Stem cell research pact on eye care

CHENNAI: The Rajan Eye Care Hospital has signed an MoU with the Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM), an Indo-Japan organisation working on stem cell research here on Tuesday.

The NCRM is involved in stem cell isolation and expansion, tissue engineering and biomaterials and nanotechnology.
In the first of its kind of clinical application, a clinical team would take up the project of harvesting mucosa from the cheek of the patient and use techniques in the laboratory to multiply these cells and then transfer these cells on to an eye, which has ocular surface disease. To enable the growth of these cells, a unique thermoregulated gel would be used.

The hospital has launched the Osteo Odonto Kerato Prosthesis (OOKP), which is a treatment procedure for patients with chemical injuries in eyes, desperate corneal blindness and similar conditions.

This makes the hospital the second such centre in India to carry out OOKP.

Dr.Mohan Rajan, Director, Rajan Eye Care says the hospital offers the treatment at a subsidised rate of Rs.65,000.
According to Dr.Srinivas K Rao, Head of Cornea Services, Rajan Eye Care Hospital, ocular surface diseases are not uncommon as they result from chemical burns, drug allergies, conjunctival shrinkage disorders and poor fitting contact lenses among others.

Ophthalmology | Hepatology | Orthopedics | Dermatology | Cancer