One Health Approach Vital, Says CCMB Director
Dr. Vinay Kumar Nandicoori, Director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB–Hyderabad), stressed the need to strengthen the One Health framework while speaking at the 167th birth anniversary celebrations of Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose at GITAM Deemed to be University on Monday.
Dr. Nandicoori stated that the One Health approach, which links human, animal, and environmental health, has become crucial for tackling current and emerging global health issues. He pointed out that coordinated efforts among public health agencies, veterinary experts, and environmental organizations can enhance disease monitoring, strengthen health systems, and promote long-term environmental and economic stability.
Highlighting the increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), he emphasized the importance of understanding how human pathogens survive and adapt. He explained that such knowledge is essential for developing new treatments and vaccines. He also stated that India needs to train more computational biologists, as big data and predictive analytics are now vital to drug discovery and personalized medicine.
Dr. Nandicoori also pointed to the country’s high rate of antibiotic overuse as a major contributor to the global AMR crisis. Discussing national health programmes, he outlined the key hurdles facing the TB Mukt Bharat initiative, including inadequate healthcare infrastructure, a shortage of trained personnel, rural poverty, social stigma, undernutrition and the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to care and data reporting.
The event was chaired by Prof. S. Anantha Ramakrishna, Dean of GITAM School of Science, and Prof. Raja P. Pappu, Dean of GITAM School of Business. Faculty, staff and students paid floral tributes to J.C. Bose in honour of his scientific legacy.
As part of the observance, the School of Science organized a scientific exposure tour for students from local colleges to encourage interest in research and scientific inquiry.