Course On Pre-Clinical Toxicology Launched At UoH

Hyderabad: A five-day intensive course on Pre-Clinical Toxicology and Risk Assessment at the School of Life Sciences, University of Hyderabad (UoH), has been launched, with collaboration among academia, industry, and research institutions. Cohort of experts from various toxicology disci-plines attended the programme, jointly organised by the Federation of Asian Biotech Associa-tions (FABA), ASPIRE, and the University of Hyderabad.

The course was inaugurated by Dr Taru Sharma, Director of NIAB, in the presence of Prof Pra-kash Babu, Dean of the School of Life Sciences, and Prof Anil Kumar, Head of the Department of Animal Biology, who collectively set the framework for the week-long intensive programme. Prof Pallu Reddanna, Executive President of FABA, opened the proceedings. The programme concluded with Dr Mukesh Kumar Gupta, Director of NARFBR, emphasising on the importance of toxicology studies in enhancing India’s biomedical research capabilities.

Topics such as pharmaceutical safety, pesticide toxicology, medical devices, and cosmetic testing, were covered. The line-up of speakers included Dr K S Rao, a global authority, and industry leaders like Dr Upendra Bhatnagar of Vimta Labs and Dr Venkatesha Udupa of Ichnos Glen-mark Innovation. Professionals from Johnson & Johnson, Syngene International, Bayer, and Philips provided insights from their respective fields. Board-certified toxicologists and regulatory specialists, were also present.

The event concluded with site visit to National Animal Resource Facility for Biomedical Re-search, Vimta Labs, the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, as well as ASPIRE BioNest and the University of Hyderabad Animal Facility.