Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), under the aegis of Union ministry of human resource development, published a total 440 publications in the last one year while three new patents have been filed and three previously filed patents were also granted.
Director of the institute Dr Anil K Tripathi on Saturday held the first ever press conference by the institute, since its inception in 2007, at the Chandigarh Press Club, Sector 27.
Tripathi said IISER was trying to address problems in Punjab, especially for industry and maintaining ecological balance through research, besides contributing globally.
When asked how the institute was helping to boost industry, Tripathi added, “We have a state of the art animal facility which does clinical research. Before any drug development for animals, it has to undergo clinical research and once we generate evidence, physical trial can take place. So, before a clinical trial is accepted by hospitals, they need pre-clinical research evidence which is provided by IISER. In case the industry wants to launch a new drug, they come to us and we get the drug certified on merit of research.”
Meanwhile, commenting on the Covid-19 vaccination being criticised for its adverse effects on health, Tripathi said the debate was ongoing regarding after effects of the vaccine. “Normally it takes years to develop a vaccine but during the pandemic, it was an emergency clearance to save our people. Usually it takes longer to test adverse effects. Many people including doctors are blaming the vaccines behind cardiac problems, which is not substantiated yet, but the vaccine saved lives.” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, commenting on the Covid-19 vaccination being criticised for its adverse effects on health, Tripathi said the debate was ongoing regarding after effects of the vaccine. “Normally it takes years to develop a vaccine but during the pandemic, it was an emergency clearance to save our people. Usually it takes longer to test adverse effects. Many people including doctors are blaming the vaccines behind cardiac problems, which is not substantiated yet, but the vaccine saved lives.” he added.
{{/usCountry}}He further shared that the dean of faculty affairs, Purnananda Guptasarma, of biological sciences department has been recently awarded the prestigious Tata Transformation Prize and also by The New York Academy of Sciences.
Director Tripathi mentioned that four recent research works, including Guptasarma’s enzyme-driven strategy which demonstrates that solid PET can be broken up into its smallest molecular building blocks to enable its better recycling.
Speaking about his outreach activities, Dr Tripathi said in partnership with the school education boards of Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal, Haryana, and Uttarakhand, IISER was providing training in maths and science to both teachers and students.
The institute is set to host its 13th convocation on the completion of the 2023-24 session at its Mohali campus on June 19.