Latest news with #SreeChitraTirunalInstituteforMedicalSciencesandTechnology
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Health
- New Indian Express
Sree Chitra to explore link between indoor air pollution, heart health
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Over the next year, 200 heart patients in Kerala will sleep with a drum-sized cylindrical air purifier beside their beds. This is part of a major study being undertaken by the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) to explore the link between indoor air pollution and heart health. The air purifiers -- supplied by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi -- will continuously monitor indoor air quality even as clinicians track each patient's heart condition. The goal: to understand whether cleaner indoor air can reduce complications in people suffering from heart failure. The Kerala-based project is part of a larger multi-centre research initiative involving AIIMS, New Delhi, and the Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana, in Punjab -- regions known for far worse air quality than Kerala. Funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the study is significant as cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in India. 'Air pollution is not just a city or traffic issue. Indoor air, where people spend a majority of their time, can be just as hazardous, especially for those with heart failure,' Dr Harikrishnan S, principal investigator and professor of cardiology at SCTIMST, told TNIE. 'This study asks a crucial question: can reducing indoor air pollution improve outcomes for patients with heart failure?' Each home will be equipped with one of two types of purifiers, distributed randomly. One has a basic bacterial filter while the other comes with both bacterial and dust filters. The devices will measure pollutants from environmental sources and household practices such as cooking. 'Patients will return for clinical review every three months, during which doctors will assess changes in their heart function, specifically the heart's pumping efficiency,' Dr Harikrishnan said. A baseline reading from a central monitor installed at SCTIMST will help interpret the data collected by the homebased machines.
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Health
- New Indian Express
How does air pollution affect heart? Sree Chitra to find out with purifiers
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Over the next year, 200 heart patients in Kerala will sleep with a drum-sized cylindrical air purifier beside their beds. This is part of a major study being undertaken by the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) to explore the link between indoor air pollution and heart health. The air purifiers -- supplied by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi -- will continuously monitor indoor air quality even as clinicians track each patient's heart condition. The goal: to understand whether cleaner indoor air can reduce complications in people suffering from heart failure. The Kerala-based project is part of a larger multi-centre research initiative involving AIIMS, New Delhi, and the Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana, in Punjab -- regions known for far worse air quality than Kerala. Funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the study is significant as cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in India. 'Air pollution is not just a city or traffic issue. Indoor air, where people spend a majority of their time, can be just as hazardous, especially for those with heart failure,' Dr Harikrishnan S, principal investigator and professor of cardiology at SCTIMST, told TNIE. 'This study asks a crucial question: can reducing indoor air pollution improve outcomes for patients with heart failure?' Each home will be equipped with one of two types of purifiers, distributed randomly. One has a basic bacterial filter while the other comes with both bacterial and dust filters. The devices will measure pollutants from environmental sources and household practices such as cooking. 'Patients will return for clinical review every three months, during which doctors will assess changes in their heart function, specifically the heart's pumping efficiency,' Dr Harikrishnan said. A baseline reading from a central monitor installed at SCTIMST will help interpret the data collected by the homebased machines.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
SCTIMST launches multi-centric study on air pollution and heart health
The Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) has launched a new study o explore whether cleaner indoor air can lead to better health outcomes for heart failure patients. Air pollution is increasingly being recognised as a serious threat to heart health, contributing to heart failure and other cardiovascular conditions. Higher levels of ambient air pollution, especially particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM 2.5) are specifically placed as a serious environmental risk factor for morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases. Other pollutants that increase cardiovascular risk include nitrogen oxides (NOx), and ozone (O3), sulphur dioxide and black carbon Both short and long term exposure are linked to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases-related mortality, myocardial infarction, hypertension, and stroke. Air pollution is often seen as a problem of cities and traffic, but indoor air pollution is equally dangerous, especially in their own homes, where people spend most of their time. For patients with heart failure who are particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors, breathing cleaner air could significantly reduce complications, hospitalisations, and even deaths. SCTIMST study to explore whether cleaner indoor air can lead to better health outcomes is being carried out in collaboration with partners in India and the U.S. Indo–US collaborative This research is part of the Indo–US collaborative agreement on environmental and occupational health and focuses on one key question: Can reducing indoor air pollution improve the health of people with heart failure? The study is being carried out at three major medical centres in the country- the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi; Dayanand Medical College (DMC), Ludhiana; and SCTIMST, Thiruvananthapuram. Some of the dangerous indoor air pollutants include nitrogen dioxides (commonly produced by gas stoves and heaters) and carbon monoxide (produced by home appliances without proper air vents or when burning fuels), both of which can be quite harmful for patients with heart failure or other cardiovascular disease. As part of the study, air purifiers have already been installed in the houses of 10 heart patients in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts. The plan is to expand this number and install a total of 200 air purifiers in patients' houses across these districts. Wide-reaching implications This study could have wide-reaching public health implications for it could lead to new guidelines for managing heart failure, with an emphasis on the importance of air quality at home. It may be informative for national health policies, making air purifiers a potential part of patient care for high-risk groups, according to Harikrishnan S., Professor of Cardiology, who is the the Principal Investigator of the study. The co-investigators are Jeemon Panniyammakal, G. Sanjay and Jyothi Vijay. With heart disease being the leading cause of death in India, innovative, evidence-based interventions are urgently needed. Exploring the connection between clean air and cardiac health could be the first step towards this, they said.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Health
- New Indian Express
Sree Chitra transfers Parkinson's care tech to industry partners
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) has transferred five advanced medical technologies to industry partners, paving the way for their commercial production and broader clinical use. Among the developments is a Deep Brain Stimulator, an implantable device designed to manage movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease and dystonia. Developed by a multidisciplinary team from SCTIMST in collaboration with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, the device offers a cost-effective, indigenous alternative to imported stimulators. Another major innovation is a chitosan-based wound dressing sponge, intended for the treatment of chronic and infected wounds. The dressing delivers antibiotics directly to the site of infection, neutralises free radicals, and promotes faster healing while reducing the risk of systemic toxicity associated with oral or injectable antibiotics. The institute has also developed a small-scale plasma fractionation technique that enables the extraction of four critical proteins—fibrinogen, thrombin, albumin, and immunoglobulin—from blood plasma. These proteins can be used in specific combinations to aid blood clotting and manage immune-related conditions. Additionally, SCTIMST has created a device to transfer laboratory mice without causing stress. The Mice Transfer and Enrichment Box is designed to improve animal welfare standards in laboratory environments. The technologies have been licenced to various companies for commercial development. The Deep Brain Stimulator has been transferred to Shree Pacetronix Ltd in Madhya Pradesh. Intracranial and subdural electrodes, along with the plasma protein extraction technology, have been handed over to Synapticore Technology Pvt Ltd. The chitosan-based wound dressing has been transferred to Vranova Biotech Pvt Ltd in Mumbai.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
SCTIMST announces transfer of five medical device technologies to industry
The Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) here has transferred five medical device technologies developed by its scientists to the industry as part of its commitment to contribute to indigenous medical device development in the country. Announcing the details of the technologies transferred this year, Harikrishna Varma, head, BioMedical Technology wing, SCTIMST, said here on Monday that the institute had a long history of technology transfers and commercialisation of medical devices and biomaterials. Deep Brain Stimulator (DBS), for managing movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease and dystonia, is one of the prime biomedical innovations that the SCTIMST has come out with this year. The project was initiated with support from the Technical Research Centre of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, in close technical collaboration with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. The team has successfully realised the proof of concept for an indigenous DBS system, tailored to national health-care needs. The technology is now being transferred to Shree Pacetronix Limited. This collaborative achievement aims at delivering affordable, high-quality neurostimulation solutions, reducing reliance on imported systems and paving the way for self-sustained medical advancements in the country, Dr. Varma said. Subdural electrodes The same team from the BioMedical Technology wing has also been involved in the indigenous development of intracranial and subdural electrodes. Intracranial and subdural electrodes are critical tools in neurology, which are essential for electrocorticography and targeted cortical stimulation. But globally sourced electrodes are prohibitively expensive, limiting access in many parts of the world. The technology is now being transferred to Synapticore Technologies Private limited, New Delhi, thus enabling scalable, cost-effective solutions in neuro-intervention. The prototype of 'Mice Transfer and Enrichment Box-Tunnel System with securing gates,' one of the technologies transferred to M/s Citizen Industries, Ahmedabad, helps in handling laboratory mice with ease so that the animals remain stress-free. Laboratory mice constitute over 87% of the total laboratory animals used in research. Avoiding stress during handling is a scientific requirement as the data produced from stress-free rodents can be precise and authentic. Plasma fractionation Yet another technology developed by the SCTIMST is the small-scale fractionation of plasma to obtain four plasma proteins—fibrinogen, thrombin, albumin, and immunoglobulin. The technology has immense potential as all four plasma proteins have specific functions and separating these from plasma can help in various applications. Fibrinogen and thrombin, when mixed in a specific concentration, can help in blood clotting and can be used for the preparation of wound-healing matrices, tissue adhesives and haemostats. Albumin is used in replacement therapy in cases where blood volume loss occurs and also in liver diseases and cancer. Two main uses for Intravenous Immunoglobulin are as replacement therapy in primary or acquired antibody deficiency disorders and as immunomodulatory agents in patients with autoimmune or inflammatory conditions. The technology was transferred to Synapticore Technology Pvt Ltd. Chitosan-based antioxidant polymeric wound dressings for controlled antibiotic delivery is another innovation being released this year. Chitosan-based sponge developed here is an advanced wound care material intended for treating chronic and infected wounds. This material possesses good absorbent properties, and can deliver drugs to the wounds directly for a period of 48 hours. This dressing can be beneficial for faster wound healing. The technology has been transferred to Vranova Biotech, Mumbai. The SCTIMST has also completed a Proof of Concept project at the Calibration Cell, SCTIMST, for the development and standardisation of in-house Reference Biomaterials, for meeting the regulatory requirements in biocompatibility evaluations, as per international standards ISO 10993. In collaboration with CSIR-NPL, which is the measurement standards laboratory of India, the SCTIMST hopes to address the regulatory requirements of the medical device development industry by providing apex-level standards as Certified Indian Reference Materials, for which the proposed trade name is Bharatiya Nirdeshak Dravya. The institute has to its credit 90 Technology Transfers. It holds 248 Indian patents, 28 foreign patents and 84 design registrations.
