On February 3 2025, Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, Director General(DG) of the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC) and Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology (MoS&T), inaugurated India’s first Ferret Research Facility, at the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) in the National Capital Region (NCR) Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad, Haryana, marking a significant advancement in biomedical research and innovation.
- He also launched the ‘GARBH-INi-DRISHTI’ data repository and Information Sharing Hub at THSTI; and witnessed the signing of an important Technology Transfer Agreement (TTA).
About Ferret Research Facility:
i.The newly opened THSTI Ferret Research Facility is a cutting-edge center that follows top safety and research standards.
- Ferret Research involves using ferrets as animal models to study various diseases, particularly those affecting the respiratory system.
ii.It represents an important step in India’s efforts to combat both infectious and non-communicable diseases.
iii.The facility will play a key role in vaccine development, testing treatments, and studying new infectious diseases, strengthening India’s ability to handle pandemics and making India, a leader in global scientific research.
About GARBH-INi-DRISHTI:
i.A data platform GARBH-INi-DRISHTI was created under the GARBH-INi program, offers a huge collection of clinical data, images, and biospecimens from over 12,000 pregnant women, newborns, and mothers.
- The GARBH-Ini(Interdisciplinary Group for Advanced Research on Birth Outcomes – DBT India Initiative) program under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology(MoS&T), launched in 2014, aimed at improving the health of mothers and children while developing tools to predict preterm birth risks.
ii.As one of the largest maternal and child health databases in South Asia, it will help researchers globally improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.
About Technology Transfer Agreement (TTA):
i.To move research into practical use, THSTI signed a TTA with Ahmedabad (Gujarat) based Sundyota Numandis Probioceuticals Private Limited.
ii.This agreement will help bring THSTI’s innovative synthetic microbial consortium, Lactobacillus crispatus, to market.
- Lactobacillus crispatus was isolated from the reproductive tracts of women enrolled in the GARBH-INi cohort.
- This consortium holds immense promise for nutraceutical applications, promoting overall health and well-being through targeted microbiome-based interventions.
