechnology course so costly?

9… Is there a plan to upgrade the Biotechnology, Life Sciences, Bio-physics laboratories at the Mumbai University, Kalina campus?

IV... I state that the information sought does not fall within the restrictions contained in section 8 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 and to the best of my knowledge it pertains to your office. If for any reason, it pertains to any other department, the Right to Information Act places an obligation on you to forward the same or part of the application to the appropriate department and intimate me within 5 days of such transfer.

V... Under the RTI, information shall be provided in the way it is sought. Hence, it is requested that the information be provided in question and answer format in the above manner.

VI… To eliminate ambiguity or misinterpretation, please provide the required information in English.

VII... The requisite fees for this information will be paid, if in accordance with rules.

Hemant Morajkar

E-mail: hemantmorajkar@gmail.com

vnny20@yahoo.co.in

Place : Mumbai

Date: 13 November 2006.

Indian Bt regulatory process : Explained

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 05:48:00 +0000

India currently has a three-tier regulatory system for GM crops:

a) each research organisation must have an Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBSA), which assesses research proposals;

b) a national Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RCGM) assesses field trials for environmental safety and allergic responses;

c) the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) — part of the environment ministry — carries out environmental impact assessment, and approves multi-location field trials and commercial cultivation.

Apart from this system, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) , under the Ministry of Science and Technology, India plays a vital role in regulating Bt trials as it has laid specific guidelines in doing so.

Recently, DBT has sought constitution of an independent Biotechnology Authority on the lines of the Election commission of India, which would primarily deal with issues concerning the industry.

Problems with the current set-up:

1) A major issue with the current scenario is a clash of interests between stakeholders and regulators. A scientist from the agricultural research system that applies for clearance of a particular seed is part of the GEAC, whose chairman is not a scientist and changes frequently.

2) Also it takes an inordinately long time to get a clearance for commencing field trials. Although this may be perceived as a cautious policy to ensure an informed and educated decision, usually the delay is due to administrative apathy or a conflict between concerned departments.

3) The Indian Bt policy is tilted in favour of the industry and is exclusive in terms of a dialogue with the society at large. The fact that we have not undertaken field trials of GM crops on a large scale is mainly due to a negative perception of the technology. A deterrent which needs to be factored in the policy to assuage relevant vote banks. But, this is about to change by a mass media offensive in favour of the technology.

4) India is lagging by almost a decade with respect to US and China, even though it has equivalent resources and a substantial domestic market. A liberal policy may help in reducing the time induced deficit, but the implication of such a decision would have a 'ripple effect' on almost all sectors of trade, FMCG, domestic markets, processed foods, agriculture, fisheries, etc.

5) A clear demarcation of responsibilities and duties within the structure is necessary to ensure proper regulation.

Relevant to this point, as quoted in the Indian Express:

A task force headed by M. S. Swaminathan, said that India’s approval system was “lengthy and cumbersome” . It recommends creating an autonomous Agricultural Biotechnology Regulatory Authority to consider the approval of GM crops in the country. Under this body, the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), not the GEAC, should be authorised to conduct and assess large-scale field trials and approve commercial release of GM crops. He also suggested that the three tiers remain but their responsibilities change.

The major change that they recommend is to limit GEAC’s role to environmental clearance. The ICAR, rather than the GEAC, would decide whether GM crops could be planted for commercial purposes.

The Monitoring cum Evaluation Committee should report to the GEAC on biosafety and environmental issues while post-release monitoring should be responsibility of Union Agriculture ministry and not the ICAR.

It favours strengthening of the existing Seeds Act, 1966 and Environmental Protection Act 1986 to deal with illegal proliferation of GM seeds. It proposes single-window information on all aspects of bioethics and biosafety.

See full article:

LINK

6) I do not favour the institutionalised structure proposed here. A decentralisation of power is necessary. Through local committees, the citizens themselves, via consensus, must have the right to decide whether a GM crop should or should not enter their market. If a community decides, as a whole, that they do not wish to have GM foods in their locality, then the government or the industry must adhere to the decision.

7) All GM food must be labeled to provide a choice to the citizen. A monitoring committee can be constituted to ensure its implementation and which would penalize industry offenders, by revoking their license to market their product. A monetary compensation here would undermine the necessity of choice.

8) Similarly, the right of conducting field trials on a farm must lie with the farmer and not with a overriding authority. And proper precautions must be taken to ensure containment of the products of these trials to avoid mixing of the crop with the organic varietals.

9) A lack of tranperancy in the trials leads to a general mistrust making it difficult to accept the results of trials. For example, the Bt cotton field trial results were never made public — despite protests. After pressure from civil society, Bt brinjal results have been put on the website this year.

From the news Archives: October

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 10:44:00 +0000

GM rice test field torched in Karnal
Indian Express, 30 October 2006.

In a serious setback for field tests of genetically modified (GM) rice, activists of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) have torched the sole field in Haryana where tests for the modified rice variety were being carried out.

Some 400 BKU activists torched the crop, saying it would contaminate soil and affect the existing variety of rice. After the incident, BKU threatened to burn all such fields in the country where trials are underway.

Read full article:

GM rice field torched

*****
Move to constitute an independent Biotech Authority.
Times of India, 28 Oct 2006.

In a move to bolster bio-technology research, growth and investment in India, the Department of Bio-technology (DBT) has sought constitution of an independent bio-technology (BT) regulatory authority.

The seminal focus of the authority would be to monitor and regulate all science-based processes. "The authority could look at the whole range of bio-tech products, medicines and their quality, environmental safety, health, genetic engineering, field trials of new products, the DNA question and the like. Underlying the monitoring is quality of the bio-tech process. Stringent standards will have to be followed."

DBT would like the proposed authority to function on the lines of the Election Commission — independent and armed with tangible powers to guide the bio-tech sector in accordance with the needs of the country.

Read full article:

See link

*****
Bird flu season back but govt sleeps
Times of India, 18 October, 2006.

With October, the bird flu season is back once again and India stands hopelessly unprepared for another outbreak. Five Bio Safety Level (BSL) III labs to test animal samples for H5N1 virus were announced.
Not one has come up till now. The High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal, which tested thousands of suspected samples for the virus early this year, continues to be the only hope.

According to international norms, once a country declares an H5N1 outbreak, it has to send the virus samples to another country for validation. Sources said officials from Centre for Disease Control, Atlanta, have repeatedly asked India to send the samples to Australia. But HSADL has refused to share the virus.

Scientists say though government's attention towards bird flu has dipped, the virus remains just as dangerous and just as able to cause a worldwide outbreak like the one seen since 1918, when 50 million people died.

Read the full article:

Bird flu

*****

IIT-Delhi develops new drug designing software
Times of India, October 2006

The Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi has developed a wide array of software tools for drug designing and developing individualised medicine.
The ChemGenome software can distinguish genes from non-genes in 331 bacterial genomes and 20 eukaryotic genomes with almost 90 per cent accuracy.
The protein structure prediction software can successfully bracket native-like structures in the lowest energy structures for 50 small alpha helical and mixed globular proteins, Jayaram said.

Read full article:

Drug Design

*****
New policy may make medicines cheaper
Indian Express, 3 October 2006.

A new pharma policy that will substantially bring down several generic drugs’ prices is likely to be soon in place. A 14-member committee set up by Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Ram Vilas Paswan will submit a report in this regard to the Union Cabinet at the end of this month.

Paswan said the prices of several hundred brands of generic-generic and branded generic drugs, including Omeprazole and Ciprofloxacin, are set to crash by up to 92 per cent with the pharma industry agreeing to a government proposal on capping trade margins. It has been agreed that the retail margins for these drugs would be kept at 35 per cent while the wholesale margins would be 15 per cent, he said. “This will be effective from October 2.”

Read the full article:

Cheaper medicines

*****

'HIV not proven to cause AIDS'

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 17:44:00 +0000

German court rules HIV not proven to cause AIDS

After years of claims by the AIDS establishment that a link between HIV and immune suppression had been established a High Court found the claim without merit and a unfounded deception. This is the first legal trail of the HIV/AIDS hypothesis and a historic defeat for AID$ Inc.

It is impossible – as far as laboratory conditions are concerned – to develop a valid Virus-antibody-test, if the virus has not been isolated before. Every layman understands that an individual proof for an infection with a virus is impossible, if the existence of the virus has never been generally proven. This knowledge of the German health authorities, that the tests are not validated, can be proven via the authorities‘ documents themselves. The error concerning the test’s validity is spread and supported by the authorities – against better knowledge.

Read the full article at:

LINK

Also see the comments to this article.

For more in-depth reading see this very diabolical and informative page which categorically substantiates that the HIV=AIDS model, which is seen as a standard in health care, is actually a misnomer.

The AIDS myth!!

From the news archives

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 07:09:00 +0000

From The Financial Express, 17th October 2006.

Field trials of indigenously developed GM Gold Rice soon

India is not lagging behind in developing its versions of the genetically modified (GM) Golden Rice. Director-general of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Mangla Rai said, “We would possibly go for largescale field trials of our Golden Rice within a year.”

...The development of GM rice, however, can have some adverse trade implications. The trade session of the ongoing IInd International Rice Congress here on Wednesday discussed how complex global trade would become with the commercialisation of GM rice. In this context, the southwest regional director of IRRI, Steve Linscombe, said, “Though in US, GM rice events like 06 and 62 have been approved and found safe, the concerned company has not yet commercialised it, keeping in view some public concerns about this food crops. Same transgenic protein occurs in the herbicide resistant GM maize and Canola.”

Read the full article at:

GM trials soon

From the Indian Express, 13 October 2006.

Seeds that fight climate change in Navdanya banks

Looking for alternatives to Genetically Modified seeds, noted environmentalist Vandana Shiva’s organic farming initiative Navdanya has brought out seeds that are resistant to extreme climatic changes. Under ‘Climate Change’, a project launched in August this year, three seed banks have been opened in Jaisalmer (drought resistant crops), Kerala (saline resistant crops), and Bihar (flood resistant crops) to help with, according to Shiva, “various dimensions of preparedness in the face of extreme climate changes like the floods in Barmer.’’

According to Vandana Shiva, “We can only deal with climate change by trusting the nature and Indian farmers and not international corporations.” She says BT cotton seeds being infected with insects is an apt example of how corporation seeds can also fail.

Read the full article at:

IE article link

From Indiatogether.org, 7 October 2006.

Has the Bt cotton bubble burst?

Cotton farmers around the country are following Andhra Pradesh's lead in skipping both pesticides and Bt seeds. And there are no pests. Why? There are 28 predators of the American bollworm, cotton's main enemy. If you stop spraying pesticides, these beneficial insects devour the bollworm.

...As the New York Times reports “frustration is building in India with American multinational companies peddling costly, genetically modified seeds. They have made deep inroads in rural India - a vast and alluring market - bringing new opportunities but also new risks as Indian farmers pile up debt.” Regardless of the extent of failure of Bt cotton, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) – the apex nodal agency that accords clearance for GM crops – has been merrily approving Bt cotton varieties. In the past four years, 59 Bt cotton varieties have been approved for commercial planting.

The question I am often asked is as to what is the alternative. My answer is very simple: Follow the two-pronged strategy. First, ban the use of chemical pesticides on cotton (which incidentally consumes 55 per cent of the total pesticides applied). This will result in a restoration of the ecological balance, minimise the insect attack, and result in a safer environment. Secondly, stop cultivating genetically modified cotton varieties. Not only will it reduce drastically the cost of production, it will also mean that the farmer is pulled out from the death trap.

Farmers in several parts of the country are following this approach. In more than 4,500 hectares in Andhra Pradesh, farmers are reaping a higher harvest without growing Bt varieties or using pesticides. And there are no pests. Why? If you stop spraying pesticides, beneficial insects take over. In case of cotton, there are 28 predators of the American bollworm in the same field. When the farmer stops using pesticides, these beneficial insects survive and devour the bollworm. With indiscriminate pesticides applications, these predators are the first one to be killed.

Read the full article at:

Bt cotton bubble burst?

Biodiesel : a new wave

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 15:50:00 +0000

The following is an extract from The Sunday Express, 1 October 2006.

Entrepreneurs are investing big bucks in biodiesel, even the President has endorsed the fuel of the future. But where is the policy that will help India ride the jatropha wave?

....The government has been slow to match the entrepreneurial enthusiasm on the green fuel extracted from jatropha curcus seeds. And with the long-overdue National Biodiesel Policy still to be formulated, there just aren’t enough jatropha seeds available in the country to get the private sector plants up and running.

This has led to a strange situation on the ground. On one hand, entrepreneurs are setting up transesterification plants, which will convert jatropha seeds into oil that can be blended with diesel or used neat to run cars, trains and gensets. But, in the absence of viable jatropha supplies and escalating crude oil prices, most entrepreneurs are now depending on other vegetable oil or waste oil to employ in their plants; some are even willing to import expensive palm oil from Malaysia. ....

....Several arguments were made for jatropha when the first committee on the development of biofuel, chaired by N D Tiwari, submitted its report in April 2003. One, it would reduce the massive crude oil import bill (Rs 19,000 crore every year), two, it would put India’s vast wastelands (55 million hectares) into use. And three, it would provide employment to millions of farmers.

But with plants running on imported vegetable oil instead of homegrown, low-maintenance jatropha, biodiesel is not turning out to be the wonder it was touted to be....

....For all the evident enthusiasm, however, there’s still a vital role that only the government can play. There are nearly 300 varieties of jatropha in India and research needs to be conducted to select the maximum-yield seeds.

There has been some research but not enough. TERI plans to demonstrate the economics of biofuels with its 8,000 hectares under jatropha in Andhra Pradesh which will attain ‘seed-to-oil’ capacity in the next four years. The University of Hohenheim has been developing diesel blends in collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which have been tested on Mercedes Benz C-class cars....

For the full article see link:

Running on empty - IE

Playing the field: Entrepreneurs who have entered the biodiesel wave

D1 Oil plc.
Newcastle-based firm has 10,000 hectares of jatropha in India, and plans to hit 1 lakh hectares in Tamil Nadu alone

Reliance Industries Ltd
200 acres of land at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, besides projects elsewhere

Emami
Plans Rs 15 billion bio-diesel plant at Haldia. To use palm oil as raw material initially

Godrej Agrovet
Plans to invest Rs 5 billion in bio-fuel plant cultivation in Gujarat and Mizoram. Will also set up processing plants in Gujarat

British Petroleum: $9.4 bn in TERI jatropha project

Vinod Khosla: Venture capitalist has invested Rs 117 crore in Praj Industries’ biofuel project

Elsewhere...

Richard Branson: $350 million in ethanol to fly aircraft

US Government: $160million for pilot biofuel plant

Bill Gates: $84 million in Pacific Ethanol

Ig Nobel awards

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 14:05:00 +0000

The most anticipated awards in scientific circle should be, in my opinion, and which to some extent is true, are the Ig Nobel awards - " The research that makes people laugh and then think."

Here are this years winners:

ORNITHOLOGY: Ivan R. Schwab, of the University of California Davis, and the late Philip R.A. May of the University of California Los Angeles, for exploring and explaining why woodpeckers don't get headaches.

PEACE: Howard Stapleton of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, for inventing an electromechanical teenager repellant -- a device that makes annoying noise designed to be audible to teenagers but not to adults; and for later using that same technology to make telephone ringtones that are audible to teenagers but not to their teachers.

MATHEMATICS: Nic Svenson and Piers Barnes of the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization, for calculating the number of photographs you must take to (almost) ensure that nobody in a group photo will have their eyes closed.

MEDICINE: Francis M. Fesmire of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, for his medical case report "Termination of Intractable Hiccups with Digital Rectal Massage"; and Majed Odeh, Harry Bassan, and Arie Oliven of Bnai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel, for their subsequent medical case report also titled "Termination of Intractable Hiccups with Digital Rectal Massage."

PHYSICS: Basile Audoly and Sebastien Neukirch of the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, in Paris, for their insights into why, when you bend dry spaghetti, it often breaks into more than two pieces.

CHEMISTRY: Antonio Mulet, José Javier Benedito and José Bon of the University of Valencia, Spain, and Carmen Rosselló of the University of Illes Balears, in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, for their study "Ultrasonic Velocity in Cheddar Cheese as Affected by Temperature."

BIOLOGY: Bart Knols (of Wageningen Agricultural University, in Wageningen, the Netherlands; and of the National Institute for Medical Research, in Ifakara Centre, Tanzania, and of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in Vienna Austria) and Ruurd de Jong (of Wageningen Agricultural University and of Santa Maria degli Angeli, Italy) for showing that the female malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae is attracted equally to the smell of limburger cheese and to the smell of human feet.

For the list of other whacky winners from previous years see link:

Improbable winners

Nobel cause.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 13:38:00 +0000

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2006 was awarded jointly to Andrew Z. Fire and Craig C. Mello for their discovery of "RNA interferance - gene silencing by double stranded RNA."

The full text of the research can be viewed at the following link:
(Nobel prize press release):

RNA interference

This year's recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry -- Roger D. Kornberg -- obtained the first actual pictures at the molecular level that reveal how the genetic information stored in genes is relayed so that it can be used by the body. He obtained those images in a group of organisms that includes humans.

read more :

Among the journals in which Kornberg has published is the Journal of the American Chemical Society. The ACS weekly newsmagazine, Chemical & Engineering News, ran an extensive article on chemistry's role in the genetics revolution in its March 10, 2003, issue. That story is available at:

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/8110/print/8110dna.html.

other winners:
Nobel prize in Physics to John C. Mather and George F. Smoot
"for their discovery of the blackbody form and anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation"

Nobel prize for Economics Edmund S. Phelps
"for his analysis of intertemporal tradeoffs in macroeconomic policy"

Nobel Homepage:

Nobelprize.org

What's wrong with Biotech?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:33:00 +0000

Abhishek Seth, an aspiring writer, disgruntled citizen and my alter ego writes for TBI. The content is not by any length a measure of his capability as a writer. The opinions in this post are solely his own.

And yes if this offends you….well, it was meant to!

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What's wrong with Bt?
The above question should not be treated as a mere rhetoric. Think, churn your grey cells, and dust those cobwebs. Remove those self-imposed blinders of fantasy, grandeur and take a look around.

2% of those who pass with a Bt graduate degree will actually be in a position to make a difference. The unfortunate who choose to stay will further someone else’s thoughts and designs on how the world must be. In pharma companies, research institutes or as solution providers they will act as facilitators of borrowed intellect.

Which brings me to the original purpose of the majority while joining Bt, it must have been “to make a difference” or better yet “heal humanity”. Discover a new molecule to rid mankind of very bloody conceivable disease, food for all, agricultural revolution via restructured crops and so on. How many of them actually do something about it?

WHO GIVES A SHIT, RIGHT!

We want to be marketing heads, in management earning money for MNCs. That’s the truth. Even if someone gets into corporate financed research, the direction of research is seldom defined by the person at work. You just rehash protocols, make generics most of the time. Even if you come up with some novel idea, by the time it reaches manufacturing, its cost is so high that it can’t be afforded by common people.

The structure of research today is such that it necessarily is detrimental to the primary benefactor, the people. Companies have one agenda, ‘the bottom line’. If it has or cannot be met by your work, it is a failure. The validity of an idea depends on how useful it is to the people, translated it means can we make money off your back. That’s all there is to it.

Show me a corporate financed project which does not benefit the company and I’ll show you a delusional moron who refuses to wake up from his dream.

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Proponents of gene manipulation argue that we must not be averse to new technologies as it has so much potential to improve the quality of life of the masses. GM food can annihilate wide-spread hunger not only in India but also throughout the world. Less fertilizers, more productivity, more income, everyone will be happy. But they are not, are they?

Here is a question for these geneticists;

Is there a way to fully determine the risk factors of introducing such a crop in the environment?

The answer is a predictable, of course not. As the technology is in the nascent stage, there is a lot we need to know before such an assessment can be made. It can be predicted to 60% accuracy at the best. We will work at it as it comes, that is how research works.

Wait a minute, if it isn’t fully safe why is it already in our environment? There is a possibility that these crops will mutate into God knows what shit, or even worse they will give rise to super bugs with newer diseases. All hell might break loose, but it’s a part of research isn’t it.

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My pet peeve

Many scientists or researchers have this notion or rather firmly believe that a few casualties as a collateral in a research is acceptable for the “greater good”. So many lives will be saved later on.

Hey dumbass, how about enlisting your daughter or your mother in the test. Maybe the next time you calculate the therapeutic index of a drug, put them up for lethal dose studies. Let’s see your commitment to the greater cause then. Frickin hypocrites!

From news archives

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 07:13:00 +0000

As Bt takes centrestage in what often is percieved as media created pseudo-hype, her's what our news organisations are reporting wrt Bt. These are a few articles that I found interesting.
Read on:

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Sept 23 2006, Indian Express

SC stays field trials of genetically modified products

The order came from a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Y.K. Sabharwal. The order will not apply to field trials of GM products already underway, implying that trials on BT brinjal and BT cotton can proceed. But their approval by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) will not happen till court orders.

The petitioner said the move to allow large-scale field trials of BT brinjal by biotech company Mahyco, an Indian collaborative and partner company of Monsanto, if not checked would lead to untold hardships to the farmers and large-scale destruction of crops. The matter will come up for hearing on October 13.

SC stay on field trials

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Sept 15 2006, Indian Express.

Bt cotton gives Punjab a record yield

Punjab is all set to witness the highest cotton production in last 16 years, with 27.5 lakh bales of cotton expected this year. The highest production last recorded was in 1989-90, when the state produced 26.5 lakh bales of cotton.

The record production is being attributed to the use of Bt or other hybrid varieties of cotton across 90 per cent fo the Punjab cotton belt. Besides higher yield, the improvised cotton varieties have lowered costs due to negligible use of pesticide.

Full report

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Sept 2 2006, The Washington Post (IE)

Target cancer

For the first time, genetically engineered cells have suceesfully wiped out cancer cells, in two patients. It is too early to say whether they have been cured but researchers say it is a step in the right direction.

Target Cancer

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Sept 6 2006, The Times of India

Unborn Designs (Editorial)

Ian Wilmut, the man who created Dolly the sheep in 1996 and caused worldwide biotech angst, has written a book called: After Dolly: The Uses and Misuses of Human Cloning.

In it he says: "Like most people I disapprove strongly of the idea of an embryo coaxed to life for shallow reasons of status, preference, or style.

Any such work is unsavoury because it reduces children to consumer objects that can be 'accessorised' according to the parents' whims.

As many ethicists have argued, love for offspring should not be contingent upon the characteristics they possess".

TOI

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PG biotech course on hold...why?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 19:00:00 +0000

Here's a write-up in today's Indian Express highlighting every BT graduate's bane of existence. As students we have often wondered, agonised and eventually submitted to the fact there are just not enough seats for evryone for an academic progression to a PG course. It is time we demand our fair share in the education system. We are a part of a so called booming industry, once we choose this course, but are ignored time and again. Speak up now or wallow in pittance.

Excerpts from the news report:
Indian Express, 22/09/2006, Mumbai Newsline.

Even as a government-appointed committee had given a go-ahead to some of the state colleges’ request for starting MSc course in biotechnology in July the state government is yet to sanction the approval.

Stating that the delay is likely to affect the future of over 90 per cent undergraduate biotech students, SIES College Vice-Principal M R Bhatia said: ‘‘Though there are around 1,000 undergraduate biotech students in Mumbai, there are only about 40 seats for MSc. What will the other 960 students do?’’

Joint Director of Technical Education Department M S Andhale, who had inspected the colleges in July, said: ‘‘I feel they can be given the go-ahead. But I can’t take any policy decision and have submitted my findings, so it’s up to the government now.’’ Minister of State Higher and Technical Education Dilip Walse-Patil said: ‘‘Certain infrastructural issues are under consideration.’’

These unnecessary delays have led some of the colleges to believe that vested interests within the department and government were delaying matters.

SEE RELATED LINKS:

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Mumbai Newsline article

IE article

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Indian BT programme lacks focus

Financial express - PTI release

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The promise and challenges of BT - 2005 article
Compare how far we have actually come from the primary vision.

FE article

An article on Biotech policy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 09:33:00 +0000

Biotech policy: Secretive and hasty.
The government's stance towards biotechnology shows such disregard for the public interest that even its own Expert Committee is not privy to the proposed new policy. Suman Sahai protests the reckless endorsement of vested interests while many other stakeholders are kept in the dark.

Excerpts from the write up which appears at Indiatogether.org on 29 April 2006.
Dr. Suman Sahai is President of Gene Campaign, based in Delhi.

India has been conducting research in biotechnology without having a national policy in place. A Public Interest Litigation filed by Gene Campaign in the Supreme Court created sufficient pressure for the government to set up an Expert Committee to frame a national biotechnology policy. The Expert Committee was stacked with members from the industry and government; I was the solitary NGO member. Protests by Gene Campaign that the Committee should be expanded to include concerned stakeholders were not heeded.

The Department of Biotechnology and its Secretary seem to be in a terrible rush to get a policy in place with as little public intervention as possible. There is an informed rumor that the draft Biotechnology Policy is going to be in Parliament in the coming session. That is far too premature since it has not been adequately discussed by stakeholders, and even the Expert Committee that was established to frame the policy has not been informed of the content of the draft to be presented to Parliament. This is not how policy should be made.

The recent report of the Monsanto study on the organ damage and compromised immune system of rats fed with GM corn, should be an eye opener.

Why this rush and secrecy? The usual reason is that vested interests - biotech corporations in India as well as foreign ones - are being favoured. Throwing caution to the winds, India has scripted a Biotechnology Policy to cater to the wishes of the Biotechnology industry, rather than think of safeguards and a precautionary approach.

The Policy must take a clear position on crops and traits that are permissible and those that are not. GM crops that could have harmful social or economic impacts for farmers and consumers, those that are frivolous and those that will displace labor and impact rural livelihoods must be banned in this country. Herbicide tolerance should not be used in this country for it brings no significant advantages but would destroy sources of supplementary nutrition and underutilized food sources, it would destroy vegetation that is used as supplementary fodder for livestock and it would destroy flora used as medicinal plants, in addition to taking away a significant source of wages, especially for rural women.

For the full article see:

Full article

Reccomended reading

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:44:00 +0000

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1. The perils of cloning - Time.com (from Science magazine)

.....A decade later, scientists are starting to come to grips with just how different Dolly was. Dozens of animals have been cloned since that first little lamb--mice, cats, cows, pigs, horses and, most recently, a dog--and it's becoming increasingly clear that they are all, in one way or another, defective.....

Full article:

Perils of cloning

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2. Focus on transhumanisation - Merging of man and machine
.... in the near future this feedback process will cross a threshold where the technology becomes, in a sense, independent of its creators. Human designers will no longer need to play a role in the process, and computers (or more precisely, transhumans) will be able to continue their evolution on their own. This will free them (us) from the limits set by the fixed capacity of human nature.....

Full article:

transhumanisation

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3. Pharmacoinformatics - Expanding horizons

..... The work in pharmacoinformatics can be broadly divided into two categories - scientific aspects and service aspects. The scientific component deals with the drug discovery and development activities whereas the service oriented aspects are more patient centric.

Pharmacoinformatics subject feeds on many emerging information technologies like neuroinformatics, immunoinformatics, biosystem informatics, metabolomics, chemical reaction informatics, toxicoinformatics, cancer informatics, genome informatics, proteome informatics, biomedical informatics, etc.....

Full article:

Pharmacoinformatics

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Also See Weekly Synopsis of your comments at TBI talk back

Weekly Synopsis 4 - 10 Sept 2006

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Bio Mutiny

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 07:34:00 +0000

Bio mutiny
Voice of the voiceless

I am angry. My rage directed at the establishment, at every person involved in this business of biotech, the students for being mute spectators and the teachers who encourage mediocrity. A mass production of generic individuals subservient to acknowledged authority where deflection from the norm is vehemently chastised.

The hackneyed and obsolete education system undermines latent potential of an individual and seldom encourages oblique thinking. The inherent structure of the system suppresses independent view point while rewarding compliance with defined notions. So, a novel idea becomes secondary to the so called primary objective of “achieving merit”.

The gulf between industry and academia is widening by the day. It is an accepted fact that a person has to unlearn his concepts when he or she enters the industry. So why are we investing in infrastructure and machinery when its eventual utility is void? The UGC had advised not to initiate a under-graduate course in Biotech due to the lack of infrastructure and discontinuity in terms of academic progression.In its fifth year now (in Mumbai) there is very little that this course can claim to have accomplished.

A biotechnology graduate ignorant of practical applications is severely restricted in his opportunities. In effect we are educating people to be unemployed as the skill set required for absorption in the industry is absent. Through an initiative of public-private partnership this can be corrected. By linking academia with the industry we can nurture competent and productive work force which will sustain long-term growth.

The government with its policies has virtually incapacitated entrepreneurs and set the biotech industry in retrograde. Although the cautious nature of our policies considers broader arguments with regards to implication of technology, its structure constricts expansion and rapid growth. As a result, India is trailing almost a decade behind countries like the US and China in spite of having equivalent resources.

As practitioners of biotech the manufactured foot soldiers of ignominy aspire to extend a pre fabricated agenda without contemplation. Hence, we have researchers quick to eschew responsibility when a product of their design causes harm to people. Under the veiled accusation of “an incompetent administration”, which to a large extent may be true, they transfer their liability.

Also, corporate policies with a linear objective of amassing wealth dilute the prospect of actual benefit to the masses. An erosion of moral fabric or sensitivity towards the common interests of people and the environment alike which may be linked to the lack of holistic education. A case in point would be the American MNC Monsanto and its unabashed persistence via contemptuous marketing and directed media, of introducing a harmful rBST vaccine ‘posilac’ to increase milk production in cows, which caused grave damage not only to the animals but also humans who consumed the milk. Closer home, the BT cotton debacle where farmers committed suicide due to the failure of crop or the imported Japanese encephalitis vaccine, a prophylactic measure taken without proper trials, killed many in North India. Accountability has become a flaccid value, a fleeting thought which does not inspire compassion or remorse.

In what is touted as the century of biological sciences, a majority of the population is ignorant of the impact that this field has on their every day existence. The growth of the industry is solely reliant on developing a knowledgeable consumer base. But, the initiative in generating an informed consent is seen as a faltering strategy because this would lead to deliberations on issues which now are considered a prerogative of industry. This abject alienation further hinders societal responsibility.By ignoring the demands of sustainable industry, the current paradigm will lead to a subsequent degeneration of intellect and enterprise.

The state of biotech can be likened to the early attempts of man to fly. A person would stand on a very high cliff, flapping his wings. In a moment of faith he would leap in order to test his theory. Initially the air rushes at him creating an illusion of overcoming gravity, but the ground inches closer eventually to break his fall. In actuality he is just free falling. We are governed by certain laws of nature and our momentary perception does not alter the reality.

Interesting Sciam articles

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 06:08:00 +0000

Here are a few articles from Sciam which are a must read.

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September 2006 issue

ROLE FOR FISSION
The Nuclear Option
A threefold expansion of nuclear power could contribute significantly to staving off climate change by avoiding one billion to two billion tons of carbon emissions annually

Energy beyond carbon

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Unlocking the Secrets of Longevity Genes
A handful of genes that control the body's defenses during hard times can also dramatically improve health and prolong life in diverse organisms. Understanding how they work may reveal the keys to extending human life span while banishing diseases of old age

Can DNA beat time?

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Stem Cells: The Real Culprits in Cancer?
A dark side of stem cells--their potential to turn malignant--is at the root of a handful of cancers and may be the cause of many more. Eliminating the disease could depend on tracking down and destroying these elusive killer cells

Stem Cells responsible for cancer?

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Also see weekly synopsis of your comments

Aug 27 to Sept 3 2006

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One flu over the chicken's pen!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 17:28:00 +0000

New methods have been devised by the Chinese, Indian and US researchers, independant of each other wherein three different techniques to efficiently diagnose and/or cure the dreaded avian bird flu that had caused many human as well as animal casualties across the globe.

The three links offer more as to how exactly these work and their effect in fighting bird flu.

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Fluchip, a microchip covered with bits of genetic material from many different flu strains, not only reduces the time needed for diagnosis of the A(H5N1) flu to less than a day from a week or more, but also is able to identify the exact flu causing strain.The identification process will be drastically simplified and would be applicable at remote places where there is relatively low bio-safety.
For more follow link:

NYT link

link

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A Chinese-developed vaccine against the H5N1 strain of bird flu in humans has been found safe in its first round of tests, a government news agency reported Monday.
The vaccine is primarily targeted at prevention and treatment of bird flu in humans.

follow link:

link

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High Security Animal Disease laboratory(HSADL), Bhopal, after six months of intensive research and app. $80 million funding, has developed a vaccine to treat and prevent avian bird flu. With a production cost estimated at 35 paise, it is bound to be the most promising and accessible medication to fight bird flu.

for more:

link

News Bytes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 17:33:00 +0000

Here's some more news from the world of biotech, regurgitated from mainstream media, just for you! Alright I'll cut the crap, here's what's new!

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"By bypassing the broken pathway, we can use the cells' own machinery to destroy themselves."

Finally, a breakthrough with reference to cancer cells and apotosis. Yes, the same mechanism that goes awry leading to cancer cell accumulation.
I bet most of us thought of this very logical and obvious method to destroy cancerous outgrowth.
The possibility of "customised cancer treatments" for individual patients, an approach that has been garnering increasing interest in recent years, is one of the interesting possibilities of this research.

For the full article follow link:

Cancer cells will self-destruct in 5 seconds!

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More cancer news
...the new vaccine developed by Merck that reduces the incidence of cervical cancer and other diseases in females caused by certain types of genital human papillomavirus, or HPV...

For the full article follow link:

A shot at ending cervical cancer!

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Also, in industry related news
LG Life Sciences India, a three-year old biotech business division of LG, is planning major expansion here by setting up manufacturing plants, research units and introduction of high-end products of global drug majors through marketing tie-ups.

For more follow link:

LG life sciences mulls over expansion

It probably has been the most exciting week in BT with these major findings.
Maybe its time that we have a more comprehensive and defined BT policy in India.

New at TBI

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 18:09:00 +0000

Chech out the weekly synopsis of your views and comments. Thank you for writing back.
Also please comment on the structure of the blog. What do you want included or excluded?
If you have some interesting info or want some bit to come into focus mail me!

Follow link

Weekly synopsis - 26th August 2006

Ethical stem cells, finally!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 17:44:00 +0000

In what may be perceived as a major breakthrough which has the potential to revolutionize Stem Cell research, a Massachusetts based company claimed on Thursday, 24^th Aug, that it had developed a way to make human embryonic stem cells without harming the original embryo.

Professor Lanza and his team used embryos taken from fertility clinics which synthesize many embryos in-vitro from a donor egg and sperm, implant a few and the rest are frozen and eventually discarded. They let its fertilized eggs to grow to 8 to 10 cell stage. At quiescence, the embryo is no longer able to divide into twins but the cells can still form any cell or tissue in the body. They grew stem cells from a single quiescent cell without harming the embryo.

The application of this technique may become a landmark as it supplicates a majority of opposition faced by researchers by pro-life activists who believe that such work is a destruction of life. Pro life supporters consider conception as the beginning of a new life. So any such attempts at altering or breeding stem cells is seen as gross violation of nature and what they see as obliteration of potential human life.

Also, it remains to be seen how it could affect government policy, mainly the US, which recently announced a cut in stem sell research funding. Vetoed by the great simplifier of our times, President Bush who argued that the American people should not have to pay for something they didn’t support, maybe now this assessment would stand void. Scientists can also conduct their research without an anvil of guilt, if at all, hanging over their heads.

A gradual paradigm shift from cell therapy as the primary goal of stem cells to a research tool in studying mechanism of disease is foreseen by premier researchers. This would only enhance the possibilities. In Parkinson’s disease, for example, dopamine-producing cells from aborted fetuses, when injected into the brain of the patient do have an effect, suggesting that a better source of cell could have therapeutic value. This is where embryonic stem cells could be used as a developmental model to extract the chemical or implanting cells produced in – vitro.

Have we found the answer to ethically produce stem cells or is it too early to celebrate? Even with this system it would be difficult to change the majority negative perception of stem cell research as an act against nature.

“Stem cell biology is just a rubric that applies to many things in biology”, says John D. Gearhart, a John Hopkins University stem cell expert and rightly so. It has immense potential to help us better understand ourselves.

To see the abstract published by the team in this weeks Nature magazine click on the title link. (the title of this post)

News bytes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 18:57:00 +0000

MORE GENETIC ENGG INSTITUTES IN THE OFFING
I you missed this bit floating around for a while, the centre has pledged to promote more institutes for research covering basic and applied aspects in the field of agriculture, fisheries, floriculture and animal sciences.

Genetic Engineering units have been set up at
*Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
*Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
*Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

The government making efforts to set up a Centre for Genetic Engineering and Strain Manipulation at Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai and a National Centre for plant genome research in New Delhi to work in the field of plant genomics.

ET article

NEW PILL TO BLOW OUT THE SMOKE
Also, the US drug authorities have approved a new pill for smokers called 'Chantix' which as trials suggest would be successful in helping nearly 50% of the people undergoing treatment.
The drug could be soon on sale in Britain.
So there's hope at last, listening you guys!!

To see the full report follow the link :

Poping a pill could help smokers quit

Generic distress

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 07:55:00 +0000

As India makes a move towards a comprehensive policy to fix limits on unbranded generic drugs from October 2, a German MNC has warned major Nairobi based companies including Phillips Pharmaceuticals with legal action if they continue to buy generic drugs, which are available at a cheaper rate

Boehringer Ingelheim (BI), in an arm-twisting strategy akin to major Pharma players in the world market in a move to protect their interests, claims it has created nevirapine and nevirapine hemihydrate sold commercially as Viramune and buying these generic drugs in East-Africa, majority manufactures are Indian firms, is a clear violation of patent rights.

Cipla, one of the major companies exporting anti-retrovirals from India, is treating 1 in 3 HIV infected people in Africa. Ranbaxy is also a major exporter to this region.

The economic conditions in Africa make it difficult for expensive patented versions of the drug to be affordable to a large section of the affected populace. This is where the generic drugs, priced at a relatively low cost, are important to the very survival of HIV affected individuals. Nevirapine is an important first-line HIV drug used in combination with other anti-retrovirals, and generic versions of the drug provide an affordable option as against the patented drugs.

A majority of pharma companies initiate drug development solely with the purview of financial gain, welfare and cure being a secondary concern. It is absolutely necessary for a company to protect its IPR interests, but with reasonable negotiations a package could have been made to make sure that vital drugs are available to the poor people.

The situation in Africa is worsening by the day; millions are infected by the dreaded HIV virus. It is a humane responsibility that we provide the necessary treatments at affordable costs or the purpose of research fails miserably.

Kudos to the Indian government for its initiative via the Pharmaceutical policy, in bringing down the prices of unbranded generic drugs, which previously had no limits, so that the costs would be reduced to about 60% of the original, facilitating proper health care for millions. Some of the Pharma Cos have agreed to voluntarily impose margins of 35%for retail and 15%for wholesale.

In this business of making and distributing drugs it is imperative that the people who require these the most are not forgotten.

For more on generic drugs see link :

generic drugs