Home Health Increased public-private collaborations are redefining the healthcare industry : Amit Chopra, M D, Thermo Fisher Scientific – India & Middle East – ET HealthWorld

Increased public-private collaborations are redefining the healthcare industry : Amit Chopra, M D, Thermo Fisher Scientific – India & Middle East – ET HealthWorld

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Increased public-private collaborations are redefining the healthcare industry : Amit Chopra, M D, Thermo Fisher Scientific – India & Middle East – ET HealthWorld

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Increased public-private collaborations are redefining the healthcare industry : Amit Chopra, M D, Thermo Fisher Scientific - India & Middle EastShahid Akhter, editor, ETHealthworld spoke to Amit Chopra, M D, Thermo Fisher Scientific – India & Middle East to know more about Thermo Scientific’s plans for Covid-19 operations, particularly their efforts in serological test.

  1. How has Covid-19 scaled up the dynamics of the research and development process in India?
    India has a deep scientific knowledge base with several institutions and R&D labs across the country. With no vaccine or cure available globally yet, the entire focus is on testing, tracking and reducing transmission. In all these, the role of science is paramount. Additionally, increased public-private collaborations are redefining the industry landscape. In India, the government has taken several focused strategic approaches to incentivise and invest, and promote local R&D, thereby helping in developing capacity in the country. Overall, we are very optimistic for the long term. The pharma and biotech industry will stand out and as an outcome there will be more emphasis on research that is profound, disruptive, cutting-edge and relevant.

2. Can you elaborate more on Thermo Fisher Scientific’s portfolio in fighting against COVID-19? Is the company any time soon launching a serological test?
At Thermo Fisher Scientific, our mission is to enable our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer, and the coronavirus outbreak is a powerful reminder of the importance of that mission.

In fact, Thermo Fisher is at the heart of the global response to COVID-19. There are several areas where, as a company, we are playing a pivotal role. From the beginning, we have been actively involved in understanding the structure of the virus, developing new diagnostic tests, providing personal protective equipment, reagents and other laboratory essential instruments, to providing tools for vaccine research and development, clinical trials and even manufacturing some of the therapeutics.

Researchers used our Krios G4 Cryo Transmission Electron microscope to determine the 3 D structure of the SARS-CoV-2spike protein. These findings have paved the way to accelerating development of treatments and vaccines. The U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Viral Transport Media – MicroTest sample collection kits that help maintain the sample integrity till it reaches the testing laboratories.

Through our bioprocessing and virology portfolios, we offer proven solutions for rapid vaccine development and production. We also provide end-to-end solutions that include data management and clinical trials support. Thus, most, if not all the vaccine development needs can be met through the array of products and solutions we offer.

In the context of a serological test, our collaboration with Mayo Clinic and WuXi Diagnostics to produce one, will significantly complement our PCR-based diagnostic test and will be a vital tool in containing the spread of the virus.

We are still developing the antibody test and will pursue Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. FDA and relevant authorizations from regulatory bodies in other parts of the world.

Once approved for use, the Thermo Scientific OmniPath COVID-19 Total Antibody ELISA test will detect Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) to help clinicians determine if a patient has been exposed to SARS-CoV-2. The test is designed to run on an open instrument platform, and the determination of antibody status will aid in the diagnosis of the disease during the acute and recovery stages of infection.

3. What are the key market areas that drive the growth of your business in India?
At Thermo Fisher, we have unique depth and breadth of capabilities across multiple segments and an attractive product pipeline that reinforces the value we create to serve customers in healthcare, pharmaceutical and biotech industry, clinical, food safety or industrial applications. Pharmaceuticals, biotech, healthcare and diagnostics continue to be our major growth segments in addition to the food safety.

4. Is the company supporting or collaborating with other organizations? Also, brief us about Thermo Fisher Scientifics’ presence in India and its plans for post COVID operations?
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the tremendous value we provide as a company and the significant contributions we make to society.We have collaborated with several states, private labs, other government testing labs and medical colleges to help them ramp up their testing capacity and ensure they get timely supplies. We already had the largest install base of RT-PCR in the country and have significantly ramped up new installations in the country as well. Additionally, we are working with several pharma and biotech customers to provide required technologies that accelerate their research and support to scale a therapy or vaccine for the virus.



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