Japanese medical students visit Regenerative Medicine centre in Chennai, heralding the birth of an unique International training programme.

A team of seven Japanese medical students from Yamanashi University visiting Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Chennai, under an exchange programme between the two, very much admired the clinical and research skills of Indian physicians and scientists. A regular training programme in Regenerative medicine, involving scientists and medical students and physicians between the two institutes initially on an elective basis and then as a part of an accredited programme will start soon.?

Yamanashi University is a Japanese government run national university with medical, nursing, educational and engineering faculties. The medical faculty has two teaching hospitals of tertiary referral status with 1200 beds with UG and PG accredited training courses in medicine. The University signed a MoU in April 2007 with the Chennai based Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine, an Indo-Japan institute working on research & clinical application-protocol development on stem cells- the main tool of regenerative medicine (RM)- an evolving medical specialty. The RM is unique because of its reach into almost all medical specialties as regeneration can treat diseases of various organs and also it requires a constant and thorough interaction among the basic scientists and translational and clinical physicians.?

NCRM having a track record of accomplishments in fields such as Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Neurology and Hepatology involving laboratory work, animal research and clinical application, with a good network of collaborating institutes attracted the Japanese medical students, who are visiting all the collaborating institutes. The Japanese students said it was an eye opener for them to know that such professionally competent scientists and skilled clinicians with acumen to take up challenges posed by several diseases with no definitive treatments and applying of newer technologies are available in India. They said they will propagate this message among their peer group in Japan to improve bilateral exchange programme in RM and also medical tourism in India. ?

They also admitted that all kinds of technology, facilities and opportunities to learn about various diseases may not exist in one place because of genetic, socio economic and geographical differences between countries. Therefore such synergy is very vital. The technological expertise in biomaterials, nanotechnology from Japan when could join hands with the skilled experts in India which has a very wide spectrum of diseases due to its diversity would pave way for several new solutions to treat challenging diseases.?

The training programme in RM will include hands on experience in stem cell culture and tissue engineering, translational research and clinical postings in both the countries, which will give exposure to basic scientists in clinical arena and clinicians in research arena. Initially it will start as an elective posting between trainees and students of the two institutes and then will gradually be expanded to other collaborating institutes and finally leading to an accredited programme said Dr Samuel JK Abraham, Director, NCRM. At the moment there is no such comprehensive training programme in RM is available anywhere in the world as much as we know, he added.?

Dr S.R Subrammanniyan, vascular surgeon and chairman of ethics committee of NCRM appreciated the joint effort taken by the two institutes.