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CCMB collaborates with Purdue University

Our News Bureau - Mumbai

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad, India, was joined by researchers from Purdue University USA for a two day symposium on "Bionanotechnology and pharmaceuticals—a glimpse into the future", which was held on March 13 and 14. The two day conference discussed the advancements in bionanotechnology and pharma industry, and how these two fields are coming together to address the challenges of healthcare delivery. It spoke on how bionanotechnology is offering many new approaches to the field of medicine, ranging from advanced engineering of tissues and organs to nanoscale drug delivery that may target single diseased cells. The symposium highlighted laboratory advancements in microfabrication and nanofabrication and their roles in nanomedicine and drug delivery.

Microfabrication allows construction of cellular sized or smaller devices made of new materials for what is known as cell land-tissue engineering. Nanofabrication is used to create nanoscale devices for advanced targeting and delivery of pharmaceuticals to individual human cells through the emerging field of nanomedicine. "We are very pleased that Purdue partnered with CCMB for this event," said N Madhusudhana Rao, CCMB. India and the US face many similar challenges in healthcare, climate change and the environment, energy, improving manufacturing, development of adequate cyber infrastructure, and others. These challenges can be met more effectively when both countries work together to exploit new opportunities in life sciences and nanotechnology.

Pankaj Sharma, Associate Director, Operations and International Affairs, Purdue's Discovery Park, and Associate Professor, Industrial Technology, said, "We recognise complimentary strengths at both the institutions. CCMB has world-recognised strengths across many areas of basic life sciences research. Purdue has clear strengths in engineering, science, agriculture and pharmacy. In addition, Purdue's interdisciplinary research complex, discovery park, provides tools and infrastructure to quickly translate and deliver discovery research to the global marketplace where it can save lives and contribute to prosperity. We also signed a mutual non-disclosure agreement to enable us to more freely share confidential information."

Goals of this association are three fold—firstly to launch formal joint research projects together. Secondly, to seek funding partners to support these research initiatives and create exchange opportunities for students, faculty researchers between the two countries, and thirdly, to create a sustainable, long-term relationship that will provide a foundation of projects to facilitate their efforts to address common grand challenges. Further steps were also taken, for instance, CCMB is to send key researchers to Purdue to continue discussions that will lead to research projects of mutual interest, and will also be holding a second CCMB-Purdue research symposium at Purdue in West Lafayette, Indiana.