JAMMU, Aug 11: CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu, on Tuesday commenced a 2nd phase of three day SDP on Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) under the CSIR-Integrated Skill Initiative, aimed at providing participants with hands-on exposure to advanced analytical techniques, instrumentation, sample preparation, method development and data interpretation.
Addressing the inaugural session, Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM Jammu and CSIR-NBRI Lucknow, welcomed the participants and highlighted the broader role of CSIR-IIIM in contributing to different sections of society through scientific research, skill development, farmer support, startup incubation and collaboration with government and industry.
Dr Zabeer Ahmed said the 2nd phase of 3 day SDP programme on GC-MS was one among several initiatives through which the institute was working to equip students, scholars and young professionals with practical skills relevant to research and employment.
He said the participants belonged to a generation that could benefit from the institute’s facilities and subsequently contribute to society through research, entrepreneurship and industry.
Dr. Ahmed highlighted the institute’s present focus on drug discovery and development, particularly the modernisation and scientific validation of traditional Indian systems of medicine.
He said CSIR-IIIM’s work spans the entire spectrum of pre-clinical drug discovery, beginning with bioprospection of medicinal sources and natural resources, extraction, characterisation and isolation, followed by biological evaluation in areas including cancer, metabolic disorders and other diseases, along with toxicological and related studies.
He emphasised that several facilities required for such research are available under one roof at the institute.
Dr. Ahmed also underlined the institute’s contribution towards skill development and employment generation.
He said CSIR-IIIM conducts short-term as well as long-term skill development programmes, with a particular emphasis on providing job-oriented training. He noted that participants from earlier programmes had secured placements in different capacities, while several others were in the pipeline for employment opportunities.
Speaking about the institute’s contribution to farmers, he referred to the CSIR Aroma Mission and Purple Revolution, under which scientific interventions have helped promote aromatic crop cultivation in the region.
He said farmers who were initially hesitant to adopt new crops had gradually become successful cultivators, demonstrating the impact of scientific intervention and institutional support.
Dr Zabeer further said CSIR-IIIM was supporting startups through incubation facilities available at its Jammu and Kashmir centres and at its technology park. He invited young innovators with new ideas to utilise laboratory and incubation facilities to validate and develop their concepts further.
He also highlighted the institute’s engagement with the government in scientific policymaking and infrastructure development, including the establishment and development of biotech-related infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the objective was to create stronger connections among researchers, students, startups, industry, farmers, academia and the government.
Dr Zabeer said the GC-MS course may be only a three-day programme, but the participants could continue to engage with CSIR-IIIM in the future and make use of its scientific infrastructure for research and innovation. “Ultimately, you will have to take this legacy forward,” he told the participants.
Earlier, Dr Nasir-ul-Rasheed, Nodal, Skill Development, delivered the welcome address and welcomed Dr Zabeer Ahmed, colleagues, faculty members and participants from different institutions to the programme.
He said the institute’s skill development initiatives had expanded from short three-day programmes to long-term courses ranging from three to six months.
Dr Nasir said CSIR-IIIM Jammu was among the early CSIR laboratories to introduce several novel, job-oriented skill courses. These include programmes related to quality control and HPLC, gas chromatography, API synthesis and medicinal chemistry, production operation in non-sterile formulation under CGMP, and laboratory technician training.
Highlighting the employment-oriented nature of these programmes, he said the first batch of long-term skill development trainees had achieved 100 per cent placement, with participants finding opportunities in CSIR laboratories and different industries.
He added that the second batch was scheduled to face interviews with multinational companies and other industries in the coming days, expressing confidence that the new batch would also achieve strong placement outcomes.
Giving an overview of the three-day programme, Dr Nagaraju Nekkala, Scientist-C, CSIR-IIIM Jammu, said participants would receive comprehensive training in the principles of GC-MS, instrumentation, sample preparation, method development, data analysis and troubleshooting.
He said the first day would begin with an introductory lecture on GC-MS principles and instrumentation, followed by laboratory orientation and an overview of the institute’s analytical facilities. Participants would also be introduced to facilities housing advanced instruments including LC-MS, GC-MS, NMR and other analytical equipment.
The hands-on component of the first day would focus on essential oil analysis by GC-MS, including sample preparation, sample analysis, identification of peaks and interpretation of analytical data.
Dr Nagaraju said the second day would focus on pesticide residue analysis, beginning with a lecture followed by sample preparation and analytical work. The third day would continue with sample analysis and data interpretation, enabling participants to gain practical understanding of the complete GC-MS workflow.
Providing an overview of the Quality Management and Instrumentation (QMI) Division, Dr Maqsood Ahmed, Scientist-D, CSIR-IIIM Jammu, said the division provides analytical and instrumentation support to research and development groups as well as commercial samples received from industries and startups.
He said the QMI Division comprises three major components — the Central Instrumentation Facility (CIF), Quality Control and Quality Assurance facility, and CGMP facility.
Dr Maqsood said the Central Instrumentation Facility houses sophisticated instruments including NMR, GC-MS, HPLC and other analytical instruments, which are used to provide analytical services to various R&D groups.
He explained that the Quality Control and Quality Assurance facility functions according to applicable quality and accreditation requirements and undertakes analysis of commercial samples in areas such as pesticide residue analysis, food-related analysis, mycotoxin analysis, production-related analysis, drinking water and other water analysis, and heavy-metal analysis.
He further said the CGMP facility works on process-scale activities, including areas related to the scale-up and processing of aromatic products. Participants were encouraged to visit different sections of the division during the programme and familiarise themselves with instruments beyond GC-MS, including HPLC and other advanced analytical facilities.
The inaugural programme concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Vikas C. Roy, Technical officer, CSIR-IIIM Jammu, who thanked Dr Zabeer Ahmed for his guidance and support in organising the programme.
He also acknowledged the efforts of Dr Nasir-ul-Rasheed, the programme coordinator, colleagues and the participants for making the initiative possible.
The three-day programme, being held from August 11 to 13, combines classroom lectures with laboratory orientation and hands-on training.
The first day’s schedule includes the lecture “Introduction to Gas Chromatography: Principles, Instrumentation, and Applications”, followed by laboratory orientation and instrumentation overview, lunch, and practical training on essential oil analysis by GC-MS.
The programme brings together participants from different institutions and provides them an opportunity to gain practical exposure to one of the important analytical techniques widely used in research, pharmaceuticals, natural products, food analysis, environmental studies and industrial applications.
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