Sun Pharma Science Foundation's 14th Hands-on Training Workshop

Date : Date : November 16th to 22nd, 2026 (Seven days).

Venue: BRIC-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal Organized by: Sun Pharma Science Foundation in collaboration with BRIC-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal..

Purpose of the Hands-on Workshop:

This will be an intensive seven-day hands-on workshop aims to address this need by providing comprehensive theoretical lectures and practical, hands-on sessions covering microbiome study design, data pre-processing, statistical analysis, biological interpretation, and translational relevance. Emphasis will be placed on understanding how microbiome-derived insights can inform disease mechanisms, patient stratification, therapeutic response, and future microbiome-based interventions.

The human microbiome has emerged as a critical modulator of human health, disease susceptibility, immune regulation, and therapeutic response. Increasing evidence demonstrates that microbial communities influence drug metabolism, efficacy, and toxicity, and play a central role in several chronic and inflammatory diseases. These insights have positioned the microbiome as a promising target for therapeutic intervention, including fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), microbiome-derived biomarkers, and next-generation probiotics and live biotherapeutic products (LBPs).

However, the translational success of microbiome-based therapies critically depends on population-specific reference datasets. India represents one of the most genetically, culturally, and dietary diverse populations globally, yet a comprehensive and well-annotated healthy Indian gut microbiome reference remains limited. Without such reference frameworks, rational design of India-specific probiotics, optimization of FMT donor selection, and interpretation of microbiome perturbations in disease states remain suboptimal. This gap significantly constrains the development of microbiome-informed therapeutic strategies relevant to the Indian population.

High-throughput sequencing technologies, including 16S rRNA gene sequencing and whole-metagenome shotgun sequencing, have made it feasible to generate large-scale microbiome datasets across healthy and diseased cohorts. Nevertheless, the ability to translate these datasets into actionable biological and clinical insights depends heavily on robust data analysis, appropriate statistical modelling, and careful integration with clinical and lifestyle metadata. Inadequate analytical expertise can lead to erroneous conclusions, inconsistent reference baselines, and misleading associations, ultimately limiting therapeutic applicability.

A major need therefore exists for structured, hands-on training in microbiome data analysis that emphasizes population-specific interpretation, comparative analysis between healthy and disease cohorts, and frameworks for identifying functionally relevant microbial signatures. Such training is essential for building reliable Indian reference microbiome datasets, evaluating dysbiosis in clinical contexts, and informing downstream applications such as probiotic formulation, FMT optimization, and microbiome-guided patient stratification.

Participants will get hands-on training in preparation of library for gut microbiome. Guest lectures will be organized from experts who have been actively using microbiome-based diagnostics and research..

Who can apply?

The workshop is specifically designed for MBBS and MD/MS trainees, Ph.D. scholars, postdoctoral researchers, and young faculty or research scientists from medical colleges, universities, and research institutes who are engaged in or planning microbiome-related research with clinical or translational relevance.

Selection Criteria?

Selection of the 25-30 candidates will be based on first come first serve basis.

How to Apply?

Applicants may apply by clicking on the below link:

https://forms.gle/QBU7QiLvmtHsY1zS6

Register Now

Registration is limited and will be based on first come first serve basis and will be closed on receiving the required number.

The last date for submitting applications is: November 04, 2026.

Applicants will be notified of selection by: November 10, 2026.

Scientific Advisory Committee:

Prof. Virander S. Chauhan, Chairman SPSF

Dr. Souvik Mukherjee, BRIC-NIBMG, Kalyani

Dr. Subeer S. Majumdar, Head, SPSF

Mr. Satyananda Misra – Member Secretary SPSF

For more details Please visit our website :

https://www.sunpharmasciencefoundation.net/

For Further information, Please Contact:-

Mr. V.A. Thangachan The Office of Sun Pharma Science Foundation

8C, 8th Floor, Hansalaya Building,

15, Barakhamba Road, Connaught Place,

New Delhi: 110 001, India. Tel : (91-11)23721414/ 1415

Email : [email protected]

Website : https://www.sunpharmasciencefoundation.net