Lucknow-based drug research institute CSIR-CDRI has licensed the technology of nucleic acid staining dye ‘GreenR’ to GenetoProtein Pvt. Ltd., a biochemical developer for life sciences research. The dye GreenR™
has been developed by CDRI’s Senior Principal scientist Dr. Atul Goel, in a joint collaborative project with an industry partner Biotech Desk Pvt. Ltd.
Making way for Aatmanirbhar Bharat
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The development of a new safe dye will help researchers in the field of Lifesciences and DNA-based diagnostics to bring down their cost sustainability. This would result in enhancing the product portfolio of the company and help take the Indian research one step closer to Aatmanirbhar Bharat, promoting startup culture in Uttar Pradesh.
According to the Director of CSIR-CDRI Dr. Srinivasa Reddy, “The nucleic acid staining dye segment is seemingly dominated by costly imported products of multinational companies. This Make-in-India product is cost-effective and will reduce our dependency on foreign supplies.” Adding that CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow is committed to nurturing the development of pharma cluster and start-up culture in Uttar Pradesh and this is just another step in this direction.
The research product will also be used to stain DNA and RNA for research and diagnostics in order to detect and quantify them by binding to nucleic acids like genomic DNA, PCR products, plasmids and RNA under blue light or UV exposure.
GreenR to be cost-effective and indigenous
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Dr. Shradha Goenka, Director of GenetoProtein Pvt. Ltd. commented that the efficacy and toxicity of GreenR™ have been tested and various applications for this dye are now being studied. We have been dependent upon stains like Ethidium bromide which intercalates between the DNA strands and is a known mutagen to bacteria, animals and humans. Hence its usage is risky and its disposal needs special treatment as well.
To overcome these issues of toxicity, some foreign companies have invented safe DNA dyes. However, importing these dyes is a costly affair. The development of a new safe dye will help researchers in the field of Lifesciences and DNA-based diagnostics to bring down their costs substantially. The product would also help in PCR based testing of diseases, along with making way for ‘Make in India’.
