Three-day Bangalore India Biotech fair in Feb 2014

Nobel laureate likely to take part in the event

Bangalore India Bio, three-day biotech fair, will be held between Feburary 10 and 12, 2014. Nobel laureate Sir John Bertrand Gurdon and World Food Prize Laureate Marc Van Montagu are among delegates expected to participate in the event.

There will be representatives from Australia, the UK, Spain, Japan, Malaysia, Israel, UAE and Singapore, among other countries.

A wide range of issues such as stem cells research, regenerative medicine, biomedical devices, bioinformatics for drug discovery and the like, will be discussed during the two-day programme.

Briefing reporters, Minister for Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology, S R Patil said 52 per cent of India’s bio technology industries are situated in Bangalore.

Single window system

The government will work towards encouraging the sector and more importance will be given to agri biotechnology. The government is also thinking about a single window system for granting permits to biotech companies, the minister added.

Karnataka Vision Group on Biotechnology Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said more education and awareness about clinical trial and biotechnology was needed to dispel the myths about the sector.

“There are regulations in place. A few people bend the rules and the whole sector is penalised, which is ridiculous,” she said in retort to a question on the controversies regarding clinical trials.