About Department

The Department of Veterinary Physiology & Biochemistry started functioning in 1948 with the establishment of the Camp Veterinary College at Hisar affiliated to Punjab University, when the college was shifted from Lahore to Hisar, The department was shifted to the present building in the year 1958, and was named as department of Veterinary Physiology and Biochemistry headed by Dr. C.L. Vohra LVP-PVS-I. Dr. Kalicharan and Dr. D.P. Sharma were Assistant Professors and Dr. (Mrs.) S. Bhardwaj and Dr. Daljeet Singh Sahani were demonstrators. On establishment of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in 1962 with Hisar as Campus, the department was reorganized and was renamed Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology with Dr. Ajit Singh as Head, Dr. B.S. Paul as Professor Pharmacology, Dr. B. Mishra, Associate Professor of Physiology, Dr. B.D. Garg, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology, Dr. P.D. Kapoor & Dr. O.P. Nangia, Assistant Professors of Veterinary Physiology, Dr. M.S. Setia as Assistant Professor of Physiological Chemistry and Dr. V.K. Agarwal & Dr. V.P. Dixit as Lecturers. In 1970 the Departments of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology were separated with Dr. D.P. Sharma as Head of Veterinary Physiology. In 1972, Dr. S.S. Sukhija joined as Assistant Professor in Physiological Chemistry. The faculty gained strength by joining of Dr J. P. Puri & Dr S.L.Garg. Dr. Sandeep Gera, Dr. M. Gupta joint teaching fraternity in Veterinary Physiology in 1986, Dr. M.K. Rose and Dr. Sonia Sindhu in 1995. This arrangement continued till 1999, when as per VCI guidelines the Department of Veterinary Physiology was bifurcated into Department of Veterinary Physiology, headed by Dr. S.K. Garg and Department of Veterinary Biochemistry headed by Dr. V.K. Agarwal. Dr. N. Sangwan (VBC) joined in 2000. Dr. Jyotsana (VPY), Dr. Anita Ganguly and Dr. Sandeep Kumar (VBC) joined the faculty in 20092009. Further strengthening of department human resource was done with recruitment of Dr. Rajesh Kumar, Dr. Preeti Lakhani and Dr. Surbhi in 2019-20.

Faculty in Department of Animal Production Physiology consistently produced research and teaching of international status since 1966 to June, 2011, when it became part of Physiology and biochemistry. In June 2011, the three departments of Veterinary Physiology, Animal Production Physiology and Veterinary Biochemistry were merged into single entity christened as Department of Veterinary Physiology & Biochemistry as per VCI guidelines 2009 with Dr. Sandeep Gera as Head. This brought on board the strength of endocrinology, semen biology and environmental Physiology through Dr. R.K. Tuli, Dr. Pardeep Singh, Dr. R.K. Malik and Dr. Meenakshi Virmani. Dr. Shalini Sharma and Dr Vijender Singh joined the faculty in 2014.

This department has a distinction to be housed in the very first building of the campus, whose foundation stone was laid by Dr.Punjab Rao Deshmukh, Union Minister of Agriculture on 2nd October, 1955. The department had the privilege of shifting in the newly constructed building in 1957 which accommodated the whole faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at that time. Presently, this building is being shared by the department of Veterinary Anatomy and Veterinary Physiology & Biochemistry. The additional infrastructural facility are in terms of Nuclear Research Laboratory started by Dr P. K. Dwark Nath, once approved by AERB Mumbai for disposal of radioisotope waste and radiation in-vitro studies along with a animal production facility as Artificial Insemination pavilion, diagnostic laboratory, semen biology laboratory and Radioisotope laboratory in Animal Sciences premises of the LUVAS. These laboratories are well equipped with latest instruments and audio-visual aids. The department offers specialization in Veterinary Physiology and Veterinary Biochemistry with diagnostics, clinical biochemistry, environmental physiology, semen biology, infertility profiling, endocrinology, neem biology, ketosis experimental physiology, draft capacity, mastitis biochemical studies, reproductive biology, equine/bubaline stem cell research, digestive physiology. Parasitic control and bubaline proteomic profile of pregnancy specific protein, genetic polymorphism studies on hsp 70, LHR, LEPR genes, donor cell profiling for embryo cloning and characterization thereof as thrust areas for PG research.

VISION OF THE DEPARTMENT

Metabolic and endocrine studies in ruminants to augment production efficiency.
Enhancement of reproductive efficiency in farm animals through physiological interventions.
Establishment of biochemical profile of livestock in health and disease.
Exploration of biomarkers for development of affordable diagnostics and therapeutics.

Thrust areas for research