AYUSH ministry signs MoU with CSIR for integration of traditional systems of medicine with modern science
AYUSH ministry and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi will collaborate in research and education in areas of traditional systems of medicine and its integration with modern science.
The two arms of the government submitted a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday.
Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of AYUSH said that with the growing interest in traditional medicines worldwide, there is a need of multipronged and innovative approaches for the acceptance of this science. He said that the combination of traditional healthcare and modern basic science has a huge possibility to do innovative and path-breaking researches which can be used for the explanation of various basic concepts.
AYUSH ministry, CSIR to work on R&D covering fundamental research; AYUSH specific diagnostic tools; linking microbiome, gene expression and prakriti; multi-ingredient herbal formulations, including their standardization;
Dr. Shekhar C. Mande, Director General, CSIR appreciated the ongoing projects and programmes between the two organizations. He said that enhancing the collaboration through joint R&D efforts ranging from fundamental science to validation and then product development, will significantly help in the growth of the sector both nationally and internationally.
This is not the first collaboration of the two organisations. CSIR and the Department of AYUSH (now Ministry) developed the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), a globally recognized proprietary database on Indian systems of medicine for preventing bio-piracy and misappropriation of our traditional knowledge. The constituent laboratories of CSIR and councils of the Ministry of AYUSH have also supported each other in the development of improved varieties and captive cultivation of the medicinal plants including rare, engendered and threatened (RET) species, Botanical Reference Standards and Pharmacopoeial standards, and Ayurgenomics, among many others.
In due recognition of the increased usage of herbal medicines and supplements globally, the endeavor of Ministry of AYUSH and CSIR today is to bring the organizations under an umbrella understanding for pursuing focused R&D efforts. Under the MoU, both organizations shall jointly endeavor to pursue: R&D covering fundamental research; AYUSH specific diagnostic tools; linking microbiome, gene expression and prakriti; multi-ingredient herbal formulations, including their standardization; exploring modern scientific methods for integration with traditional Indian Systems of Medicine (ISM); linking disease signatures; Furthering the collaboration in preserving and protecting traditional knowledge related to the Indian systems of healthcare, through the existing TKDL platform; and Development of international standardized terminologies (disease-morbidity codes) in Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani (ASU), Database on Medicinal plants, Foods, etc.
