The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Madras University signs tech transfer agreement for AIDS drug

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 15, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Madras University signs tech transfer agreement for AIDS drug

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, SEPT. 14. A technology transfer agreement signed recently among the University of Madras and the Bharathidasan University and a Chennai-based pharmaceutical company, paving the way for commercial production of a drug from marine blue-green alga.

The project has been evolved following collaborative research conducted by S.P. Thiagarajan, Vice-Chancellor of Madras University, when he was the Head of the Department of Microbiology and G. Subramanian when he was Director of the National Facility for Marine Cyanobacteria, Bharathidasan University.

It has been demonstrated that the marine blue-green alga, `Phormidium species', has anti-viral properties against the AIDS virus (HIV), Herpes Simplex Virus (sexually-transmitted diseases virus) and Hepatitis B virus (jaundice-producing virus). Further research resulted in the development of the most active extract with all the three properties present together.

"We are happy that the commercial agreement was signed with ABL Biotechnologies Limited coming forward to take up this research and development preparation for upscaling it as a possible drug against these viral diseases. We are confident that the company after completing its series of tests on animals and other clinical trials would formally launch it for commercial human consumption within the next three years," said Prof. Thiagarajan, who signed the agreement on Thursday.

Credit transfer

Prof. Thiagarajan also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vice-Chancellor of Mother Teresa University, Anandavalli Mahadevan, on a credit transfer system."It is now an international practice that students migrate from one university to another during a semester or course of their interest and get the marks for that period/subject transferred to the parent university. Under this "Credit Transfer System," both the University of Madras and Mother Teresa University are coming together," Prof. Thiagarajan said.

Biotechnology, Tourism, Women Studies, and Astro Physics are some of the subjects coming under the system of credit transfer from the Mother Teresa University, said Prof. Anandavalli Mahadevan.

Genetic engineering, biotechnology, museum techniques and theoretical physics would form part of the credit transfer facility in Madras University, said Prof. Thiagarajan.

K.O. Issac, managing director of ABL Biotechnologies Limited, said the company was looking forward to synergising more such academic partnerships to further its research and development programmes.

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