New Delhi, Union minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday inaugurated a current good manufacturing practice facility for cellular therapy at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, which the institute said would strengthen advanced translational research and cell-based therapeutic development.
In a statement, the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) said it also pitched for the establishment of a national centre for liver and metabolic diseases during the launch, saying the proposed centre would integrate research, clinical care, education, innovation and public health initiatives under one umbrella.
The proposal was made during an event marking the anniversary of the Liver and Metabolic Disease Network (InFLiMeN), which was attended by policymakers, scientists and international collaborators, the statement said.
Singh said metabolic disorders were among India’s major emerging public health challenges and stressed the need to focus on paediatric obesity and metabolic diseases, saying prevention must begin early in life.
The minister also expressed support for establishing the proposed national centre at ILBS, it said.
ILBS Director Shiv Kumar Sarin said tackling the epidemic of metabolic diseases required coordinated action centred on the five ‘P’s – Problem, Population, Policies, Physicians and Products.
Rajesh S Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, highlighted the importance of collaborative and multidisciplinary research, while former NITI Aayog member Vinod Paul stressed early-life screening and long-term monitoring to reduce the burden of metabolic disorders.
The event concluded with a renewed commitment from 17 scientific groups across the country to collaborate on research into metabolic and liver diseases.
