Chandigarh, Apr 16 () Embarking on an ambitious project, CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH) on Thursday said it has initiated whole genome sequencing of the novel coronavirus SARS-Cov-2.Whole genome sequencing is the method used to determine the complete DNA sequence of a specific organism's genome. CSIR-IMTECH along with other sister CSIR laboratories, with specialisation in genomics, medicine and cell biology, will carry out large-scale genome sequencing of the various SARS-Cov-2 strains across the country, an official said. With its expertise in microbial and genomic research, CSIR-IMTECH will perform sequencing of the SARS-Cov-2 RNA genome isolated from clinical samples, he said. Viruses have higher mutation rate than other microbes and their genetic material keeps on changing quickly as they replicate rapidly. The complete genome sequence information will enable researchers to gain insights about the origins of the virus, the different types of strains circulating in India and how has it spread across the length and breadth of our country, Sanjeev Khosla, Director, CSIR-IMTECH said.The genomic resource obtained from this sequencing will also allow identification of new targets for diagnosis and drugs for COVID 19, he said."CSIR-IMTECH has been at the forefront in augmenting efforts of the government to fight COVID 19. We have already started clinical testing of samples and now by embarking on this mission to sequence viral strains, we will be better equipped to understand the nature of this virus which has caused a global pandemic," he said in a statement.CSIR-IMTECH will be using its experience in portable, real-time and direct genome sequencing to study the chemical modification in SARS-Cov-2 strains from India, he said. CSIR-IMTECH is a national centre for excellence in microbial sciences and was established in 1984. SUN VSD RHL

IMTECH to carry out genome sequencing of novel coronavirus

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/54880272.cms" /> If everything at the <keyword id="485337" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Institute-of-Microbial-Technology">Institute of Microbial Technology</keyword> (<keyword id="4897172" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="IMTECH">IMTECH</keyword>), Chandigarh goes as planned, you can expect a heavy drop up to three times in prices of insulin and <keyword id="65371" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="hepatitis-B">hepatitis B</keyword> vaccines. The scientists at the centre have developed indigenous technology to produce protein based medicines like insulin, streptokinase (clot buster) and the hepatitis B vaccine. 
 
Presently India has to depend on patented technology of the foreign countries to produce insulin, streptokinase and hepatitis B etc. With 66 million diabetics and 40 million hepatitis B patients in the country, this will be a major reliever for many. 
 
Pichia is the vector that is currently used in insulin. 
 "Because Pichia is patented, Indian biotech companies have to pay the inventor, which adds to the cost of the vaccine. Thus, we felt the need to develop new expression systems," Dr <keyword id="33921" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="jagmohan-singh">Jagmohan Singh</keyword>, chief scientist at IMTECH whose team developed India's first expression vector for therapeutic proteins, told the Economic Times. 
 
Pichia vector is generally licensed for commercial research for $50,000 with annual maintenance fee of $5000 to $30,000. In case the product is commercialized, the fee is $75,000 plus royalty ranging between 3% and 5%. 
 The present cost of hepatitis B vaccine in India ranges between Rs 45 (<keyword id="242973" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Serum-Institute">Serum Institute</keyword>) and Rs 250 per paediatric dose of 10 microgram in 0.5 ml, according to the news report. The cost of adult dose of 20 microgram is nearly double. The normal regimen of vaccination involves three such injections. For insulin, the price varies from Rs 140 to Rs 325 per injection. The slow release variant of insulin called Glargine costs between Rs 410 and Rs 1,475 for a 10 ml vial. 
 "So far we have expressed hepatitis B vaccine at laboratory scale level in fission yeast. Once the production is scaled up, the production cost is estimated to be around Re 1 per dose, while the lowest production cost reported for Pichia-based system is Rs. 4 per dose and the lowest <keyword id="6357388" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="MRP">MRP</keyword> in market is Rs 45/- dose. Even this is beyond the reach of people below poverty line. Thus, there is scope to bring the commercial price of hepatitis B vaccine further down. Once the proof-of-concept stage is complete, we will undertake expression of other proteins like insulin, antibodies in fission yeast," <keyword id="263572" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Virendra-Singh">Virendra Singh</keyword>, department of hepatology Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, told the ET.

‘Made in Chandigarh’ technology to bring down prices of insulin
and Hepatitis B vaccine

More than 6 <keyword id="10858413" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="crore-doses">crore doses</keyword> of <keyword id="8904563" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19-vaccine">COVID-19 vaccine</keyword> have been sent to 76 nations, while 4.5 crore doses have been administered to beneficiaries in the country till now, <keyword id="700200" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-Health">Union Health</keyword> Minister <keyword id="196226" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Harsh-Vardhan">Harsh Vardhan</keyword> said on Sunday. He also called for making the vaccination drive a "Jan Aandolan" (mass movement). "Until this morning, nearly 4.5 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been given to the people in this country. More than six crore doses have been sent to 76 nations," Vardhan said during a media interaction at the <keyword id="485337" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Institute-of-Microbial-Technology">Institute of Microbial Technology</keyword> (CSIR-IMTECH) here. "Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party (BJP) president J P Nadda have called for making the vaccination drive a 'jan andolan' (mass movement)," he said. In a major boost to entrepreneurship in life sciences, Vardhan, the Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, inaugurated IMTECH Bio-Innovation Centre which is an extension of the Atal Incubation Centre (AIC)-CCMB, Hyderabad. The aim of the IMTECH Bio-Innovation Centre is to become a hub for life sciences, biotechnology start-ups and MSMEs from all over the country in a short span of time. Sanjeev Khosla, director, IMTECH apprised the minister about the various activities of the institute and especially the work done by scientists during the COVID-19 pandemic in the last one year. "... Science has the potential to solve many of our longstanding issues, they may belong to any sector. When I see the science happening in all the labs of CSIR and other places, I feel convinced that it (science) has the potential. "That is why, we have been telling our scientists that we have to have a very people-centric approach and whatever we do in the labs, it should have a connect with the people for the future," Vardhan said. The minister also urged the scientific community to use their experience around coronavirus to be ready for any unforeseen thing like (the disease) which the future may throw up. "I have told the scientific community that they developed a lot of experience during COVID pandemic. They rose to the occasion and helped us in a big way. They should be ready for any unforeseen thing like this (coronavirus) which the future may throw up," he said. Vardhan said the Bio Innovation Centre will help the start-ups as well as MSMEs. "The Narendra Modi government stands rock solid behind anyone who has got a bright idea and wants to convert that idea into an entrepreneurship, discover or develop something new, which can help solve some of the long-standing unresolved problems of the countrymen and maybe alleviate their sufferings and make their lives better. That is what the idea of this 'Start-up and Stand up' movement is," he said. He said a special fund worth almost over Rs 900 crore was established to help the industry expedite research for COVID-19 vaccine. Vardhan also inaugurated Centre of Excellence for Intelligent Sensors and System at the <keyword id="1020363" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Central-Scientific-Instruments-Organisation">Central Scientific Instruments Organisation</keyword> here, as well as a vaccination help desk at Dadu Majra colony here, an event organised by the city unit of the BJP. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-9-pro-specs-oneplus-9e-specs-and-price-leak-and-oneplus-9-series-launch-date/articleshow/81168227.cms">OnePlus 9 series specifications and features leaked – here's everything we know about the upcoming OnePlus smartphones</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/checkout-review-of-moto-g10-power-mobile-phone-review-and-features-information/articleshow/81583548.cms">Moto G10 Power mobile review – big battery on a shoestring budget</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/future-retail-shares-take-a-massive-hit-as-it-loses-the-case-against-amazon-in-delhi-high-court/articleshow/81583165.cms">Future Retail shares take a massive hit as it loses the case against Amazon in Delhi High Court</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-9r-will-be-the-companys-next-affordable-smartphone-india-launch-confirmed-for-march-23/articleshow/81586104.cms">OnePlus 9R will be the company’s next affordable smartphone, India launch confirmed for March 23</a>

Six crore COVID-19 vaccine doses sent to 76 nations, 4.5 crore doses administered in India, says Union Health Minister

(Eds: updating figures) Dehradun, Jun 4 () Uttarakhand recorded two more COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, taking their number to 10 as 68 fresh cases of the infection pushed the state's tally to 1,153, officials said here. Both the fresh fatalities were reported from AIIMS, Rishikesh, on Wednesday night, a state health bulletin said. Of the new cases, 36 were reported in Dehradun, 10 each in Nainital and Tehri, four in Pauri, three in Champawat, two in Bageshwar and one case each was reported from Uttarkashi, Almora and Udham Singh Nagar districts, it said. Most of the cases have a travel history to Mumbai, the bulletin said. The number of people who have recovered from the disease in the state stands at 297, while 10 patients have died. Meanwhile, the state government has signed an MoU with Chandigarh-based CSIR-IMTECH to ramp up testing facilities, the officials said. The CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH) is an ICMR-approved testing centre for COVID-19. ALM IJT

Uttarakhand records 68 more COVID-19 cases; tally rises to 1,153

Chandigarh, May 4 () Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday sought the immediate enhancement of coronavirus testing capacity at the six central government research institutions in the state and Chandigarh to 2,000 tests a day. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh said the step was necessary to overcome the "overstretched and limited testing capacities" in the state, particularly amid the movement of migrants back to their homes. The institutions are Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), and Institute of Microbial Technology-Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (IMTECH-CSIR) in Chandigarh, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, and National Agricultural Biotechnology Institute in Mohali and the Central University in Bathinda. The chief minister requested Modi to issue urgent directives to these institutions to scale up their testing capacity to assist the state government in its public health response to COVID-19. The state government, he said, was making all possible efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic in keeping with the guidelines issued by the Union government, as per an official statement here. In his letter, Singh said his government had already requested these institutions to provide viral testing capacity of 2,000 tests daily. Punjab has till date conducted 24,908 COVID-19 tests, of which about 1000 were found positive. Of the total tests, 20,729 were conducted in government medical colleges in Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot which have a daily testing capacity of about 1,050, while the remaining tests were done by private labs as well as central government labs. VSD CHS RHL

Amarinder seeks enhanced COVID-19 testing capacity at central govt institutions in Pb

By Prashant Rangnekar(Eds: SPECIAL) New Delhi, May 7 () Amidst concerns that coronavirus have undergone mutation and the new strain maybe more contagious, India's premier R&amp;D organisation, CSIR, has submitted as many as 53 genome sequences of the virus to a global genome database, a move that may help in better understanding of the virus and developing a vaccine.The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is also planning to submit additional 450 genome sequence data of coronavirus by May 15, its Director General Shekhar Mande told .CSIR's Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), Delhi, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad and Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh are currently sequencing the genomes of the novel coronavirus, he said. Other CSIR institutes are also expected to join the process."We have so far submitted 53 genome sequences to the GISAID (Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data). By May 15, we intend to submit additional 450 genome sequences," Mande said, adding all 53 have been sequenced by the scientists at the IGIB.Genome sequencing is figuring out the order of DNA nucleotides. It helps in understanding how genes work together to direct the growth, development and maintenance of an organism.IGIB Director Anurag Agarwal said in case of coronavirus, sequencing will help understand the origins of the virus.For instance, if a virus emerges from a particular cluster, sequencing will make it easier to identify its origin later when it is found in some other part of the country or world. Plus, it will be helpful in making the vaccines and drugs for it, he added.Earlier this week, a study by a US-based science laboratory has indicated that there is a new, highly-potent strain of coronavirus that has spread globally and is more contagious than the virus in early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.In the Indian context, Mande said the sequences submitted to the GISAID by the CSIR deals with the coronavirus detected in Indians.Launched in 2008, the GISAID, a public–private partnership between the German government and the nonprofit organization, promotes the rapid sharing of data from all influenza viruses and the coronavirus causing COVID-19.This includes genetic sequence and related clinical and epidemiological data associated with human viruses, and geographical as well as species-specific data linked to avian and other animal viruses.This enables researchers to understand how viruses evolve and spread during epidemics and pandemics.According to GISAD, more than 16,000 genome sequences of the coronavirus have been shared with it by different institutes in the world which will enable rapid progress in the understanding of the new COVID-19 disease and in the research and development of medical countermeasures."Genomic resources obtained from this sequencing will also allow identification of new targets for diagnosis and drugs for COVID-19," Sanjeev Khosla, Director, IMTech had said when the process had begun.Besides, CSIR, the National Institute of Virology, Pune under the Indian Council of Medical Research and Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, a state sponsored institute, have also submitted genome sequences of coronavirus to the GISAID database. But the number of sequences submitted by CSIR is high.The CSIR, a body under the Ministry of Science and Technology, has 38 laboratories dealing with a range of subjects. Globally, more than 38 lakh people have been infected by coronavirus, and over 2.6 lakh people have died due to COVID-19, according to the World Health Organisation database. PR PYKPYK

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IMTECH to carry out genome sequencing of novel coronavirus

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‘Made in Chandigarh’ technology to bring down prices of insulin and Hepatitis B vaccine

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Six crore COVID-19 vaccine doses sent to 76 nations, 4.5 crore doses administered in India, says Union Health Minister

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Uttarakhand records 68 more COVID-19 cases; tally rises to 1,153

PTI

Amarinder seeks enhanced COVID-19 testing capacity at central govt institutions in Pb

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COVID-19: CSIR submits 53 genome sequences of coronavirus in Indians to global body; To submit 450 more by May 15

PTI