Biotech research done at IIT- Madras vital: Parrikar

The objective of the event was to bring researchers, faculty members, experts from different IITs, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, inStem and Biotechnology, as well as biopharmaceutical industries on a single platform, in order to discuss recent advances and challenging problems in synthetic Biology and cardiovascular diseases. 

Inaugurated by Manohar Parrikar, Chief Minister of Goa. other digniraries present include Professor Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director, IIT Madras, Professor D Karunagaran, Head, Department of Biotechnology, IIT Madras, Professor Rama Shanker Verma, organising secretary, PAN IIT 

Biotech Meet, IIT Madras. 

In his inaugural address, Parrikar said, “Biotechnology, with its various aspects such as stem cell research, cancer drugs and cardiovascular treatment, can provide solutions to many of the problems that we are facing now. Research such as those being carried out at IIT Madras are vital.” The Government of Goa will extend support and will definitely consider providing assistance to research in Biotechnology. 

“The education I got in Engineering helped me in politics, as I am able to analyse a problem and arrive at solutions in a logical manner,” added Parrikar. He graduated in Metallurgical Engineering from IIT Bombay) and went on to become a chief minister. 

Speaking later, K Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, said, “There are uniquely advantageous ways by which we, in India, can define problems.” These meetings have the potential to have a major impact. 

The DBT was willing to fund major projects and invited proposals from faculty teams across institutions. Such workshops facilitate the formulation of proposals, he added. 

Professor Ramamurthi said, “If we want to take on something really bigger and challenging in biotechnology, very often it involves other branches of engineering, and increasingly, data science as well. Many problems cannot be solved by individuals alone as solutions cannot be found within any one narrow discipline.”