Latest news with #IndianInstituteofTechnologyRoorkee
NDTV
4 days ago
- Health
- NDTV
IIT Roorkee Finds Breakthrough To Beat World's Most Dangerous Superbugs
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee have developed a new drug candidate that could restore the power of a critical antibiotic against one of the world's most dangerous superbugs. The discovery offers renewed hope in the escalating battle against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The research team, led by Prof Ranjana Pathania from the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, designed a novel molecule, Compound 3b, that works with a potent antibiotic Meropenem. This combination therapy has shown the ability to treat infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae, a pathogen designated as a top-priority threat by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to its resistance to multiple drugs. "This breakthrough offers a promising solution to one of the world's most urgent health challenges," stated Prof. Pathania. "Our compound neutralises the resistance mechanism and shows strong therapeutic results in preclinical models." Compound 3b is a type of drug that prevents bacteria from using enzymes to destroy antibiotics. The study, which included collaboration with researchers from UiT Tromso in Norway, found the new compound to be highly specific, safe for human cells, and effective at reducing bacterial infection in lung tests on animals. The discovery of a drug like Compound 3b is a crucial step in a larger fight. Antibiotic resistance is a silent pandemic that makes once-treatable infections, from pneumonia and tuberculosis to common wound infections, lethal again. Without effective antibiotics, many modern medical procedures, including surgery, organ transplants, and cancer chemotherapy, become much more risky. This research is vital because it addresses a fundamental problem of the bacteria evolving faster than the speed at which new drugs are being developed. By revitalising existing antibiotics, Compound 3b provides a powerful new tool without starting from scratch. It is a strategic victory against a microbial enemy that threatens to unravel decades of medical progress. "This innovation reflects IIT Roorkee's commitment to developing impactful scientific solutions for global challenges. In the face of rising antibiotic resistance, such research provides critical hope for effective and accessible treatments," said IIT Roorkee director Prof KK Pant. The findings have been published in the prestigious Journal of Medicinal Chemistry and is expected to be a significant step forward in safeguarding public health from drug-resistant superbugs.
India Today
18-07-2025
- Science
- India Today
World's first AI model cracks modi script, thanks to IIT Roorkee
IIT Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India - July 18, 2025: In a landmark initiative that bridges India's rich historical legacy with the transformative power of artificial intelligence, the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) has co-developed the world's first AI framework for transliterating the historic Modi script into Devanagari. Leveraging a Vision-Language Model (VLM) architecture, the model MoScNet offers a powerful tool for preserving medieval manuscripts and supporting large-scale digitization under initiatives like Digital India and project, titled Historic Scripts to Modern Vision, introduces MoDeTrans, the first dataset of its kind, featuring over 2,000 images of real Modi script manuscripts spanning three historical eras: Shivakalin, Peshwekalin, and Anglakalin, along with expert-verified Devanagari transliterations. The AI model MoScNet, led by Prof. Sparsh Mittal of IIT Roorkee, significantly outperforms existing OCR models and offers a scalable, lightweight solution ideal for deployment in low-resource research team also included contributions from students, Harshal and Tanvi, who pursued their studies at COEP Technological University (formerly College of Engineering, Pune) and Onkar, an alumnus of Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, Pune. Their collaborative efforts played a key role in developing and refining the transliteration framework. Prof. Kamal Kishore Pant, Director, IIT Roorkee, said, "This work shows how we can harness the power of AI not just for automation, but to revive our cultural heritage, empower academic research, and drive nation-building. It captures the true spirit of Viksit Bharat, preserving India's timeless wisdom and making it accessible to the world through technology."With over 40 million Modi script documents spread across India, including land records, Ayurveda manuscripts, and medieval science texts, the initiative addresses a massive gap in academic and archival research. Given the limited number of Modi script experts and the deteriorating condition of these records, this transliteration technology brings unprecedented efficiency and accessibility to heritage Sparsh Mittal, Principal Investigator, added, "We aim to democratise access to India's ancient knowledge using open-source, scalable, and ethically trained AI tools. We've built a transliteration engine and set the foundation for future AI research in Indic scripts and multilingual learning."The project aims to preserve India's medieval knowledge through AI-assisted digitization, while simultaneously developing scalable, open-source tools for historians, researchers, and government archives. By enabling future integration with national platforms such as BharatGPT and Bhashini, the model supports multilingual AI capabilities and enhances access to India's cultural assets. This contributes to key national missions including Digital India, Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, and the National Language Translation Mission (NLTM). It also aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11.4: "Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world's cultural and natural heritage." Furthermore, this AI framework holds the potential to be adapted for other endangered or ancient scripts globally, offering a replicable model for historical digitization across project exemplifies IIT Roorkee's commitment to innovative, inclusive, and impactful research, bridging the past with the future through responsible technology. The team has open-sourced the MoDeTrans dataset and MoScNet model on Hugging Face, ensuring global accessibility and encouraging community-driven innovation.- Ends
India Today
11-07-2025
- Science
- India Today
Bihar's Kosi curse: How AI can predict flood risks, mitigate losses
The Kosi River, known as the 'Sorrow of Bihar' due to its frequent and devastating floods, has long been a challenge for areas and communities in North Bihar. The shifting course of the river Kosi has remained a persistent flooding has caused extensive damage over the years, affecting lives and address this persistent problem, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) have developed an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) framework designed to more accurately predict and map flood risks in this vulnerable The research focused on the Kosi Megafan, a large flood-prone area formed by centuries of sediment build-up. The team utilised satellite imagery and elevation data to analyse 21 environmental factors influencing flood variables included rainfall patterns, land use, drainage density, soil type, and terrain slope. By integrating this rich dataset, the researchers built a sophisticated machine-learning ensemble model that was optimised using Bayesian techniques to enhance prediction MODEL TO BRING ANSWERS TO THE FLOODINGOne key advancement in this study was the incorporation of Explainable AI (XAI) methods. Unlike traditional AI models, which often operate as opaque 'black boxes,' the XAI approach enables the system to provide clear explanations behind its flood risk transparency is critical for building trust among policymakers and local authorities, enabling them to understand why certain areas are flagged as susceptible to flooding. The resulting flood susceptibility maps offer valuable insights that can guide planning efforts, emergency response, and flood mitigation in the Kosi in the journal Environmental and Sustainability Indicators (Impact Factor 5.6), this research was led by Md. Gufran Alam under the guidance of Prof. Mohit Prakash Mohanty, with contributions from PhD scholar Vaibhav Tripathi and ISRO scientist Dr. C.M. Bhatt. Graphic: India Today RESEARCH TO IMPACT MILLIONSThis research plays a vital role in enhancing the safety and resilience of millions living in flood-affected regions. In Bihar, India, seasonal floods have long caused widespread displacement, crop damage, and disruption to local these challenges, an AI-based flood susceptibility framework has emerged as a critical tool for proactive disaster management. Unlike conventional models, this framework not only predicts flood-prone areas but also uncovers the underlying causes, enabling local administrators, planners, and disaster response teams to take informed, timely interventions range from improved infrastructure planning to effective warning dissemination and efficient relief management, collectively steering communities toward greater climate resilience. The framework's application to the Kosi Megafan, which is a vast alluvial fan in Bihar, has highlighted varying flood susceptibility across the area was classified into five categories: very low (26.03%), low (19.85%), moderate (10.64%), high (8.29%), and very high (35.18%). Notably, the highest flood susceptibility was concentrated along the main Kosi River and its paleochannels, pinpointing critical zones for focused mitigation A LANDMARK STUDY TO IMPROVE LIVESWhat sets this methodology apart is its scalability and adaptability. Utilising open-source data, scalable algorithms, and emphasising model transparency, the framework transcends regional boundaries. It offers a practical alternative to traditional hydrodynamic models, especially in data-scarce environments where boundary conditions and detailed historical discharge records are often makes it an invaluable resource not only for other flood-prone areas across India but also for similar vulnerable regions integrating cutting-edge technology with practical disaster management needs, this AI-based framework significantly contributes to achieving sustainable development goals and advancing climate adaptation it marks an important step toward building safer, more resilient communities in the face of increasing climate challenges.- EndsMust Watch
Indian Express
14-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
IIT Roorkee launches Strategic Product Management programme to shape future product leaders
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) has launched a Strategic Product Management (SPM) programme to empower aspiring professionals and freshers to become future-ready product leaders. The five-month program aims to empower learners with end-to-end product thinking, from ideation to go-to-market execution, through live online classes and a three-day campus immersion at IIT Roorkee. Candidates with a bachelor's degree or an equivalent qualification with a minimum aggregate of 50% marks are eligible to apply for the course. A diploma (10+3) is also acceptable. Selection will be based on a holistic profile evaluation, considering academic performance, current roles, and a statement of purpose. The institute will commence the programme from August 9 this year. Program highlights include: live online classes by IIT Roorkee faculty, real-world BYOP project with mentor support, 3-day on-campus immersion at IIT Roorkee, weekend learning format (Saturday and Sunday sessions) and training in industry-standard tools. CEC, IIT Roorkee will also provide a certificate and help in personalized interview preparation The program will focus on critical areas including: A senior programme faculty member said, 'This programme empowers learners to think beyond features and roadmaps. It encourages product thinkers to approach innovation holistically combining human insight, data, and strategic intent.' The programme will culminate in a Post Graduate Certificate from the Continuing Education Centre (CEC), and participants will conceptualize and present a live product with expert guidance from IIT Roorkee faculty and industry mentors. This IIT-Roorkee led programme will help to build product leaders who can navigate complexity, leverage AI, and translate customer insights into breakthrough innovations.
