How prepared is India for future epidemics? Experts discuss at THSTI meet

The goal of the meeting is to develop a roadmap for accelerating concept, design, delivery of vaccine development for future pandemic.

The first day of the international meet on preparedness for future epidemics saw academicians, industrialists and policy makers deliberating on synergistic collaborations between academia and industry to help achieve faster vaccine development.

How prepared is India for future epidemics? Experts discuss at THSTI meet(REUTERS)

The Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), an autonomous research institute of Department of Biotechnology under the central government's Ministry of Science and Technology meeting "Preparedness for Future Epidemics: Is India ready to meet the CEPI 100 days vaccine challenge?" began on December 5 at the institute in Faridabad.

The goal of the meeting is to develop a roadmap for accelerating concept, design, delivery of vaccine development for future pandemic.

Various sessions covered in the meeting include accelerating vaccine development, academic research and development preparedness and industry readiness

Sessions on regulatory aspects, clinical trials and human challenge model to accelerate vaccine development are also on the agenda.

"India is ready to make vaccines quickly for future pandemics as its research institutes, regulatory bodies and the industrial sector are prepared. The vaccines can be developed quickly as India has become a powerhouse of capabilities to design vaccines for viruses of the future," internationally known scientist and the former principal scientific advisor to the Government, Prof K. VijayRaghavan said at the event.

Dr Pramod Garg, Director THSTI, highlighted the pioneering role played by the institute during the Covid-19 pandemic because of its multi-disciplinary approach.