Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 3 (IANS): Considering the importance of probiotics in healthcare, this subject needs more cutting-edge research, in which leading institutions like the Rajiv andhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) can play a major role, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said on Saturday.

Delivering the key-note address at the 14th Probiotic Symposium held at RGCB, Tharoor pointed out that in ayurveda, cleaning of the gut has been a part of regular treatment and so people in Kerala are aware of gut health even from the old days.

“Biotechnology is an extremely important area. The kind of work RGCB is doing in biotechnology research will have resonance throughout the nation. The need of the hour is public-private collaboration in biotechnology research, where the private sector can finance research programmes in the public sector,” said Tharoor.

N.K. Ganguly, former Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said the probiotics field has come a long way as he recalled that during its initial stages, the studies in this area were not taken seriously by experts who dismissed their suggestions saying there was not enough scientific proof.

"Now, science has done its job and probiotics has become an accepted part of treatment. It has even become the sole way to treat some diseases, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver that can lead to cancer,” said Ganguly.