Astron organises seminar on biotechnology in neuroscience, drug discovery

Astron Ltd., a Sri Lankan pharmaceutical company engaged in developing, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of renowned and trusted health care products for over 5 decades, together with Dr. Ranil De Silva of faculty of medical sciences University of Sri Jayawardenepura organized a seminar on Biotechnology in Neuroscience and Drug discovery which sphere is considered as being of paramount importance to modern research and development efforts in neuroscience and drug discovery.
The seminar was held on Monday 17th January 2011 at the University of Sri Jayawardenepura bringing together academics, researchers and industry to work in close collaboration in the field of biotechnology and drug discovery. This endeavor is undoubtedly a new dimension in the healthcare sphere bringing a new paradigm to this all important sector.

The seminar was attended by more than 175 participants from the University of Colombo, Jaffna, Peradeniya, Sri, Jayewardenepura and Ruhuna covering the faculty of medicine, science, veterinary medicine & animal science research institutes as well as industry giants such as State Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Corporation, Astron Ltd, Hettigoda Industries (Pvt) Ltd and prominent research & development related institutes such as the National Hospital of Sri Lanka, Industrial Technology Institute, Medical Research Institute, Bandaranayake Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute and the Institute of indigenous Medicine.

The last few decades saw biotechnology and pharmacology advancing in leaps and bounds, and hence the seminar was seen as timely in providing a much needed impetus to the current understanding of the subject. Furthermore, the seminar was seen as bringing together the biotechnology fraternity into a common forum.

The topics presented at the seminar by the much respected resource personalities such as Prof. Ann Kato Dept of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland and , Gabor Kato formerly from the Dept. of Pharmacology, McGill, University, Montreal, Canada & CEO of Neurotech, Geneva, Switzerland – were pertinent, current and relevant to the latest developments in the fields of neuroscience and biotechnology. Information on groundbreaking discoveries in the neuroscience and drug discovery sphere were aptly shared by the resource personnel with those present at the seminar.

Sirimal Fernando-Director Marketing of Astron Ltd. said that Astron was happy to be associated with the field giants for the development of bio technology in Sri Lanka. Given the enthusiasm of the participants and their positive feedback, we are planning to organize seminars of this nature in the future as well so that Sri Lanka can benefit from the fast advancing technology he continued.

The importance of intellectual property rights and patenting rights for drug discovery and the problems presented in obtaining international patents and FDA approval for local scientists working in the area of indigenous medicines were discussed at this forum.

Dr. Ranil De Silva said "Many local Srilankan researchers working in the area of indigenous medicines who were keen to address the possibility of liaising with foreign institutions were given the opportunity to communicate their interests through the invited guest speakers." This is hoped will lead to increased research collaborations between local and international Biomedical institutions and highlight the importance of Srilankan indigenous medicine". Prof. Kato has agreed to help us in the area of developing collaborative research" he further added.


Source: The Island

Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute (BMARI) is cultivating 50 Endangered medicinal herbs

The Bandaranaike Memorial Ayurvedic Research Institute (BMARI) is cultivating 50 varieties of medicinal herbs which are on the verge of extinction, said senior research scientist Dr Piyal Marasinghe.

Fifty Ayurvedic herb varieties which have been identified are being grown at the Ayurveda Department gardens to be distributed to farmers at a reasonable price for further propagation.

"There are two main problems that we face when producing Ayurvedic medicines."

Acts protecting the environment such as Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance is one such, he said. "It's true that we should protect the environment. But to produce medicine we need to have various parts from plants and animals," he said. "The other main problem is the shortage of medicinal plants." Some medicinal herbs are so rare and difficult to find," he said.

He pointed out that this new program initiated on the advice and with the support of Indigenous Medicine Minister Salinda Dissanayake is a very good solution to both these situations.

Venivalgata, Kothala Himbutu, Masbadda, Kokun, Duhudu, Vanaraja, Iraraja and Sadaraja are some of the herbs that are being cultivated under this program. Medicinal plants such as Malta, Amukkara, Siripetku and Katuwelbatu (Himalayan Plants) which are imported will also be grown.

Furthermore, school awareness programs on the biodiversity of Sri Lanka are being held around the country to provide children a knowledge about the environment as well as medicinal plants.

The School Medicinal plant garden is another program that we have introduced in schools to make children more aware about Ayurvedic medicines.

He pointed out that all these programs will be beneficial on the long-term, to make Sri Lanka a rich country, a country for nature studies for foreigners and a country with a developed indigenous medicine system.

Source:Daily News