Bharat Biotech seeks government approval of two Zika vaccine
candidates
ü Vaccines
manufacturer, Bharat Biotech, announced a breakthrough in developing the
world’s first Zika vaccine. The Hyderabad-based company has submitted two
vaccine candidates one inactivated and one recombinant to the Indian
government.
ü Pre-clinical
studies will be concluded in the next five months, after which the process for
regulatory approval will commence.
ü An
inactivated vaccine is when the disease-causing microbe is killed, typically,
using chemicals, heat, or radiation. Such a vaccine is more stable and safer
than live vaccines. A recombinant vaccine is a vaccine produced through
recombinant DNA technology. This involves inserting the DNA encoding an antigen
(such as a bacterial surface protein) that stimulates an immune response.
About Zika virus
ü Zika
virus disease is an emerging viral disease transmitted through the bite of an
infected Aedes mosquito, which also transmits diseases like dengue and chikungunya.
World Health Organization has reported 22 countries and territories in Americas
from where local transmission of Zika virus has been reported.
ü Microcephaly
in the newborn and other neurological syndromes (Guillain-Barre Syndrome) have
been found temporally associated with Zika virus infection.
Global Biotechnology Summit on “Destination India”
ü A
two-day Global Biotechnology Summit on “Destination India” will be held on 5th
& 6th February 2016 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.
ü The
event would highlight India’s Biotechnology strength and capacity. It would
provide an opportunity to bring together all stakeholders to discuss
opportunities, collaborations and to prepare a joint action plan for achieving
the target of 100 billion US dollars for the Biotech sector by 2020.
ü The
Summit will be held as a run-up to the Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
celebrating its 30th Foundation Day on 26th February 2016.
ü Department
of Biotechnology comes into existence in 1986.
ü Major
objective of DBT is to the growth of Life Sciences and Biotechnology in the
Country and it has national as well as global impact.
ü A
series of scientific activities including lectures, debates and other
interactions with eminent scientists as well as overseas experts were organized
in association with various autonomous institutes and colleges.
ü It
would broadly focus on the priority themes – Make in India, Nurturing
Bio-entrepreneurship, Skill India, Biotech opportunities and action for Swachh
Bharat and Swasth Bharat.
RBI relaxes FDI norms to boost start-ups
ü The
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) relaxed several rules including foreign direct
investment norms to boost start-up activity in the country.
ü To
begin with, start-ups are allowed to receive foreign venture capital investment
irrespective of the sector in which they operate. The new norms will enable transfer
of shares from foreign venture capital investors to other residents or
non-residents.
ü Currently,
only Venture Capital Funds (VCF) and Indian Venture Capital Undertakings (IVCU)
are eligible to raise foreign venture capital investments.
ü The
central bank simplified the process of dealing with delayed reporting of
foreign direct investment (FDI)-related transaction by building a penalty
structure into the regulations itself.
NGT asks govt. to explore alternatives to traditional cremation
ü The
National Green Tribunal has directed the Union Environment Ministry and the
Delhi government to initiate programmes to provide alternative modes of cremation
of human remains, saying the traditional method of burning wood emitted
hazardous pollutants in the environment.
ü A
bench headed by Justice U. D. Salvi said there was a need to adopt
environment-friendly methods like electric crematoriums and use of CNG and
change the “mindset of the people”.
ü The
green panel said the traditional means of cremation caused an adverse impact on
environment and dispersal of ashes in the river led to water pollution.
ü The
NGT was hearing a plea by advocate D .M. Bhalla who had said that cremation of
humans by conventional methods added to air pollution, therefore, alternative
modes of cremation needed to be used.
Cabinet apprised about Indo-German Science and Technology Centre’s tenure extension
ü The
Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was apprised
about the signing of a Joint Declaration between the Ministry of Science & Technology
and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany on the extension
of the tenure of the Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC).
ü The
Declaration is for the extension of tenure of the bilateral IGSTC for a period
of five years beyond 2017 till 2022.
ü The
IGSTC was established under an agreement between the two Governments in October
2007 and started operation in 2011. Presently IGSTC is supporting joint industrial
R&D projects in areas such as
(a)
Advanced manufacturing (b) biomedical devices & healthcare (c)
nanotechnology (d) automobile engineering (e) water sensors (f) clean energy
technology and
(g)
Information and computing technology.