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Millipore
India Invests Rs 25 Lakh For Lab-On-Wheels Project
Millipore India has invested Rs 25 lakh for a lab-on-wheels project. The mobile
lab is an initiative of Millipore India, Eppendorf and Micro Devices Metrohm.
The state-of-the-art lab-on-wheels and is expected to visit college campuses
where biotech, pharma and other science students across the country can have a
real life experience on the laboratory practices.
The key objective of the lab is to showcase and demonstrate to students the
latest lab equipment for applications like PCR, ion analysis, membrane
filtration, protein research, chromatography etc. Through this institutions and
students will not only get to see the latest sophisticated equipment but also
get practical insights, ask questions, understand concepts.
Among the equipment on display and being demonstrated in the mobile lab is the
Direct Q3, an international gold award winning pure and ultrapure water
purification system designed specially for biotech/pharma/engineering colleges.
Other life science products from Millipore include filtration units, general lab
filtration devices, millex disposable syringe filters, centrifugals used in
protein research.
Metrohm has on display the latest technologies and products for ion analysis,
while Eppendorf has PCR equipment, equipment for cell manipulation, DNA
amplification, pipettes, centrifuges etc.
(Ref : Chronicle Pharmabiz dated July 27, 2006)
ICMR, DBT Plans
Revised Ethical Guidelines For Biomedical Research
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
have undertaken a joint exercise to review the current 'Ethical Guidelines for
Biomedical Research on Human Subjects' of the country. The revised version would
specify before one can go for international collaborations in biomedical
research. The move is in view of the increasing interest shown by foreign
companies to outsource their clinical trials from India.
While India derives its potential from its large patient pool, ethnic diversity
and hundreds of medical colleges, ICMR, DBT want to ensure that no international
collaboration is taking place purely on the basis of commercial interest. The
guidelines would talk about universal ethical requirement, community agreement
and community consultation as part of introducing greater transparency in
clinical trials. The revised guideline is to be ready by 2006 end.
According to sources, there is a need to protect the vulnerable population from
being subjected to unethical clinical trials. Every stage of international
collaboration, including the interest of the funding institution/agency should
be monitored, experts feel. The caution is needed, as there are growing
instances where the funding institution is really funded by others who have
hidden interest in the particular clinical research programme.
Even as the guideline is getting ready, ICMR hopes to see the enactment of a law
to control and regulate experimentation on human subjects. The draft bill is yet
to get the final clearance from the law ministry and is expected to be
introduced in the next session of the Parliament.
(Ref : Chronicle Pharmabiz dated June 29, 2006)
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