CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTECH) hosted a three-day Laboratory Animal Science Association Conference (LASAICON)-2025, on “Preclinical to Clinical: Connecting the Dots of Research, Animal Welfare, Drug Discovery, and Pharma Innovation for Viksit Bharat” from 30 November to 2 December 2025. The landmark event shall bring together an interdisciplinary community of scientists, regulators, animal welfare experts, innovators, students and key stakeholders from academia and industry.
Dr Sanjeev Balyan, Former MoS for the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, was the Chief Guest of the event. Dr Balyan, a veterinary scientist himself, lauded the efforts of CSIR-IMTECH in organising LASAICON, which shall pave the way for a self-reliant India. He exhorted the scientists to undertake the areas of research that are beneficial to the common man, and especially agriculture. LASAICON-2025 aimed to address critical scientific and ethical intersections — promoting humane, responsible, and cutting-edge approaches in biomedical research, accelerating drug discovery, and nurturing pharmaceutical innovation through informed scientific discourse and cross-sectoral collaboration.
Dr Sanjeev Khosla, Director, CSIR-IMTECH, while welcoming the dignitaries and scientists at the event, highlighted that there is a pressing need to develop a robust mechanism for the welfare of lab animals, as most of the failures in any drug discovery programme occur at the pre-clinical stage. He also dwelled on newer methods that have the potential to replace animal models like organoids due to their human-specific, 3D structure that better mimics human organs for disease modelling, drug screening, and toxicity testing.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was also given to Dr Sanjeev Balyan & Dr Subeer Majumdar, Director General of Gujarat Biotechnology University (GBU), for their exceptional contribution in the field of veterinary sciences. LASAI Awards were also given under different categories to eminent researchers for their work in animal studies and handling of laboratory animals. Prof. JPS Gill, VC, GADVASU, Ludhiana, Dr Subeer Majumdar, DG, GBU, Gujarat and Dr G Rajamohan, Chief Scientist & Chairperson, LASAICON-2025, in their respective addresses, gave a brief overview of the event that shall enable impactful dialogue and collaboration that bridges ethical preclinical research with transformative clinical and pharmaceutical advancements. They acknowledged IMTECH’s world-class infrastructure and scientists who have played the role of an enabler to budding young researchers across the country.
The conference concluded with a thought-provoking panel discussion on the topic “From Bench to Bedside for Viksit Bharat: Animal welfare & Ethics, Pharma Innovation & Drug Discovery, and One Health Approach”. Prof. G. Taru Sharma chaired the valedictory function and also felicitated the winners of the oral and poster presentations conducted during the conference.
CSIR-IMTECH and LASAI extend their heartfelt gratitude to all speakers, delegates, sponsors, partners, volunteers, and the organising team for their invaluable contributions in making LASAICON-2025 a memorable and impactful scientific event.
