Gvk In Biotech Pact With Us Firm

The GVK group plans to boost its presence in the biotechnology sector through a research alliance with an undisclosed US-based multinational company.

GVK Biosciences, the 100 per cent arm of the Hyderabad-based GVK Industries, will tie up with the US company and would also to set up centres of excellence in the US.

Set up nearly a year ago, the biotech branch of the infrastructure group is looking at research in the anti-infectives segment with a focus on some other specialty segments. The company is also harbouring ambitions to enter the bioinformatics sector.

Confirming the development, G V Sanjay Reddy, whole-time director, GVK Industries, said: "We are tying up with a US company for research with joint rights for intellectual property."

He, however, declined to divulge the name of the US company or any other commercial details. GVK Biosciences, as part of its business plan, will focus on bioinformatics training and services such as datamining, protein modelling and genome servicing.

Other major players in the domestic biotech sector include Wockhardt, Shantha Biotech and Bharat Biotech. Reliance Life Sciences and Bangalore-based Biocon are strong on the research side.

The major focus for Reliance Life Sciences is stem cell research, while Biocon concentrates on industrial enzymes.

Biotechnology is believed to have huge potential as it is expected to cure ailments such as Parkinsons' Desease and Alzheimers' Desease along with curing the problem of food shortage and bio-degradation.

However, India is still grappling with ethical and moral issues relating to clinical research and safety issues surrounding the genetically modified crop. Debates on the merits and ramifications of the product patent regime are only on in India.

Companies such as Nicholas Piramal have already announced the first genomics joint venture, Genomed, with the Centre for Biochemical Technology. The Pune-based Ajay Biotech India is another company which has been into bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticides for a while.