₹13.69 crore DST grant for GITAM’s drug discovery centre 

GITAM (deemed to be university) has secured ₹13.69 crore grant from the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology, to establish a centre for drug discovery and marine biology research.

Conferred through the Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence (PURSE) programme, the grant will support procurement of new equipment, research costs, manpower, conduct of workshops or summer schools. In a release, GITAM said that its ambitious five-year plan involves establishment of a cutting-edge centre for drug discovery research, with a focus on addressing pressing global health challenges.

The university said that its marine biologists are at the forefront of exploring coastal marine ecosystems, hunting for bioactive compounds in aquatic zooplankton and bacteria. On discovery, the findings are handed over to biochemists and molecular biologists for isolation and characterisation. These compounds could potentially combat cancer, reduce inflammation, and fight antibiotic-resistant diseases.

Simultaneously, its chemists are busy developing derivatives of these molecules with unique properties, while physicists are venturing into nanotechnology to create biocompatible nanoparticles that could transform drug delivery. As the project progresses, pharmacists will formulate these innovative drugs for animal testing, aiming to evaluate their effectiveness and safety, GITAM said.