IBSD to host international symposium on combating COVID-19
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, December 16 2020:
Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), Imphal is hosting the 7th Convention of Society for Ethnopharmacology and international symposium on "Combating COVID-19 Ethnopharmacology & Traditional Food and Medicine" from December 17-19 .
Speaking to media persons at the conference hall of IBSD at Takyelpat today, its Director Professor Pulok Kumar Mukheijee said that the 3-day international sym posium will be jointly orga nised by the Society for Ethnopharmacology, India and International Society for Ethnopharmacology, Switzerland.
Around 500 delegates including scientists from 20 countries will participate in the symposium.
The main event will be held online while some of the scientists will also attend the symposium physically.
The scientists have arrived at Imphal, said Mukherjee.
The Director also informed that research scholars and students from Manipur University, Dhana-manjuri University and several colleges will attend the symposium.
Mukheijee stated that the IBSD (Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development) was established by the Government of India's Department of Biotechnology as an autonomous research institute in 2001.IBSD's mission is to bring bioresources development and their sustainable use through biotechnological interventions for socio-economic growth.
The Phyto Pharmaceutical Mission is one of the prestigious missions and projects the IBSD is taking up.
Manipur is rich in medicinal plants and people have been using these medicinal plants and herbs as traditional remedies for many diseases.
The IBSD is studying the therapeutic efficacy, medicinal value of the medicinal plants/herbs and working on to evaluate and scientifically document them, Mukherjee said adding that the convention will provide the IBSD with new ideas to further their mission.
Vice president of the Society for Ethnopharmacology, India, Indraneel Das said the society was founded in 2013 with the contribution and assistance of IBSD Director and president of International Society for Ethnopharmacology, Switzerland president Professor Pulok Kumar Mukhetjee, under the mentorship of former President Late APJ Abdul Kalam.
As COVID-19 spread, the race for vaccines was started and the world began to understand the importance of enhancing the body immune system to fight the disease.
This is where Ethnopharmacology is being taken as an important study, said Das.