ANNUAL REPORT - Department of Biotechnology

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Contraceptive and Reproductive Health
Research (CRHR) Programme :
Under the Indo-US CRHR programme, 11 projects
have been completed, 12 projects are ongoing and
four projects have been recommended for funding
by the eighth CRHR Joint Working Group meeting
held in September, 2006. The ongoing projects have
resulted in significant results and are listed below :
Studies carried out on the effectiveness of vas
irrigation with Methylene blue in conjunction with
vasectomy indicated that vas irrigation with
methylene blue in conjunction with vasectomy did
not cause any mortality of rats. Local injection with
methylene blue at a dose of 0.01 mg/ vas is safe and
effective. At low dose the motility and viability of
sperm is known to be affected in vitro in humans and
hence it appears that at this dose methylene blue
can be used as a vas irrigant.
In a project on cloning, expression, and analysis of
ePLA2 shRNA's at National Institute of Immunology,
New Delhi selection of siRNA target has been
achieved and attempts are being made to clone
these targets.
At NIRRH, Mumbai, cloning of genomic c-kit and Ckit
gene silencing in vitro using RNAi approach are
being pursued. After confirming the sequence,
product of 630 bp was cloned in pMosblue vector
and transformed into E.coli competent cells. The
presence of insert was confirmed by colony PCR.
The siRNA was tested in c-kit expressing P815
mouse mastocytoma cell lines for determining its
ability to silence the endogenous c-kit gene
expression. Results indicate a significant
knockdown (~80%) of c-kit.
In a collaborative study carried out at AIIMS, New
Delhi and Mediciti Hyderabad, the prevalence,
management and treatment of invasive cervical
tumors was undertaken in 548 recruited patients. 62
women with preinvasive lesions and 5 cases with
invasive cancer have been diagnosed and
appropriately treated. Data analysis is being done.
In a collaborative project at NII, New Delhi and
Columbia University, USA effort to determine the
importance of the Fas/FasL pathway in the
sustenance of normal spermatogenesis and status of
spermatogenesis during oxidative stress and
estrogen effects, were carried out with rats and mice
at 28 days after birth as models. It has been
concluded that upregulation of Fas and FasL in the
testis of cyclin and P53 knockouts indicate that death
of germ cells is mediated through the Fas/FasL
pathway. The knockouts available with the US
collaborator are proposed to be used for estrogen
related effects.
A joint NIHCD-DBT-ICMR workshop on 'Maternal
and early childhood infections : Interplay, prevention
and managemen't was held at India Habitat Centre,
New Delhi in September, 2006.
Indo-US Vaccine Action Programme (VAP)
The scientific co-operation between India and USA in
the field of biotechnology has been one of the
landmarks for the technological innovation and
developments for both the countries. To promote
focused and applied research on new and improved
vaccines and immuno-diagnostics against some of
the major communicable disease presently take a
large toll in India and USA, by bringing together
leading Indian and US scientists, a programme
called Indo-US Vaccine Action Programme popularly
known as `VAP' was initiated under the Gandhi-
Reagen Science & Technology Agreement and the
programme is under implementation since July,
1987.
At present the projects under implementation are of
rotavirus, hepatitis-C, tuberculosis, RSV,
leishmaniasis etc. Concerted efforts have been
made to generate new projects under the priority
areas as identified under Strategic Plan document
(2001-2010) of the programme. A joint expert
committee revised the strategic plan document of
Indo-US VAP in its meeting held in March, 2006 and
suggested to include new areas of research under
the programme.
Significant achievements made during the year
under the following areas :
Rotavirus
The project implemented at AIIMS, New Delhi-CDC,
169 International Collaboration