France and India to cooperate on basic medical research
Scientists from France and India are to join forces to explore the possibilities of RNA interference (RNAi) in the areas of basic medical research and biotechnology. At the three-day 'Indo-French conference on RNAi in genome control' organised by the Indian Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad, India, researchers from both countries agreed to work together in the area of RNA interference. RNAi is a mechanism that inhibits gene expression by causing the degradation of specific RNA molecules or hindering the transcription of specific genes. Scientists are currently researching the process in order to control type II diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, for example. According to Mr Bruno Rouot, the Scientific Officer at the French Embassy in India, teams of scientists from both countries are already cooperating in many fields including chemistry and biology. Eight Indo-French research centres have already been set up and two research institutes are currently working in Pondicherry and Delhi. To further this programme and encourage scientists, scholarships and fellowships are also being awarded. Seven scholarships for Indian students worth up to €1,300 for periods of six months will also be launched, Mr Rouot said. Whilst scientific cooperation between the two countries dates as far back as the late 1970s, in 2006, 250 scientific projects were approved as part of a joint collaboration between France and India. The conference was organised by the Indian Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in cooperation with the French Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). It aimed to bring leading RNAi experts from both academia and industry to a common platform to discuss the role of RNAi in the treatment of chronic diseases.
Countries
France, India