DBT

New hope for mitochondrial disorders

New Delhi: Efforts to find a treatment for mitochondrial disorders is set to get a major boost with a team of researchers at the Department of Biotechnology’s National Institute of Immunology (DBT-NII) figuring out a way to tackle autosomal dominant progressive external ophthalmoplegia (adPEO), which is a widely prevalent mitochondrial disorder. Mitochondrial genetic disorders refer to a group of conditions that affect the mitochondria, the structures in the body cells that are responsible for making energy. People with these conditions can be of any age with almost any affected body system. However, the brain, muscles, heart, liver, nerves, eyes, ears…
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New tool to fight antimicrobial resistance

New Delhi: A team of researchers at the Department of Biotechnology’s Hyderabad-based National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (DBT-NIAB) has developed a new technique to detect the presence of an antibiotic called Oxytetracycline (OTC) in milk samples. Oxytetracycline is known for its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and is one of the extensively used antibiotics in veterinary practices. Its excessive consumption can cause antimicrobial resistance. The new tool can help in several other ways also since consumption of milk having residual antibiotics can cause serious health complications like development of hepatotoxicity, teratogenicity, reduced growth and metabolism too. At present, the kits used for…
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International Science Film Festival of India comes to close

International Science Film Festival of India comes to close

New Delhi : A total of 20 films have bagged awards at the International Science Film Festival of India (ISFFI) 2020, which was held as part of the sixth India International Science Festival 2020 held from December 22-25. Six films bagged the awards for the international categories and 14 for the national categories. In the international categories, the award winners include a film in English titled `The Insect Rescuer’, produced by ZDF and directed by Andreas Ewels of Germany (Best of Festival Award on the theme “Science for self-reliant India and/or Science for global welfare”); and a film in Persian…
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Bringing science and films together

Bringing science and films together

New Delhi : Film star, Amitabh Bachchan, today, appreciated the efforts being made by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology to help take science to the common man through various means including films, television programmes and other modes of communication. In a video address to the concluding session of India International Science Film Festival organised as part of the sixth India International Science Festival, he noted that science and technology had an important role to play in the socio-economic development of a country and emphasised that there was a need to impart knowledge and disseminate information on science and…
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Amitabh Bachchan and Shekhar Kapur to grace the award ceremony of International Science Film Festival of India

New Delhi : The 6th edition of International Science Film Festival of India (ISFFI) has been unprecedented in many a way. Despite the disruptions caused by COVID pandemic, ISFFI 2020 received the highest number of entries from India and abroad, breaking all previous records. To add another feather, star of the millennium Amitabh Bachchan, internationally acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, and noted wildlife filmmaker Mike Pandey are going to address the award ceremony, to be held online on December 25, 2020. ISFFI is an important component of India International Science Festival (IISF) which is organized every year. IISF is jointly organized…
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A product to help disabled get in and out of car

New Delhi: There are about 2.68 crore people with disabilities in India. About 20% of them have difficulty in movement which causes problems in commuting. A significant challenge of mobility has to do with getting in & out of cars. There is a dearth of products that are completely engineered to provide assistance. Available solutions are mainly modifications made by local garages. Some imported solutions are available. But they are very expensive and only a few dealers handle them. In case of any problem with the product, servicing is a major issue. Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a not-for-profit…
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