Centre commits Rs.150 cr funding to CSIR’s Open Source Drug Discovery project

23 May 2011

BANGALORE: In an effort to commercialize innovations in the country, the Open Source Drug Discovery (OSDD) project of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is now looking to provide affordable healthcare to the developing world. The Union government has already committed funding assistance to the tune of Rs.150 crore towards this project. An equivalent amount of funding would be raised from international agencies and philanthropists. Around Rs.46 crore has been already released by the Government of India, stated Prof Samir K Brahmachari, director general, CSIR and secretary, Department of Scientific & Industrial Research during his recent visit to Bangalore.

CSIR has devised two models: OSDD and Fourth Paradigm of Science for speedy drug development which are cost-effective and efficacious. “Under these projects, the Council is providing a global platform where the best minds can collaborate and collectively make efforts to solve the complex problems associated with discovering novel therapies for neglected tropical diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, leshmaniasis, among others,” he stated.

OSDD is a CSIR team India consortium with global partnership and Fourth Paradigm of Science is based on intensive data analysis. Both OSD and Fourth Paradigm of Science concepts allow to collaboratively combine the biological and genetic information available to scientists and help them to hasten the discovery of drugs. This will provide a unique opportunity for scientists, doctors, technocrats, students and others with diverse expertise to work for a common cause,” stated Prof Brahmachari…..

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