Rutter reveals India plans

BIO-ASIA

William J Rutter, co-founder and former chairman of Chiron Corporation, US, announced his plans for India on Saturday. Rutter, well-known for his contributions to biotechnology like development of recombinant DNA technology, genetic engineering and Hepatitis B vaccine, said he would soon be setting up a hitech rapid diagnostics centre at Bangalore.

Rutter, along with M S Swaminathan, was conferred Genomic Valley Excellence Award for outstanding contribution to the biotechnology industry. He said the centre to be christened Hemo Genomics would specialise in identifying genetic disorders.

A rapid immunological diagnostic system at the centre could make quantitative analysis in just a few minutes, he said. He, however, declined to disclose the proposed investments in the centre.

The centre would also sell diagnostic instruments and kits by the last quarter of the year, he said.

It may be recalled that Rutter's firm commitment to the funding of research into the causative agent of non-A, non-B Hepatitis supported the discovery, sequencing and cloning of Hepatitis C virus in 1987, one of Chiron's most enduring achievements.

To a query on the development of AIDS vaccine, Rutter said that the vaccine was currently going through phase-1 clinical trials in the US.