Tamil Nadu   

Call to strengthen infrastructure in universities in Tamil Nadu

—Photo: R. Ashok

LOFTY VISION: From left, S.P. Thiagarajan, former Vice-Chancellor of University of Madras, N.H. Kumazava of University of Ryukyus and S. Mathavan of Genome Institute of Singapore in Tiruchi on Wednesday.

TIRUCHI: State universities in Tamil Nadu have to strengthen research infrastructure by making the best use of funds allotted by the University Grants Commission and the Department of Science and Technology under major programmes to promote basic sciences.

Lack of international-level infrastructure to suit research pursuits of post-graduate students and Ph.D scholars has been prominently felt in the universities, former Vice-Chancellor of University of Madras S.P. Thiagarajan said on Wednesday.

For this purpose, the UGC had released Rs.250 crore to universities and colleges in the last two years, Dr. Thiagarajan said, inaugurating a week-long International Workshop on Molecular Microbial Pathology, organised by the Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University.

He urged universities and colleges to benefit from attractive opportunities provided by the UGC through D.S. Kothari Post-Doctoral Fellowship Programme, Faculty Recharge Programme and many such programmes. Through its initiatives to attract youngsters towards basic sciences, the UGC was keen on ensuring a qualitative five-fold increase in the number of Ph.D holders in the coming years.

On the international workshop, Dr. Thiagarajan said the topic was of high significance since an understanding of the progress of the diseases was vital for treatment. He explained the potential of fast-moving research in pharmocogenomics — offering personalised medicine solutions — in treating dreaded diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis and jaundice. Molecular tools helped in understanding the pathological sequence and determining the outcome of disease.

Presiding over the workshop, Vice-Chancellor M. Ponnavaikko said resilience of micro-organisms to high and low temperatures created environmental problems. The university proposed to form a genome bank to promote microbial research.

Offering felicitations, N.H. Kumazava of University of Ryukyus, Japan, spoke of his research on high incidences of gastroenteritis in his country during rainy season. He explained that the cause — movement of bacteria from estuaries to the sea — could be addressed by cleaning infected sea food with sterile water before consumption. Accepting his recommendation, the Japanese Government issued suitable instructions to fishing stations.

Dr. Kumazava released the workshop manual on the occasion.

Receiving copies of the manual, S. Mathavan of Genome Institute of Singapore was optimistic of the international workshop invigorating interest among the younger generation in basic sciences.

M. Krishnan, Organising Secretary and Head, Department of Environmental Biotechnology and R. Babu Rajendran, Reader, said the focus of the workshop was to impart hands-on training on molecular diagnostic procedures for accurate identification of pathogens in humans, animals, plant, water and soil through immunological or DNA detection methodologies.

Along with the university, the Department of Science and Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and ANJA College, Sivakasi, sponsored the workshop.

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