One of the greatest accomplishments of modern sciences and at the end of the 20th century is the ‘Human Genome Project,’ which has revolutionized how we can diagnose and treat diseases. The Human Genome Project has transformed biology, which is now referred to ‘Systems Biology.’ We now have the ability to look for differences and similarities between all the genes of multiple species. From these studies (comparative genomics), we can draw specific conclusions about genetic susceptibility and pre-disposition, differences between the species and about the evolution. DNA microarrays technologies designed to measure the relative number of copies of a genetic message (levels of gene expression) at different stages in development or disease or in different tissues have gained highly significant importance in Translational Medicine.

Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., NIH Director, states that we are in a revolutionary period of medicine that calls for the four Ps: Predictive, Personalized, Preemptive and Participatory. He believes that this new concept requires patient involvement well before disease strikes. In his opinion, the future is going to be patient-centric and proactive as opposed to the doctor-centric, curative model of the past. It must be based on education and communication. This model also applies to developing countries, including India.

The new trend extends to several other sectors, including vaccines for some of the deadly diseases, cloning, gene therapy, stem cell technologies and nanotechnology. The unprecedented growth in science and technology has provided significant openings for India, which should invest heavily to build Intellectual Property (IP)-based technologies. This provides India with an opportunity to use its trained work force effectively to develop and take advantage of the IP model. The trained graduates with appropriate skills in these fields will also have an opportunity to experience the industrial environment and the ability to work successfully on research problems requiring interdisciplinary approaches. The economic impact and the number of technologies that have come from this new growth are unprecedented in the recent history of science.

The Indian industry has achieved global recognition as a "low cost producer of quality bulk drugs and formulations". Indian companies are also producing vaccines. Many have also taken advantage of being able to transfer technologies and bring products to the market place. Leading Indian companies have established marketing and manufacturing activities in over 60 countries, including the US and Western Europe. Investment in R & D by industry as a whole in India has been low, only around 0.6% of the turnover. However, the scenario is now changing as the newly evolving technology savvy workforce is ready to compete in the global market. Today the industry is manufacturing practically the entire range of the therapeutic products. It is capable of producing raw materials for the manufacture of a wide range of bulk drugs from the basic stage and a range of pharma machinery and equipment.

The Institute believes that there are tremendous opportunities for India to grow this industry and the only it can achieve a leadership position in this sector is via the IP-route and technology transfer opportunities. It is important for India to assume a leadership role through heavy public investments for training the next generation scientists with the right skills. The Institute believes that there needs to be strategic approach for R & D investment so that there will be a better return for investment. In general, a high degree of prioritization is critical for growing this sector in India.