The Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) is in the process of conducting phase III clinical trials for a Hepatitis B-DTP (Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis) combination vaccine. The SII medical director, Subodh Bharadwaj, said, "Research is going on but it is too soon to predict when the vaccine will be commercially available." The SII is the largest manufacturer of vaccines in the country and have seen growth in the Hepatitis B segment, with the share of its GeneVac B recombinant vaccine growing at about 37 percent during 2002 with sales of Rs 10.28 crore.

Icrisat to set up agri-biotech park in AP
The International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) is planning to set up an agri-biotech park as part of the Andhra Pradesh government's Genome Valley project. A memorandum of understanding is expected to be signed shortly with the state government. It has also taken steps to set up an agri-business incubator with the state participation. An international biotechnology colloquium, hoisted by the ICRISAT, has brought together stakeholders from the global to the local level from international and national research institutes, farmers' organizations, private sector, civil society to discuss ways to use cutting-edge technology for removing poverty. It also raised voices of concern on the transgenic crops and the need to put them through greater rigor on the field before large-scale use.

Maximus2 launches ProjectX
Maximus2 is launching a project lifecycle solution called ProjectX that offers a radically new way of managing people, processes and projects in a multi project environment. According to Priti Unadkat, director, Maximus2, ProjectX is completely browser based and enables any time anywhere access. It takes the pain out of managing, administrating and executing multiple projects. Team members can easily communicate and collaborate during project lifecycles. Unadkat said, Strand Genomics is an early adopter of ProjectX.