• Wockhardt Develops Insulin Analogue
• Nine Indians in MIT List of Innovators
• Indian Scientist Challenges Elinstein's Theory of Relativity
• India's R&D Outsourcing Market to Cross $8 bn by 2010
• India's First Sky-Bus Successfully Tested
• Indians Corporates Go Hi-Tech with Security
• Eat Indian Curry to Beat Cancer

• An Exploration of the Origin of DNA
• Award for Bharti Teletech
• New TB Drug Developed by Indian Scientists
• Seven Indian Origin Researchers Among Top 100 Scientists
• Railways Signal Drive to Promote Use of Bio-Diesel
• Brain Gain: Desi Pharma Attracts Overseas Talent

Mumbai-based Wockhardt has developed the first indigenous insulin analogue. The 'insulin glargine' is a version of Aventis' top selling brand Lantus. "We will initiate phase III clinical trials with glargine and we expect to introduce it in India in the next 18 months," Habil Khorakiwala, chairman of Wockhardt, said before the inauguration of the company's biotech park at Aurangabad on Thursday. In addition to insulin glargine, Wockhardt is planning to extend its insulin range with newer delivery systems such as insulin pens. The prototype will be developed shortly and the insulin pens will be launched in the first quarter of next year. Wockhardt's shares rose about 6% to Rs 342.60 on Friday, while the sensex fell marginally. "With the introduction of glargine and convenient delivery devices such as pens, Wockhardt expects to have a comprehensive range of products for the management of diabetes," Mr Khorakiwala said. Wockhardt claims that its recombinant insulin - Wosulin - launched last year, has captured a 20% share of the new prescriptions. Wockhardt's entry into this market led to a 40% drop in prices. Wosulin is Wockhardt's third biopharmaceutical product after a hepatitis B drug and erythropoetin. The company, which is focusing more on biopharmaceuticals, has set up a biotech park at Aurangabad for Rs 200 crore. "Biotechnology is a key component of our global strategy," Mr Khorakiwala said. "We are targeting a 100-fold increase in biotech exports to Rs 100 crore by '06," he added. Wockhardt has already received approvals from regulatory agencies in 10 countries in south-east Asia, Central Asia, South America and Africa, and expects many more approvals in the next 12-18 months. "These markets offer huge opportunities," Mr Khorakiwala said.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, September 25, 2004

Back to Index

Nine Indians figure in the list of 100 top innovators under the age of 35, chosen by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Technology Review magazine for this year. The chosen 100 (TR100) represent a group that demonstrates that the barriers to innovation, both geographical and disciplinary, are crumbling, according to Technology Review. The TR100 for 2004, the fourth year that the magazine has named its list of innovators, hail from places as varied as Singapore, Boston, South Korea, Israel and China, besides India. Many are developing technologies that defy easy classification, often fusing recent advances in computing, medicine, and nanotech. Among those named in the TR100 earlier and who went on to become purveyors of world-beating technologies are Sergey Brin (2002) and Larry Page (2002) of Google fame.

The list of Indian honourees for 2004 is as follows:

1. Mr Anuj Batra (34), Systems Engineer, Texas Instruments: Leads one of the industry's top teams advancing ultra wideband wireless technology, which provides the high transmission speeds needed for streaming-media applications while consuming little power.

2. Mr Ramesh Raskar (34), Visiting Research Scientist, Mitsubishi Electric: Built large computer display systems that seamlessly combine images from multiple projectors. The computer scientist's image-processing and graphics research may lead to new applications in entertainment, image-guided surgery, and user interfaces.

3. Ms Chaitali Sengupta (34), Systems Architect, Texas Instruments: Oversees the architecture of communications chips used in advanced cellular systems now coming to market. The chips let multimedia cell phones more easily handle Internet access, videoconferencing, and mobile commerce.

4. Ms Srinidhi Varadarajan (31), Director, Terascale Computing Facility, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: Conceived and built the world's third-fastest supercomputer from a cluster of 1,100 Apple Macintoshes for $5 million. Other world-class supercomputers, in government, universities, and industry, cost $100 million or more.

5. Mr Mayank Bulsara (32), Cofounder and Chief Technology Officer, AmberWave Systems: Co-founded Salem, AmberWave to develop strained silicon, an advanced form of silicon that makes computer chips run faster and consume less power.

6. Mr Ravi Kane (32), Assistant Professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Created a highly potent anthrax treatment in which each drug molecule blocks multiple toxin molecules rather than just one. He is extending the concept to anti-HIV therapies.

7. Ms Smruti Vidwans (30), Postdoctoral Fellow University of California, San Francisco: Tuberculosis kills two million people every year, a tragedy of which Ms Vidwans was all too aware growing up in India.

Resistance to TB drugs is on the rise, and Ms Vidwans thinks the solution may be new drugs that don't kill the bacteria but block the proteins that allow them to reproduce in people. She is launching a company to develop such drugs.

8. Mr Vikram Sheel Kumar (28), Cofounder and Chief Executive Officer, Dimagi: Founded Dimagi in Boston to develop interactive software that motivates patients to manage chronic diseases such as diabetes and AIDS. His PDA-based systems are being used in rural India and South Africa.

9. Mr Ananth Natarajan (33), Chief Executive Officer, Infinite Biomedical Technologies: Co-founded his Baltimore firm to bridge the gap between research and patient care. One of its technologies will enable implantable cardiac devices to detect incipient heart attacks.

Among the list of judges that selected the TR100 - and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Prof Nicholas Negroponte, Chairman, MIT Media Lab - were Mr Sanjay Correa, Global technology leader for energy and propulsion technologies, GE Global Research, and Prof Tejal Desai, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University.

Courtesy: The Hindu Business Line, September 21, 2004

Back to Index

A Canadian journal is publishing a research paper by a scientist in Himachal Pradesh that claims to have found shortcomings in Einstein's theory of relativity. "I have suggested in a 40-page paper a new alternative for changes in Einstein's theory," Ajay Sharma, the scientist, said. He produced a letter sent by "Physics Essays, an international journal dedicated to fundamental questions in physics", which is publishing his paper. "I have seriously analysed Einstein's 1905 research paper and have found conceptual mistake, while deriving E=mc2," Sharma said. "This theory is valid for nuclear reactions only, but hasn't been confirmed in the burning of fuels. I have suggested a new equation," he said. "I am currently writing a book E=mc2 After 100 years," Sharma, said. "Even though I have so far been invited to 30 international conferences to present papers, I feel neither Indian scientists nor foreign scientists give due consideration to scientific work published in Indian journals," he lamented.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, September 21, 2004

Back to Index

Seven scientists of Indian origin were named among the world's top 100 young researchers by Technology Review, published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Indian scientists include Srinidhi Varadarajan who built a super computer from off-the-shelf commercial products.The top 100 honour, an annual event by the prestigious Institute, recognises exceptional talent in fields like biotechnology, medicine, nanotechnology and computing.Besides Varadarajan, the other young Indian origin researchers selected were Anuj Batra, Ramesh Raskar, Chaitali Sengupta, Ravi Kane, Vikram Sheel Kumar and Ananth Natarajan, according to the magazine. Varadarajan, Director of Terascale Computing Facility, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, conceived and built the world's third-fastest supercomputer from a cluster of 1,100 Apple Macintoshes. The project cost at around $5 million when world-class supercomputers cost $100 million or more. The young researcher used off-the-shelf commercial products to design the supercomputer in less than three months as he did not have the hundreds of millions of dollars for the purpose. Ananth Natarajan, 33, CEO, Infinite Biomedical Technologies, was named for devising technology that enables implantable cardiac devices to detect incipient heart attacks.Sixty-nine men and thirty-one women were selected from a pool of 500 nominations for this year's honour.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, September 21, 2004

Back to Index

The research and development outsourcing market for information technology in India to grow from $1.3 billion in 2003 to over $8 billion by 2010. According to a study by Ireland-based leading market research resource, Research & Markets, India is now well on the road to becoming the world's favourite destination for outsourcing. "But a low cost advantage does not spell sustainability. Moving away from call-centres and other low-end services, firms are now beginning to exploit the intellectual caliber that is available in India," the study said. "Evidence of high-end outsourcing is evident from the large number established R&D outsourcing centres in India." This report looks at various aspects of R&D outsourcing industry in India, with special focus on the R&D outsourcing scenario in the IT, Telecom, Auto, Research and Pharmaceuticals sectors. Estimates for R&D outsourcing in India, with forecasts till 2007 for the IT, telecom and pharmaceutical sectors, are also provided. The report is based on secondary data as well as extensive interviews with key people at the Indian R&D centres, to understand reasons for success/failure and other attributes of the successful companies. This report will help companies setting up offshore R&D centres understand the key success factors; or what they need to do to make their offshoring efforts successful - from selection of key people, cultural issues, location, links with educational institutions, support from parent company, dos and don'ts. In this study of successful R&D establishments, the success stories found were built on a well-defined set of success factors enumerated below: selection of key person to run the R&D operations; champions of the R&D set up; human resource management; strong quality systems; integration and communication; cultural issues; affiliation with educational institutions/ universities; clear roadmap and early successes.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, September 17, 2004

Back to Index

The Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL), on Wednesday successfully conducted the first public trial of the sky-bus metro. The test was conducted over a distance of one km at a speed of 40 km/ph, KRCL Managing Director, B. Rajaram said.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, September 16, 2004

Back to Index

In a few weeks time, employees walking into the headquarters of GAIL in New Delhi will go through a security check that involves standing before an iris reader that will scan their eyes. A camera will analyse features found in the coloured ring of tissues that surround the pupil, which are unique to an individual. The company is installing 14 such iris readers across various floors to control access of both employees and outsiders to sensitive zones. And we're told the Rashtrapati Bhavan too might have a similar system to protect its kitchen soon. Biometric security, of which the iris reader is an example, is the latest trend among security-conscious companies. Biometric security takes into account an individual's unique physical or behavioural characteristics to recognise or authenticate their identity and scores over more traditional password or smart card-based security. Common physical biometrics include fingerprints; hand or palm geometry; and retina, iris, or facial characteristics and behavioural characters like keystroke pattern and gait which are even being explored. Unlike smart cards or passwords, fingerprints and eye-balls can't be borrowed, stolen or left at home, and forging one is practically impossible. "Ever since 9/11, the demand for fool-proof security has increased significantly," says Pramod Rao, managing director of Zicom, a company which markets such systems in India.

Courtesy: www.economictimes.com, September 16, 2004

Back to Index

The Indian Railways has seriously taken the government's call to chip in the country's efforts to produce bio-fuel. Being the largest consumer of diesel, it has started a drive to produce bio-diesel for its captive consumption. The lead in this regard has been taken by the Kharagpur division of the south-eastern railways. As it is proved that jatropha oil is a perfect blend for diesel, the division has drawn up a plan to gradually increase the ratio of jatropha oil in its blend with diesel. For starters, it intends to churn out such a bio-diesel by mid-September 2005, which will be blended with 5% jetropha oil. The vegetable oil's ratio, as per the plan, will be raised up to 20% by 2008. To make it happen, the division has decided to utilise its vacant land to raise jatropha plantation. "The railways here have vast stretches of unutilised land, most of which lie between Kharagpur and Nimpura. In the first phase of the programme, which should end by mid-September 2005, our target is to raise 10 lakh jatropha trees in 500 hectares of land. Since a plantation of this size will yield 330-350 tonnes of jatropha oil, we would start off with producing a bio-diesel, which will be doped with 5% jatropha oil. As these plants will become mature by 2008, which will raise jatropha oil production too, we expect to raise the ratio to 20% by that time," divisional manager Shakil Ahmed told ET.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, September 15, 2004

Back to Index

Want to prevent cancer? Eat Indian curry. Medical experts say that a trip to the local curry house is good for your health - and reports on this in the British press is expected to spark another Indian food boom. Eating curry on a regular basis can actually stop you getting cancer, according to a professor of Cicago's Loyola University Medical Centre. Research has revealed that turmeric protects against blood cancer leukaemia as it contains a chemical called curcumin, which stops cancer cells from multiplying. It also blocks the harmful effects of cigarette smoke and processed food.In fact it seems that everything in curry is good - cumin helps protect against heart disease, coriander is also known to lower blood pressure and garlic has many benefits. Now curry houses in Birmingham are expecting a fresh surge of interest in Indian grub after experts gave it the bill of health. Mohammad Nazir, head chef at the Royal Naim Restaurant, said: "This proves what we have been saying for years that curries are healthy for you. "We definitely expect to see more people coming out to enjoy a curry now."

Courtesy: Hindustan Times, September 14, 2004

Back to Index

India is one of the six countries, which can build and launch its own satellites. India is among the three countries to have attained the capabilities to indigenously design and manufacture supercomputers. The day is not too far when the gene match becomes more important than horoscope match in fixing marriage. These are some of the possibilities that scientific researches hold out in the future which were unfolded by the Vice-Chancellor of Kuvempu University, K. Chidananda Gowda, here on Saturday while inaugurating a two-day State-level UGC-sponsored seminar on "DNA - Past, Present and Future'' organised by the DVS College of Arts and Science to celebrate the golden jubilee of Double Helix. For the audience, it was an exploration of the origin and growth of DNA in what looked like a lecture-cum-demonstration by the Vice-Chancellor. Terming DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) "the most awesome skill'' as had been described by a scientist, Prof. Gowda also referred to the observation by a scientist on DNA who had said: "It (DNA) is so beautiful it must be true.'' Prof. Gowda said the identification of an acidic substance in human nuclear in 1869 by J.F. Miescher, which was subsequently described as DNA, was the major milestone in the history of DNA. Prof. Gowda said the milestones in the development of biotechnology, which were made possible by innovations in DNA, led to the development of several technologies such as software, networking, biotechnology, wireless, optical broad and semiconductor. The major breakthrough of biotechnology during the modern times was the discovery of penicillin in 1928. Stating that the gradual stages of new DNA technology was marked by scepticism, novelty, dependence, saturation, irritant and replacement, he, however, said it was heartening to note that DNA which was viewed with scepticism came to be accepted as novelty with the passage of time. The application of biotechnology could be varied, ranging from tissue culture, mushroom cultivation to vermiculture, and food processing and preservation. Terming bioinformatics a new area of research in the field of biotechnology, Prof. Gowda said it involved the interface of information technology with life sciences. India had the global recognition in the fields of nuclear technology, space technology, information technology, satellites and supercomputer technology. Prof. Gowda said while Max Muller, research scholar, hailed India as the land of "manpower'', Arnold Toynbee observed that India's ancient thoughts and wisdom would conquer the world.

Courtesy: The Hindu, September 12, 2004

Back to Index

Bharti Teletech, India's largest manufacturer of fixed-lines phone instruments and a group company of Bharti Enterprises, has been awarded the coveted "V&D 100 Award" in recognition for being the leading telephone equipment manufacturing company in the year 2003-04.

Courtesy: The Hindu, September 08, 2004

Back to Index

In a breakthrough, a group of Indian scientists has developed a new molecule that promises to drastically cut down the time of the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) to just two months. The present regimen requires intake of drugs for six to eight months. The molecule has been tested on mice and guinea pigs and proved to be highly effective. It is now ready for clinical trials on human volunteers. The molecule was developed under the CSIR's "New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative" by pharmaceuticals major Lupin in collaboration with the Hyderabad University and the CSIR's National Chemical Laboratory, the Central Drug Research Institute, and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology. The discovery assumes importance as the existing drugs against the disease were becoming obsolete. Despite efforts by scientists across the world, new anti-TB drugs had not been developed since 1963.

Courtesy: The Hindu, September 08, 2004

Back to Index

After IT, it's the Indian pharma industry that is attracting brains it had once lost to US and European pharma lords. The credit goes to the recent thrust being given on research by Indian drug majors. And it is tempting Indian researchers now working overseas to come back to India. Six months ago, just about 50 such brains, called 'research scientists', had left their plum overseas jobs to join desi pharma companies. Today, the number has doubled and almost 100 of them are back in India. Industry analysts speculate that in the process the US will lose nearly 10% of its present research force in the drug and pharmaceutical field by '06, if Indian researchers continue to leave their jobs there to take up assignments at home. The US has always been the most preferred destination for research scientists from India. The Indian companies now provide them an opportunity that was unthinkable even two years ago - the same R&D environment, infrastructure and incentives as in the west," Somesh Sharma, chief scientific officer (CSO), Nicholas Piramal India (NPIL), told ET. Turn to Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL), the first Indian company to build its own R&D operations a decade ago. DRL has recently recruited from Bristol Myers Squibb, its senior vice president for new chemical entity (NCE) development. Similarly, Ranbaxy has recently roped in Rajinder Kumar from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to head its R&D department. Mr Kumar was the global head of psychiatry (clinical R&D) at GSK, UK and was instrumental in making Paxil/Seroxat (paroxetine), GSK's first blockbuster product worth $2bn.

Courtesy: The Economic Times, September 07, 2004

Back to Index