India, US to begin trials for Ayurvedic formulations against COVID-19

Ayurvedic practitioners and researchers in India and the US are planning to initiate joint clinical trials for Ayurveda formulations against the novel coronavirus the Indian envoy here has said In a virtual interaction with a group of eminent IndianAmerican scientists academicians and doctors on Wednesday Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu said the vast network of institutional engagements have brought scientific communities between the two countries together in the fight against COVID19Our Institutions have also been collaborating to promote Ayurveda through joint research teaching and training programs Ayurvedic practitioners and researchers in both the countries are planning to initiate joint clinical trials of Ayurvedic formulations against COVID19 Sandhu said Our scientists have been exchanging knowledge and research resources on this front he saidThe IndoUS Science Technology Forum IUSSTF has always been instrumental in promoting excellence in science technology and innovation through collaborative activities To address COVID19related challenges the IUSSTF had given a call to support joint research and startup engagements Large number of proposals are being reviewed on fast track mode by the experts on both the sides he saidIndian pharmaceutical companies are global leaders in producing affordable lowcost medicines and vaccines and will play an important role in the fight against this pandemic Sandhu said According to the ambassador there are at least three ongoing collaborations between Indian vaccine companies with USbased institutionsThese collaborations would be beneficial not just to India and the US but also for the billions who would need to be vaccinated against COVID19 across the world he notedAsserting that innovation will be the key driver in pandemic response and recovery he said techcompanies and startups have already begun to take the lead in this direction Telemedicine and telehealth will evolve as will other digital platforms across sectors he said Noting that there has been longstanding collaboration between India and US in health sector he said scientists have been working together in several programs to understand important diseases at basic and clinical levelMany such programs have been focused on translational research to develop new therapeutics and diagnosticsThere are over 200 ongoing NIH funded projects in India involving 20 institutions from NIH network and several eminent institutions in India engaged in a wide spectrum of research areas to create health care solutions the senior diplomat said The collaboration under Vaccine Action Program VAP resulted in development of ROTAVAC vaccine against rota virus which causes severe diarrhea in childrenThe vaccine was developed by an Indian company Bharat Biotech at an affordable cost It has been commercialised and introduced in the Expanded Program on Immunisation Development of many other vaccines such as TB Influenza Chikungunya are also in progress under the VAP he said As I speak the VAP meeting is in progress where experts from both countries are deeply engaged in technical discussions to expedite development of COVID19 vaccine Sandhu said in his remarksDuring the interaction the eminent experts appreciated Indias handling of the COVID19 pandemic and offered their valuable suggestions and best practices in this regardThey shared their ideas on deepening the knowledge partnership between India and the US The experts who took part in interaction were drawn from a wideranging fields including artificial intelligence quantum information science biomedical engineering robotics mechanical engineering earth and ocean science virology physics astrophysics and health sciencesProminent among those who attended the virtual interaction were Subhash Kak Regents Professor at Oklahoma State University Dr Vijay Kuchroo Samuel L Wasserstrom Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School Dr Ashish M Kamat Professor of Urology at MD Anderson Cancer Center Ashutosh Chilkoti Alan L Kaganov Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University and Prof Manu Prakash professor in Department of Bioengineering at Sandford University among othersCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever