ICMR transfers three indigenous biomedical technologies for advancements in cancer and infectious disease solutions

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The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), under its Medical Innovation Patent Mitra initiative, has granted licenses to three indigenous biomedical technologies to leading Indian pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturers for further development, production and commercialisation.

These technologies include SHETA2, an innovative anti-HPV therapeutic candidate for the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), which has been licensed to Emcure Pharmaceuticals.

In addition, two next generation vaccine technologies against enteric bacterial infections are included, which have been developed at ICMR-National Institute for Research on Bacterial Infections (ICMR-NIRBI), Kolkata. Their license has been given to Biological E.

SHETA2, developed in collaboration with Dr Shaukat Hussain, ICMR National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (ICMR-NICPR) and Dr Doris M. Benbrook (Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma, USA), is a first-of-its-kind targeted therapeutic drug that selectively destroys HPV-induced pre-cancerous and cervical cancer cells without harming healthy cells. This technology has the potential to provide a safe, affordable, and minimally invasive treatment option for cervical cancer.

The two vaccine technologies developed by Dr Santasabuj Das and his team at ICMR's National Institute for Research in Bacterial Infection (ICMR-NIRBI) include:

• Salmonella typhi, a fusion structure containing outer membrane proteins, has emerged as a promising candidate for the next-generation typhoid vaccine.
• A regenerative vaccine structure against Salmonella typhi/paratyphi and Shigella infections, designed to provide comprehensive protection against major intestinal bacterial pathogens.

Together, these technologies have the potential to strengthen India's efforts in cancer prevention and control of infectious diseases, as well as advance the indigenous development of next-generation therapies and vaccines.