Please tell us about the CSIR and in particular, the NBRI’ s relevance in context of plant based research and product outcomes?
The CSIR as we know has got 37 laboratories across India. Each laboratory is working on various scientific areas that are relevant to its mandate. At the same time these different research institutes are working on multiple aspects of research and development from basic to the translational one. NBRI in particular is a premier institute dedicated to the plant science. Its primary objective is to conduct basic and applied research on plant diversity and prospection, plantenvironment interaction and biotechnological approaches for plant improvement. Its major work area also includes the development of technologies for new plant and microbial sources of commercial importance.
Not only in India but nowhere in world, you will find so many plant experts at one place. There are experts working on both flower bearing plants as well as nonflower bearing plants. It is complimented or supplemented by cutting edge science including biotechnology, environment sciences including pollution and climatic change. As an institute, we promote direct association with farmers. If we develop some plant varieties, it should go to the field. CSIR institutes that have been working on various plants of importance, have developed varieties for better yield and given to them to farmers for better prospects.
What kind of farmer driven technologies have been commercialized by your institute?
We are very much involved in horticulture and floriculture research and developed many varieties. We have built the extensive germplasm repository of plants of indigenous and exotic origin, including rare, endangered and threatened species. Recently we have developed a new variety of Bouaginvillea which was named“ APJ Abdul Kalam”, dedicated to Late President Dr Abdul Kalam by CSIR-NBRI.
Any example of a technology in particular related to health that has benefited farmers as well?
In the eastern parts of country particularly in West Bengal, we have the problem of arsenic. The contamination through the flow of this arsenic into plants and vegetables, leads to hazardous effects on health. We have developed the new rice plant variety in coordination with the Department of Agriculture, Government of West Bengal to tackle that. It is already released commercially and named as
“
The popularity of this drug is immense and surely perceptions are changing. Besides that, it can be taken along with allopathy medicines for diabetes. Particularly the beginners in age group of 40-45 years who are prone to diabetes can use this.
Mukhtashri’’. In this low grade arsenic variety, the rice grains are not affected. We have developed this technology in our laboratory and disseminated it in a widespread way.
Please tell us about BGR-34 and its edge over other such drugs in market?
It is a combination of six different herbs. Our phytochemistry lab has developed this drug jointly with the CIMAP researchers. The scientists namely Dr Chandra Shekhar Nautiyal, Dr A K S Rawat, Dr Ch V Rao and Dr Sanjeev Kumar Ojha were involved in the project.
The formulation [ NBRMAP-DB ] from six known herbs was developed by NBRI and that patent was held by us. AMIL Pharma has come up with BGR- 34 which means Blood Glucose Reductant due to which 34 parts of body system get benefitted. They are further working on its efficacy improvement. The value addition has been done by them but it is their trade secret and hence the final formulation can’ t be revealed.
We have thousands of Ayurvedic medicines for diabetes already there but the combination of ingredients and product efficacy matters. Our target is Rs 100 crore market which is already growing.
Has the perception about the Ayurvedic formulations changed with the introduction of the BGR-34?
See the popularity of this drug is immense and it can be taken along with allopathy medicines for diabetes. Particularly the beginners in age group of 40-45 years who are prone to diabetes can use this. It would be helpful. It has been distributed across India due to the response it has received. One of the groups working on the formulation has done an outstanding job and thus has helped. While there are many drugs in the market to control diabetes, this one has got specificity.
BIOVOICENEWS. COM 11