INDIAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF IMMUNOLOGY DIRECTOR ON ANIMAL RESEARCH IN LABORATORIES

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http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=130271

'Indian research at cutting-edge in immunology'

 

Posted online: Monday, June 12, 2006 at 0035 hours IST

 

Investment in science and research in India by both the public and

private sector has seen a significant increase in capabilities, raising the

prospect of an Indian challenge in knowledge-based industries. With

intellectual property creation being the buzzword, research institutes are

making significant inroads in specific sectors. Immunology is one area in

which India's research prowess and potential is advanced and superior to

that being carried out in the US, Europe, China and Japan, says National

Institute of Immunology (NII) director Avadhesha Surolia. " We might show the

way to the world in the area of infectious diseases, " he adds. An autonomous

institution supported by the department of biotechnology, NII has the

mandate to undertake, aid, promote and coordinate research in basic and

applied immunology. It has so far developed, validated and transferred

technology to the industry, two kits for pregnancy, one each for typhoid,

hepatitis B, amoebic liver abscess and intestinal amoebiasis. In an

interview to Sudhir Chowdhary, the NII director details the institute's

research focus and achievements . Excerpts:

 

How does Indian research compare with that of other countries in life

sciences ?

 

The research coming out of Indian scientific institutes is at cutting-edge.

In several areas, we are leading or are equally competitive. There is also a

strong possibility that we may become world leaders in some areas of

research. Take for instance infectious diseases in which the country has a

strong leadership position. Till date, around 60 molecular or protein

structures of genomes of infectious organisms would have been solved over

the years. Of these, India has contributed to 10 of these structures. This

is a significant achievement for Indian science – the United States would

probably be the only other country to contribute in such a significant

manner.

India's research prowess is significant and laudable – European countries,

Japan, China, among several others, too are pretty active in this field. Our

research is also significant in the sense that once the genomic structure of

various infectious organisms – tuberculosis, malaria, and several other

viruses – are identified, then it is easy to design inhibitors and

subsequently, look at the possibility of drug design at a later stage.

 

 

 

Don't you think fundamental science and research, so far, dominated by the

US and Europe, is gradually shifting to Asian countries – India, China and

Korea in particular?

 

There is a strong desire on part of some of the researchers of Indian

origin, involved in research in the US, to come back to India. This,

however, is a trickle and the numbers are not large enough to make a

significant impact. There is always the problem of matching .

 

A person with insufficient credentials might apply to this institute while

his rightful place might be some other place and vice versa. This process

might happen time and again and then, people develop this feeling that

people in India are not interested. So, there is always the issue of getting

the right applicant at the right time.

 

The right kind of counseling to attract scientists is not available in

India. I personally believe that leaders of science in India should go

beyond the scope of their mandate in guiding such individuals find an anchor

in the right institute of their specialisation. It's time for all of us to

get out of our present mindsets and do the needful to attract the right

talent for our institutes.

 

It's an appropriate time for researchers to come back to the country. Right

from the political leadership level to CEOs in the technology arena, there

is a conducive environment prevailing in the country to promote intellectual

property creation.

 

How has the increased spend on R & D in the country opened the way to a new

sphere of influence?

 

It definitely enables us to do something above average. Till not long ago,

we used to struggle to survive. Even the research work that was far superior

to other countries used to suffer because of lack of funds. However, in the

present environment, a good number of research institutes are not starved of

funds. But to think that we are at par with the best in the West is

definitely not true. For instance, the budget of Harvard University last

year was $20 billion (Rs 90,000 crore). It may be 50% of our national

budget. The research budget in and around Boston city will exceed our

country's budget for a year or maybe even five years.

 

What do you think is the way forward?

 

We need to work and focus on niche areas. Take for instance, the area of

infectious diseases that is of great consequence to a developing country

like India and overall society.

 

*Don't you think traditional Indian reverence for animals poses a problem

for the country's pharmaceutical industry that its competitors elsewhere in

Asia do not face? *

 

*The attractions of carrying out clinical trials in India include lower

costs than in the west. However, traditional Indian reverence for animals

poses obstacle to testing. This is certainly a handicap. We have to stick to

some ethical standards when it comes to testing on animals. We also need to

use in vitro models more often. It is then not necessary to sacrifice an

animal or inflict pain on it while conducting tests.*

 

What is the research mandate given to NII and what have been its

achievements so far?

 

The mandate is to conduct advanced research addressing the basic mechanisms

involved in body defense, host-pathogen interactions and related areas. The

research interests are focused in four major areas; gene regulation,

immunity and infection, molecular design, reproduction and development and

cancer biology. The institute has so far developed, validated and

technololgy transfered to the industry two kits for pregnancy, one each for

typhoid, hepatitis B, amoebic liver abscess and intestinal amoebiasis.

 

The institute has produced the technology for seed culture for the leprosy

vaccine based on Mycobacterium. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)- based DNA

probes have been designed for tuberculosis and for transfusion

jaundice-causing hepatitis B virus.

 

The institute has developed an ELISA test to detect the presence of HIV- 1

and HIV-2 antibodies in serum with high specificity to the local strains.

The test is designed for use by AIDS surveillance centres and blood banks

and will be a suitable substitute for improved kits.