BioServe plans to launch India's first zebra fish facility

City-based BioServe Biotechnologies India Private Limited (BBIPL) is planning to launch India's first zebra fish facility in the next eight months.

It is at present conducting validation tests on a few molecular biology kits, viz, DNA/RNA isolation and PCR amplification kits and plans to launch them in a few weeks.

The Zebra Fish has a short life cycle and its genome is homologous to that of humans by around 70 per cent. Experiments on these fish will help scientists in studying the drug patterns and also reduce the time taken for a drug discovery process.

Disclosing this to Business Standard, M N Sastry, chief executive officer of BBIPL, said: "Since the company has all the equipment and scientists to operate the facility, these facilities can be used by the industry and institutes for their research and development. Such facilities exist only in a few developed nations like the US and Germany. In Asia, such a facility exists only in Singapore."

"At present, the complete genome sequencing of zebra fish is in progress by various institutes the world over and will be available in the data bank very soon," he said.

The company hopes to launch three kits shortly "� white spot syndrome diagnostics kit for the seafood industry, PCR diagnostics kit and DNA extraction/ isolation kit. Polymerase chain reaction or PCR is method use to make multiple copies of DNA.

Outsourcing DNA extraction/isolation work is a long-term, cost-efficient investment. BioServe has developed in-house protocols for isolation of quality genomic DNA from various types of samples like blood, blood clots, human and animal tissues, saliva, serum, tissue culture cells, mouthwash samples, etc.

The company will also launch siRNA synthesis and validation services, the first-of-its-kind service by any Indian company. For this siRNA services the company is taking consultancy services from Utpal Bhadra, a senior scientist at the city-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology.

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a single-stranded nucleic acid made up of nucleotides which are the subunits of a DNA molecule. RNA is involved in the transcription of genetic information.

RNA interference (RNAi) is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism in plant and animal cells that directs the degradation of messenger RNAs homologous to short double-stranded RNAs termed small interfering RNA (siRNA).

BioServe also has plans to offer analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which are common DNA sequence variations and help in the understanding and treatment of human diseases.

At present, the company offers services for DNA synthesis, DNA sequencing, DNA extraction/ isolation and genotyping. Genotyping is the process of assessing genetic variation present in an individual and is used for diagnosis, drug efficacy and toxicity.

Besides, the company has also developed in-house protocols for sequence-based HLA typing. Special blood tests, called human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing, determine whether a patient has a suitable donor for stem cell transplant.

With the HLA typing services, the company hopes to tap the fast-growing clinical diagnostic market. The whole market size for these services in India is pegged at around Rs 50 crore and is said to be growing rapidly.

In the synthesis segment, the company has already seized one-third of the Indian market. The company has already begun to make an impact on the market in the other segments, Sastry said.

On the reasons behind shifting the R&D base to the city, Sastry said that the zebra facility would require round-the-clock monitoring by the scientists and also it was thought logistically prudent to operate the unit from the city itself.

The company had already moved its administrative office into the city and was on the lookout for a suitable place for expansion, he said.

BioServe USA at present uses Sequenom and Mass code platforms for SNP analysis.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are common DNA sequence variations among individuals and have great significance for biomedical research.

Besides it has developed several in-house protocols on TaqMan RTPCR for sample analysis, DNA sequencing, and general PCR-based applications.

"It is now looking to expand its operations in the developing nations. BBIPL would serve as the base for such expansions and all the services offered in the US would be gradually introduced by the Indian company," he said.

"Our goal is to offer the most cost-effective and efficient opportunities to our customers allowing them to conduct advanced research in the field of science and technology," he added.