A symposium on the Discovery and Development of Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics, hosted by the Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) with support from the Ministry of Science and Technology, focused on advancing indigenous monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies in India. The event emphasized collaboration between industry and academia to develop affordable technologies, highlighting the BioE3 initiative which aims to foster biotechnological self-reliance through investments in mAb development. Discussions covered novel mAb discovery platforms, development strategies, and cutting-edge advancements like circular RNA and AI-driven design. A panel discussion centered on accelerating the development of indigenous therapeutic solutions using mAbs under the BioE3 initiative, with a focus on funding and matchmaking between academia and industry. The goal is to expand the pipeline of mAb therapies, improve workforce skills, and stimulate economic growth.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Science Technology BRICTHSTI: Organization that hosted the symposium.
PIB Delhi: Press Information Bureau, Delhi - source of the posted information.
Translational Health Science and Technology Institute THSTI: Institute that hosted the symposium on Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics.
Discovery and Development of Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics: The topic of the symposium hosted by THSTI.
BIRAC: A funding organization for biotechnology research.
Wadhwani Foundation: A funding organization that supports innovation and entrepreneurship.
Prof. Jayanta Bhattacharya: Dean, THSTI, who emphasized the importance of early collaboration between industry and academia.
Prof. G. Karthikeyan: Executive Director, THSTI, who elaborated on India's contributions to monoclonal antibodies.
Dr. Alka Sharma: Scientist H and Senior Adviser, DBT, who discussed the BioE3 policy.
DBT: Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.
BioE3 policy Biotechnology for Economy, Environment Employment: A policy of DBT, Government of India, focused on biotechnology for economic, environmental, and employment benefits.
Government of India: The governing body of India.
Novel mAb Discovery Platforms: A key session in the symposium.
BCell Cloning: A method presented by Prof. Jayanta Bhattacharya THSTI as part of the Novel mAb Discovery Platforms session.
Zumutor Biologics: Company represented by Dr. Maloy Ghosh, presenting on biologics product development.
Syngene International Ltd: Company represented by Dr. KavitaKumari and Dr. Sridhara Chakraborthy presenting on antibody discovery and immunization techniques.
Aragen Life Sciences: Company represented by Dr. Rakesh Kumar, presenting on tools for antibody discovery.
Development of Novel mAbs: A key session in the symposium.
Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services Limited: Company represented by Dr. Priyaranjan Pattanaik, presenting on antibody architecture and manufacturability.
IITBombay: Institute from which Dr. SarikaMehra presented on developing a CHO host cell line.
SPARC: Organization from which Dr Saurabh Joshi shared research insights on antibody drug conjugates.
New Horizons in mAbs: A key session in the symposium.
Sekkei Bio Pvt Ltd: Company represented by Dr. Anand Khedkar, presenting on harnessing circular RNA for mAb access.
Immunito AI: Company represented by Dr. Aridni Shah, presenting on AI-driven antibody drug design.
Accelerating Discovery and Early Development of Indigenous Therapeutic Solutions using Monoclonal Antibodies under BioE3 initiative: The topic of a panel discussion at the symposium.
NKRPSM: An identifier associated with the release.
Ministry of Science & Technology
BRIC-THSTI hosted a symposium on ‘Discovery and
development of monoclonal antibody therapeutics’
Posted On: 10 JUN 2025 6:05PM by PIB Delhi
Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) hosted a symposium on the Discovery and
Development of Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics today at its campus. This event brought together leading
experts from the pharmaceutical industry, start-ups, CRDMOs, various funding organizations (such as
BIRAC, Wadhwani Foundation), and academic organizations for scientific knowledge exchange and to
explore innovative models for advancing monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies in India.
The symposium underscored India's burgeoning biopharmaceutical sector and the immense potential for
indigenous innovation in this critical area. A key highlight of the discussions was the urgent need for
enhanced collaboration between industry and academia, starting from the earliest stages of innovation and
discovery, to develop affordable and indigenous technologies.
In his welcome address, Prof. Jayanta Bhattacharya, Dean, THSTI, emphasized the critical importance of
early collaboration between industry and academia at the innovation and discovery stage. He highlighted that
such partnerships are vital for developing indigenous and affordable technologies, which can significantly
benefit the nation.
Prof. G. Karthikeyan, Executive Director, THSTI, further elaborated on India's significant contributions to the
field of monoclonal antibodies. He noted that the current moment is critical, with supportive policies in place.
Prof. Karthikeyan stressed the imperative to establish clusters where academia and industry can converge and
collaborate. He said that these clusters would serve as fertile ground for training skilled personnel and that
symposia like this are instrumental in uniting professionals from diverse sectors.
Dr. Alka Sharma,Scientist H and Senior Adviser, DBT, in her address, brought attention to the Bio-E3 policy
(Biotechnology for Economy, Environment & Employment) of DBT, Government of India, detailing its key
components. She underscored the pivotal role of mAbs in precision medicine and reaffirmed DBT’s full
commitment to their development. The Bio-E3 Initiative aims to catalyze biotechnological self-reliance by
investing in advanced platforms like mAbs to combat diseases and strengthen local research and development
capacity, reducing reliance on imports and ensuring equitable access to high-quality biologics.
The symposium featured a series of insightful presentations by representatives from various industry players
actively engaged in monoclonal antibody research and development. Key sessions included:
Novel mAb Discovery Platforms: Discussions included "Novel monoclonal antibody discovery
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by B-Cell Cloning" by Prof. Jayanta Bhattacharya (THSTI), "Novel biologics product development
using next generation antibody engineering" by Dr. Maloy Ghosh (Zumutor Biologics),
"Mammalian display as tool for antibody discovery" by Dr. KavitaKumari (Syngene International
Ltd), and "Fit to Purpose tools for discovery of Antibodies" by Dr. Rakesh Kumar (Aragen Life
Sciences).
Development of Novel mAbs: This session explored topics such as "Antibody Architecture:
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Guiding Development Pathways and Assessing Manufacturability" by Dr. Priyaranjan Pattanaik
(Aurigene Pharmaceutical Services Limited), and "Use of immunization techniques for getting
correct immune response leading successful fit for purpose antibody discovery" by Dr. Sridhara
Chakraborthy (Syngene International Ltd). Dr. SarikaMehra from IIT-Bombay also presented on
"Combining directed evolution with multi-omics analysis to develop a high secretory CHO host
cell line." Dr Saurabh Joshi from SPARC shared research insights on “antibody drug conjugates.”New Horizons in mAbs: The symposium also delved into cutting-edge advancements with
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presentations like "A New Era in Biologics: Harnessing Circular RNA to Democratize mAb
Access" by Dr. Anand Khedkar (Sekkei Bio Pvt Ltd) and "Where Efficiency Meets Innovation: AI-
Driven Antibody Drug Design" by Dr. Aridni Shah (Immunito AI).
The symposium concluded with a panel discussion on "Accelerating Discovery and Early Development of
Indigenous Therapeutic Solutions using Monoclonal Antibodies under Bio-E3 initiative," further solidifying
the collaborative spirit. The panelists discussed ways to bring more funding to academia-industry
collaborations and the need to have more such matchmaking sessions. These efforts are expected to lead to an
expanded pipeline of mAb therapies, improved quality of learning and workforce preparation, and ultimately,
drive economic growth and social progress.
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NKR/PSM
(Release ID: 2135445)