‘Cure to cancer would emerge from nano-biology, not gene therapy’
Express News Service
Lucknow, October 31: The Lucknow Chapter of the Materials Research Society of India (MRSI) was inaugurated by Prof P Pramanik of the Indian Institute of Technology(IIT), Kharagpur in the Physics Department of Lucknow University here today. The Materials Research Society of India (MRSI) is an interdisciplinary society founded in 1989 by Prof CNR Rao, FRS, dedicated to the field of material science and engineering in India.
The society is a brain child of Prof RP Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Lucknow University. However, since Prof Singh has gone to the capital to invite President APJ kalam to inaugurate the Platinum Jubilee celebration of the Lucknow University on Nov 25, he was not able to attend today’s function.
Talking to Express Newsline, Poonam Tandon, Secretary, MRSI-Lucknow Chapter informed that the MRSI is a very prestigious society with scientists like Prof CNR Rao, the scientific advisor to prime minister of India and Dr RA Mashelkar, Director General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. The Society is committed to stimulate and integrate research in the field of materials for rapid industrial progress in the country.
She also informed that the MRSI-Lucknow Chapter and Lucknow University will jointly organise the 17th Annual General Meeting of the MRSI. The 17th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of MRSI will be held at Lucknow during February 13-15, 2006. The idea will be to provide a forum to the material science community for sharing recent developments and innovations along with the emerging challenges.
The theme of the symposium will be “Bio, Biomedical and Natural Materials” and a meeting of Asia Pacific Academy of Materials (APAM)-India have been planned along with the meeting of AGM of MRSI. The AGM will also include Medal lectures, MRSI-Honour lectures, and MRSI-ICSC award lectures. In addition, contributed poster papers covering the latest work of materials scientists in the country will also be presented.
Speaking on the ocassion of the inaugration of the its Lucknow Chapter, Prof Pramanik in his inaugural address explained the various prospective uses of nanotechnology, ranging from manipulation of band gaps in semiconductors to targeted drug delivery.
At the nano level all materials undergo revolutionary changes in their behaviour. Their strength can beat the strength of iron or zirconium carbide. He was of the opinion that cancer cure will emerge not from gene therapy but from nano-biology. The inaugural function was also attended by scientists from several national laboratories and various university departments. |
