Animal Stem Cell Biobank Inaugurated In Hyderabad

Union Minister of State for Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh today unveiled a set of breakthrough technologies developed by the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology (NIAB), Hyderabad, a premier institute under the Department of Biotechnology's Biotechnology Research Innovation Council (BRIC).

On the occasion, the Union minister inaugurated the nation's first Animal Stem Cell Biobank - a state-of-the-art facility that would store and preserve high-quality stem cells from various animal species - and laid the foundation stone for a new hostel and residential block on the institute's campus to support its growing scientific community.

Praising the NIAB research team, Dr Singh said that these field-ready and affordable innovations would play a crucial role in improving animal health, increasing livestock productivity and securing farmers' livelihoods.

He also said that such advances also strengthened India's ability to combat zoonotic diseases that spread from animals to humans and accounted for nearly two-thirds of new and emerging diseases globally, including COVID-19.

Interacting with livestock farmers at the event, Dr Singh said that the Government of India had launched several transformative schemes to boost animal-based agriculture, improve rural incomes and move towards the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Secretary, Department of Biotechnology and Director General, BRIC, Dr Rajesh S Gokhale, congratulated NIAB scientists for successfully translating research into real-world solutions. He said that the innovations embodied the Prime Minister's vision of empowering farmers to be not only annadaatas (food providers) but also urjadaatas (energy providers).

He also commended Dr G Taru Sharma, Director, NIAB, for her vision and leadership in steering farmer-focused innovations that bridged cutting-edge science with field-level impact.