Jammu, 21 July (H.S.): The CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu, on Tuesday inaugurated a four-day Job Skill Development Training Programme on Laboratory Animal Imaging and Experimental Techniques for Preclinical Research under the CSIR-Integrated Skill Initiative, bringing together researchers, faculty members and scholars from across the country for intensive hands-on training in modern preclinical research techniques.
The programme, scheduled from July 21 to 24, commenced with the release of the training Manual by the Director Dr Zabeer Ahmed, senior scientists and faculty members.
Addressing the inaugural session, Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM Jammu, welcomed over 32 participants drawn from universities, research institutions and academic organisations across India.
He described the programme as a unique platform where experienced faculty, researchers and young scholars would learn from one another through interactive sessions rather than conventional classroom lecture, and would also have hands on exposure of the high end facilities.
This is not a one-way teaching exercise. It is a two-way exchange of knowledge where participants, faculty members and scientists collectively contribute to learning. Such programmes create a platform where diverse scientific minds come together under one roof, he said.
Dr Ahmed said the increasing participation from institutions across the country reflected the growing national recognition of CSIR-IIIM's skill development initiatives.
Highlighting CSIR-IIIM's research capabilities, the Director said the institute has established itself as one of India's leading centres for natural product-based drug discovery, covering the complete research pipeline from bioprospection and phytochemical isolation to characterisation, biological validation and preclinical evaluation.
He informed the participants that the Pharmacology Division is actively working in therapeutic areas including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, liver & skin disorder and tuberculosis.
Referring to recent scientific achievements, he said the institute has filed Investigational New Drug (IND) applications for promising phytopharmaceutical leads against Alzheimer's disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
Dr Ahmed also highlighted CSIR-IIIM's pioneering work on medicinal cannabis, stating that the institute became the first in Jammu and Kashmir to obtain permission from the government for conducting preclinical studies on cannabis-derived formulations.
He said researchers have successfully identified phytopharmaceutical leads with potential applications in cancer management and are now moving towards GMP manufacturing and clinical trial approvals.
Speaking about the institute's research infrastructure, he said CSIR-IIIM houses advanced facilities including a GLP-compliant animal house, large-scale fermentation units, medicinal chemistry laboratories and one of region’s first advanced laboratory animal imaging system.
The purpose of organising such training programmes is to expose researchers to state-of-the-art scientific infrastructure so that these facilities are utilised effectively by the scientific community, he said.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar
