UIBS, Georgia Tech hosting innovative meet.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: For the first time ever, a conference dedicated solely to expanding trade in medical sciences and technology between the US and India is being organized for next year.
The US-India Business Summit (UIBS) and the George Tech Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) are hosting the first annual US-India Conference on Vaccines and Immunotherapy (UICVI) next year, on March 17-18, at the Olympic City in Atlanta, Georgia.
The goal of the conference will be to foster and promote interests in research, investment, and commerce between the US and India in the areas of vaccines and immunization. With the US-India bilateral relationship already hitting $100 billion and expected to hit as much as $1 trillion by the end of the decade, the UICVI and its organizers are hoping to capitalize on the growing economic relationship between the world’s largest and oldest democracies and use it to advance a critical sector of medical science.
The UICVI will “provide the opportunity to develop collaborative interactions between USA and India in vaccine sciences and therapeutics,” said Emory Vaccine Center Director Dr. Rafi Ahmed in announcement of the conference. The Emory Vaccine Center (EVC) is one of the presenting technology partners of the UICVI, along with the Georgia Tech Center for ImmunoTechnology and the University of Georgia.
Immunization is a grave concern in India, as overpopulation and poverty often times prevent many who are sick and dying from getting the proper medical care that they require to survive. Although aid agencies and the Indian government do what they can to help mitigate the problem, the UICVI is hoping to make an even bigger impact in the cause for widespread, accessible vaccinations in India.
The specific list of goals that UICVI lists include: engaging in conversations regarding immunoengineering, spreading awareness of vaccine policy and manufacturing in India, as well as doing more for animal vaccinations. The UICVI also hopes to talk about cancer research, and doing more for cancer prevention and treatment in India.
The EVC has been doing work in India for several years now. Most notably, the ECV partnered with the International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in 2008 to create the Joint ICGEB-EVC Center in New Delhi in order to address significant public health and vaccination problems in India.
Emory University also has a Global Diabetes Research Center, through which they advocate diabetes awareness and prevention in south Asia. Indians and those of Indian origin are among the most at-risk when it comes to diabetes, heart disease, and other severe cardiac conditions.
Georgia Tech – formally known as George Institute of Technology – is based in Atlanta and is one of the premiere engineering universities in the world, and is generally ranked among the top five engineering institutions in the US. Its Center for ImmunoEngineering is on the cutting edge of biomedical engineering, creating new tools for doctors and surgeons to fight against the world’s deadliest diseases.
The University of Georgia is the old state-chartered university in the US. Its Faculty of Infectious Diseases employs over 100 research investigators spread across nine schools and colleges through the University of Georgia campus.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com