VIJAYAWADA: On the lines of T-hub that hosts IT companies, the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology’s (CCMB) I-hub (innovation hub) for medical biotechnology companies will start working from Friday in the city at Uppal.
Not only start-ups of scientists and students, this hub will have incubation centres of existing biotech companies to translate research findings into business ventures, DNA diagnostics tied up with government hospitals like NIMS and Gandhi, particularly for pre-natal diagnostics, clinical research facility and other wings of applied biotechnology.
The five-storeyed building with scientific equipment will be available at nominal fee. Experts will assist the industry for which two companies have already tied up to start their work. CCMB director Dr K. Rakesh Mishra said the innovation hub would facilitate application-oriented research in association with biotech companies, hospitals and start-ups.
“Apart from sophisticated equipment available for use, our experts will interact with companies depending on the need. In pre-natal diagnostics, we are testing the amniotic fluid collected and sample sent by hospitals for genetic diseases. However, for the future we are working on developing technology to identify and isolate foetal cells in the blood of mother to do pre-natal diagnosis instead of testing from amniotic fluid. A blood sample will do if we can develop this method," Dr Mishra said.
The top floor of the hub building is the Common Research and Technology Development Hub and other floors will have diagnostics, clinical research facility and start-ups. According to the CCMB director, the diagnostics division is not aimed at making money but will help in providing quality services and to support price control in the market.
The CCMB will soon start training programmes covering three vital areas — applied bio-informatics, forensic sciences and cell biology — which makes researchers ready for the jobs.
