S & T Institutions
Other Important Links
Seminar / Conference / Workshop
International Conference on Environmental Science and Green..International Conference on Recent Advances in Medical, Med..
National Conference on Recent Innovations in Science, Engin..
International Conference on Environment and Natural Science..
International Conference on Nanotechnology, Renewable Mater..
Asian Conference on Recent Advances in Science, Engineering..
The Asia-Pacific Microscope Conferences..
Scientists keen on setting up Cancer Genome Atlas for Indian population
Sept 12, 2019 (Pune)
Scientists keen on setting up Cancer Genome Atlas for Indian population
Scientists are hoping to set up an Indian version of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), a landmark project in the US which has provided publicly available data sets to help improve diagnostic methods and treatment standards to prevent cancer. While Dr Renu Swarup, secretary, Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science and Technology, said the government was keen on partnering with the initiative, several groups in Pune have come together to push this proposal forward.
"We haven?t had a formal discussion about India partnering in TCGA, but it is a complementary effort. We will be open to discussions on how our existing efforts on cancer genomics can bring in some value to the global initiative," Dr Swarup told The Indian Express.
In a first, the team from TCGA, led by Director Dr Jean Claude Zenklusen, is going to train 60 scientists at a workshop in Pune.
Several translational cancer scientists and onco clinicians from India and abroad will participate in the first TCGA-themed conference and workshop -- Multi-Omics Studies in Cancer -- Learnings from TCGA -- to be held from September 21 to 25 at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER). The event is also organised by the Centre for Translational Cancer Research, a joint initiative between Prashanti Cancer Care Mission(PCCM), IISER- Persistent Systems and TCGA, National Institutes of Health, USA.
TCGA, a collaboration between the National Cancer Institute and the National Human Genome Research Institute, has generated comprehensive multi-dimensional maps of the key genomic changes in 33 types of cancer. The TCGA data set has helped the global cancer research community work towards prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Dr Santosh Dixit, a senior scientist with the PCCM and convenor of the conference, told The Indian Express that TCGA provided a gold mine of data and changed the face of cancer research. "In the world of biology, TCGA is equivalent to landing on the moon as the molecular analysis of each cancer is significant. Each cancer can be treated differently by knowing the molecular map of that cancer, studying the genes that have gone wrong and providing effective targeted drugs," said Dr Dixit.
While scientists are keen on setting up a similar TCGA for the Indian population, among the key driving forces are Dr L S Shashidhara, a developmental biologist formerly associated with IISER, Dr C B Koppiker, founder of PCCM, and Dr Anand Deshpande, founder and chairman of Persistent Systems, a technology services company.
Dr Deshpande said the project is socially relevant. "We need our own version of the cancer genome atlas. TCGA data is based on the caucasian population. We need to create our own data sets, build upon these initiatives and have our own equivalent of TCGA in India," Dr Deshpande told The Indian Express.
Persistent Systems is the software partner for IISER and PCCM and, according to Dr Deshpande, the software is among the key features of the TCGA initiative.
"We have been trying to get the team from TCGA and convince them to let us use their infrastructure, understand their methods and processes for setting up something similar in the country. They have agreed and while we will learn the same protocol and replicate them here, no biological sample will be sent out of the country. All tests will be done in India," said Dr Deshpande.
Dr Renu Swarup, CSIR director general Dr Shekhar Mande and others will be present during the workshop and participate in the discussion on creating a TCGA-like project in India.
Source Link : https://indianexpress.com
Date : 2019-09-12
New mobile app launched to assist farmers
Aug 2, 2019 (New Delhi)
New mobile app launched to assist farmers
The Ministries of Earth Sciences and Agriculture have launched a mobile application that will provide location, and crop and livestock- specific weather-based agro advisories to farmers in local languages.
To begin with, the service would be available for 150 districts in different parts of the country. It will be extended to rest of the country in a phased manner over the next one year. The Ministries will provide forecast to farmers relating to temperature, rainfall, humidity, and wind speed and direction, which play critical roles in agricultural operations and how to take care of the crops and livestock. The information would be updated twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays.
The app has been named Meghdoot and can be downloaded from Google Play Store and App Store. The users will have to register their name and location so that they can get area specific information. It has been developed by experts from the India Meteorological Department and Indian Institute of Tropical meteorology and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
The app would provide information in the form of images, maps and pictures to help the farmer to have a clearer picture of what is in store. It has been integrated with WhatsApp and Facebook as well to help farmers share information among themselves. It will also be integrated with YouTube in future.
In another related development, IMD has developed new website to disseminate weather and climate information in user-friendly manner. The website has less of technical information and more of important information such as district-wise weather warnings in easy to view and read formats.
The site will also act as a centralized portal to all the meteorological offices in India to update the warnings, bulletins and other data in real-time.Minister for Earth Science, Science and Technology Dr. Harsh Vardhan launched the agro-meteorology advisory application and the new website at a function to mark the Foundation Day of the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Source Link : https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/
Date : 2019-08-03
GSLV MkIII-M1 Successfully Launches Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft
July 22, 2019 (New Delhi)
GSLV MkIII-M1 Successfully Launches Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft
India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle GSLV MkIII-M1, successfully launched the 3840 kg Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into an earth orbit today. The spacecraft is now revolving round the earth with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 169.7 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 45,475 km. Today's flight marks the first operational flight of the GSLV Mk III.
After a smooth countdown lasting 20 hours, GSLV MkIII-M1 vehicle majestically lifted off from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at the scheduled launch time of 1443 Hrs (2:43 pm) Indian Standard Time (IST) with the ignition of its two S200 solid strap-on motors. All the subsequent flight events occurred as scheduled.
About 16 minutes 14 seconds after lift-off, the vehicle injected Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft into an elliptical earth orbit.Immediately after spacecraft separation from the vehicle, the solar array of the spacecraft automatically got deployed and ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), Bengaluru successfully took control of the spacecraft.
ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan congratulated the launch vehicle and satellite teams involved in this challenging mission. "Today is a historical day for Space Science and Technology in India. I am extremely happy to announce that GSLV MkIII-M1 successfully injected Chandrayaan-2 into an orbit of 6000 Km more than the intended orbit and is better."
"Today is the beginning of the historical journey of India towards Moon and to land at a place near South Pole to carry out scientific experiments to explore the unexplored. On July 15, 2019 ISRO intelligently observed a technical snag, Team ISRO worked out, fixed and corrected the snag within 24 hours. For the next one and a half day, the required tests were conducted to ensure that corrections made were proper and in right direction. Today ISRO bounced back with flying colours," Dr. Sivan said.
In the coming days, a series of orbit manoeuvres will be carried out using Chandrayaan-2's onboard propulsion system. This will raise the spacecraft orbit in steps and then place it in the Lunar Transfer Trajectory to enable the spacecraft to travel to the vicinity of the Moon.
GSLV Mk III is a three-stage launch vehicle developed by ISRO. The vehicle has two solid strap-ons, a core liquid booster and a cryogenic upper stage. The vehicle is designed to carry 4 ton class of satellites into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) or about 10 tons to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
Chandrayaan-2 is India's second mission to the moon. It comprises a fully indigenous Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) and Rover (Pragyan). The Rover Pragyan is housed inside Vikram lander.
The mission objective of Chandrayaan-2 is to develop and demonstrate the key technologies for end-to-end lunar mission capability, including soft-landing and roving on the lunar surface. On the science front, this mission aims to further expand our knowledge about the Moon through a detailed study of its topography, mineralogy, surface chemical composition, thermo-physical characteristics and atmosphere leading to a better understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon.
After leaving earth orbit and on entering Moon's sphere of influence, the on-board propulsion system of Chandrayaan-2 will be fired to slow down the spacecraft. This will enable it to be captured into a preliminary orbit around the Moon. Later, through a set of manoeuvres, the orbit of Chandrayaan-2 around the moon will be circularised at 100 km height from the lunar surface.
Subsequently, the lander will separate from the Orbiter and enters into a 100 km X 30 km orbit around the Moon. Then, it will perform a series of complex braking manoeuvers to soft land in the South polar region of the Moon on September 7, 2019.
Following this, the Rover will roll out from the lander and carry out experiments on the lunar surface for a period of 1 lunar day, which is equal to 14 Earth days. The mission life of the lander is also 1 lunar day. The Orbiter will continue its mission for a duration of one year.The orbiter had a lift-off weight of about 2,369 kg, while the lander and rover weighed 1,477 kg and 26 kg respectively. The rover can travel up to 500 m (half a kilometre) and relies on electric power generated by its solar panel for functioning.
Chandrayaan-2 has several science payloads to facilitate a more detailed understanding of the origin and evolution of the Moon. The Orbiter carries eight payloads, the lander carries three, and the rover carries two. Besides, a passive experiment is included on the lander. The Orbiter payloads will conduct remote-sensing observations from a 100 km orbit while the Lander and Rover payloads will perform in-situ measurements near the landing site.
The ground facilities constitute the third vital element of Chandrayaan-2 mission. They perform the important task of receiving the health information as well as the scientific data from the spacecraft. They also transmit the radio commands to the spacecraft. The Ground Segment of Chandrayaan-2 consists of Indian Deep Space Network, Spacecraft Control Centre and Indian Space Science Data Centre.
Today's successful launch of Chandrayaan-2 is a significant milestone in this challenging mission. A total number of 7500 visitors witnessed the launch live from the Viewer's Gallery at Sriharikota.
Source Link : http://pib.nic.in/
Date : 2019-07-23
India to launch its 1st human genome cataloguing project
July 22, 2019 (Mumbai)
India to launch its 1st human genome cataloguing project
India will launch its first human genome mapping project by October, a move that will help researchers get closer to developing effective therapies for treating diseases such as cancer. In the first phase of the initiative called the Genome India project, the genomic data of 10,000 Indians will be catalogued. The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has initiated the project.
"This is going to be transformational for our healthcare because these days disease management is all about data," DBT secretary Renu Swarup said in an exclusive interview to ET. "For new advancements in medical science like predictive diagnosis and precision medicine, genomic information is key and the backbone."
A genome is an organism's complete set of DNA, including all its genes. It contains all the information needed to build and maintain that organism. By sequencing the genome,researchers can discover the functions of genes and identify which of them are critical for life.
The DBT said it will build on its own experience of genomic cataloguing and rope in 22 partner organisations including public health institutions that have obtained regulatory ethical clearances.
Investigators in hospitals will lead the data collection through a simple blood test from participants and the information will be added to bio banks. Swarup expects the DBT will capture data from more than 10,000 people over the next three years and link them to its bio banks and bio repository.
Across the world, predictive diagnosis and precision medicine based on the genetic makeup of patients are emerging fields in the treatment of diseases such as cancer and other genetic disorders. The Genome India project will aim to make predictive diagnostic markers available for some priority diseases such as cancer and other rare and genetic disorders, Swarup explained.
The DBT has started establishing diagnostic labs for genetic testing and counselling services and a programme to train clinicians to produce skilled personnel to set up more such labs. The department has also initiated an outreach programme to provide genetic diagnosis and counselling to families affected by common genetic disorders in certain districts. The Human Genome Project, which was completed in 2003, was led by an international team of researchers looking to sequence and map all the genes ? together known as the genome ? of human beings.
Several countries have embarked on mapping the genetic mark up of their own population to better understand disease profiles. The UK said in 2013 that it will undertake the sequencing of 100,000 whole genomes of patients suffering from cancer and rare diseases. The project was extended to 1 million in 2018. Genomic England, the organisation that runs the programme, has said that its aim is to create a new genomic medicine service for the National Health Service ? transforming the way people are cared for.
However, there are concerns over the use of genetic data. According to a report published in April by UK data consulting firm Ipsos MORI, there are clear limits for how far the public thought genomic data and the information derived from it should be used.Some of the red lines it raised were genetic engineering, use of genomic data to differentiate groups within society, and predictive insurance tests and targeted marketing.
Participants wanted assurances that there is a robust governance framework and consent process in place that makes clear the intended use of their data, the IPSOS report said.
Source Link : https://economictimes.indiatimes.com
Date : 2019-07-22
Ministry of AYUSH signed MOU between with MeitY
July 1, 2019 (New Delhi)
Ministry of AYUSH signed MOU between with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
Ministry of AYUSH (MOA) and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) have signed MOU at New Delhi today for collaborating with each other for the digitization of AYUSH Sector. MeitY has agreed to advise and give technical support to MOA for planning and development of AYUSH GRID Project.
In pursuance to the National Health Policy 2017 and e-governance initiative of Ministry of AYUSH aims to digitize the entire AYUSH leading to transformation in the field of health care delivery at all levels, in addition to greater research, education, delivery of various healthcare programmes and better drug regulations.
On the occasion of the signing of MOU, Secretary AYUSH Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha briefed about the vision and utility of AYUSH GRID Project and stated that this will be beneficial for all stakeholders of AYUSH including citizens of the country and in turn, will help to achieve various national and international goals in healthcare.
In his remarks, Secretary, MeitY Shri Ajay Prakash Sawhney informed about the various MeitY led Health initiatives such as e-Hospital, e-Aushadhi, e-Rakt Kosh, Online Registration System (ORS) and e-Shushrut for digitizing the internal workflows and processes of hospitals enabling the efficient and online delivery of Health care services across the country. MeitY has also sponsored a number of R&D projects for the development of Medical Electronics Devices and Systems such as Medical and Imaging equipment, establishing a centre of excellence in medical electronics. MeitY has also launched an online information guide called Vikaspedia, a portal for the various social sectors including Health and it offers information in 23 languages.
Secretary, MeitY concluded that high-quality technical support from MeitY to Ministry of AYUSH would lead to success in the endeavour of Ministry of AYUSH in the field of digitalization.
Source Link : http://pib.nic.in
Date : 2019-07-02
Cabinet clears DNA tech bill to help with investigations
June 24, 2019 (New Delhi)
Cabinet clears DNA tech bill to help with investigations
The Union Cabinet on Monday approved the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019, that allows the government to create a DNA data bank for solving crimes, tracing missing persons, and identifying dead bodies.
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the molecule that contains the genetic instruction and can be extracted from samples of blood, tissue, hair, and bodily fluids. It is “somatically stable” or remains the same across all kinds of samples and can be used to identify people.
“The bill will empower the criminal justice delivery system by enabling the application of DNA evidence, which is considered as the gold standard in crime investigations and gives a fillip to the development of uniform practices in all laboratories involved in DNA testing in India,” said Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union minister for health and science.
The bill had been tabled earlier this year and was passed by the Lok Sabha in January. It lapsed after not being passed in the Rajya Sabha.
If approved, the bill will make provisions for the government to set up national and regional DNA data banks that will maintain samples under categories such as crime scene, suspect or under-trial, offenders, a missing person, and the unknown deceased person.
Bodily samples for DNA analysis can be collected only on consent from the people, including those who have been sentenced for up to seven years. For people who have received a sentence of more than seven years, the samples can be collected without consent.
Leaking of identifiable DNA information will be punishable by up to one year of imprisonment and a fine of ~1 lakh, according to the bill. And, altering or destroying biological samples is punishable by up to five years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2 lakh.
The bill also prohibits all laboratories from conducting any DNA tests or analysis without accreditation with the DNA regulatory board, ensuring the quality and reliability of tests.
“Even now, DNA samples from crime scenes are used for identifying criminals. But, with the creation of interlinked national data banks, the investigators will be able to go through the database to trace criminals. It will similarly help in tracing missing people or the unknown dead bodies,” said Dr Anupuma Raina, a senior scientist in the forensic DNA lab, All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
“The other thing is that the DNA samples will be saved, so even if an accused is traced after five or ten years, the samples from the crime scene can be matched for conviction. Now, this can be done only if a laboratory decides to maintain the record for years,” she added.
The bill was initially proposed in 2007 and the drafting began in 2012. The NGO Lokniti Foundation filed a petition in the Supreme Court stating that India does not have a DNA database to identify nearly 40,000 unclaimed bodies every year.
Source Link : https://www.hindustantimes.com
Date : 2019-06-25
News
Five new technology missions to be launched to make India f..
