In a collective endeavour to work together to achieve excellence in the field of Dope Testing in Sports in India and to promote Anti-Doping Science and Research in the country, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu, and the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL), Government of India, renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for another three years on 26 April 2024. Scientists and other staff of both the institutes attended the event.
Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director of CSIR-IIIM, and Dr Puran Lal Sahu, Director, NDTL, New Delhi, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective institutes to continue their collaborative research and reference standard synthesis work for the next term. While giving details of the work to be done under the MoU, Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM, said that in 2021, a groundbreaking scientific collaboration was initiated jointly by CSIR-IIIM and NDTL for the synthesis of reference standards and cells-based and pharmacokinetics studies on the metabolites with the main emphasis on the national goals in the area of Dope Testing and Global Positioning.
“Quite significant work was done during the initial phase of collaboration” he underlined and mentioned that to meet the pressing need for reference materials essential in accurately detecting and deterring prohibited substances in sports, CSIR-IIIM has accomplished the successful synthesis of multiple secondary metabolites intricately associated with substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It is noteworthy to mention that due to the adoption of the multifaceted approach during the first phase of the MoU, besides ensuring the delivery of metabolites, the CSIR-IIIM initiated patent filings, thereby laying the groundwork for a promising three-year extension of their collaboration.
Appreciating the teamCSIR-IIIM led by the Director of CSIR-IIIM for its unwavering commitment to synthesising indispensable reference standards for doping control laboratories, Dr PL Sahu strongly advocated for future collaborations between CSIR-IIIM and NDTL, envisioning a roadmap for global projects aimed at advancing research in doping analysis. To achieve excellence in the field of Dope Testing in Sports in India and to advance Anti-Doping Science and Research in the country, he underscored the need to put together the expertise of both the partner institutions, offering substantial value in elucidating metabolic pathways and augmenting detection capabilities of the drug in sports.
Dr Qazi Naveed Ahmed, Head of the Natural Products and Microbial Chemistry (NPMC) Division, extolled the institute’s remarkable strides in doping analysis. He attributed these accomplishments to the institute’s leadership, which has elevated the institution to the national standards in scientific and societal endeavours.
It may be recalled that about three years back, both organisations had agreed to research collaboration by combining their respective research capabilities in the areas of synthesis of reference standards and in-vitro and in-vivo studies (PK studies) on the metabolites with a main emphasis on the national goals in the area of Dope testing and Global positioning. In future, both Institutes will also explore the role of phyto-chemicals, in particular the phyto-steroids, in dope testing.
The MoU signing ceremony was witnessed by notable dignitaries, including Er Abdul Rahim (Chief Scientist & Head of the Research Management, Business Development and Information Sciences and Technology and Head of IIIM Srinagar Branch), Dr Qazi Naveed Ahmed, Dr Mir M Asrar, Dr Rajkishor Rai, Dr Kapendra Sahu, Dr Saurabh Saran, Dr Sheena Mahajan, and Dr Ashiq Hussain Padder. Er Abdul Rahim expressed gratitude to all the attendees for their presence, ensuring the success of the event.
