IGIB DEVELOPS EXPRESSION SYSTEM FOR
PRODUCING ANTHRAX VACCINE
The Institute of
Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi has developed an expression
system for producing large amount of protective antigen protein
of Anthrax toxin. Immunization of animals with this protective
antigen alone could save them from the lethal challenge posed
by the spores of pathogen. The technology developed for Anthrax
vaccine has been transferred for commercial exploitation in collaboration
with the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).
The IGIB dedicated
to frontier areas of genomics, primarily aims to become a knowledge
resource for the Indian Biotechnology industry as far as functional
genomics are concerned. In fact, it aims to develop effective,
competitive and commercial technologies for new drug discovery.
The premier CSIR lab is also working on the development of molecular
markers for pathogenic organisms including mycobacterium tuberculosis.
The IGIB hit the
headlines recently when a group of scientists at the Institute
developed a globally competitive software programme, which facilitated
decoding of the genome sequence of the SARS virus. The SARS scare
is still prevalent in some parts of the world. Before SARS, it
was the Anthrax which created quite a flutter world-wide but now
under check/control.
