iHUB, the innovation centre to promote start-ups in the biology space, got a boost with four companies inking agreements with the CSIR-CCMB to try their ventures in Hyderabad.

The CCMB (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology), which created iHUB with the latest facilities at the CCMB Annexe-II, Medical Biotechnology Complex, helps incubate and provide technical consultancy to start-ups. The memorandum of understanding was signed on December 30 at the Centre.

Oncosimis, Virupaksha Life Sciences, Theranosis and Bioartis are the four start-ups. CCMB has been engaged with the needs of the industry to provide technical services and also to do contract projects. Rakesh Mishra, Director, CCMB, said facilities at iHUB are created such that any start-up in biology could use these facilities in the "plug and play" mode.

The four companies are to launch their activities this week. Oncosimis is planning to establish innovative processes in the production of biosimilars. Sudarshan Reddy, the promoter, said his company is looking forward to developing a novel process to prepare a number of cancer drugs.

Virupaksha Life Sciences wants to develop high-value peptides of clinical importance, said Sudar Olli. It will use the iHUB to develop novel molecules for diabetes. Theranosis, on the other hand, is focused on developing novel point-of-care devices in cancer diagnosis, said Kannan.

Bioartis will be involved in optimising and validating novel diagnosis methods for diseases of marine and animal origin and to develop diagnostic kits for such marine diseases, says Nasir.

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