Chennai:  The efforts taken by  Rajan Eye Care Hospital for eradicating curable blindness in India in association with Amritraj Foundations USA and Rotary Club International, and Government Organizations is commendable.

In an effort to continue the pioneering work in this field and to offer patients cutting-edge care, Rajan Eye Care and Darshan Eye Clinic has jointly signed an MOU with Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM) - an Indo Japan organization working on stem cells- basic research, translational studies and clinical application with Indian and Japanese institutes. The core strength of NCRM are (i) Stem cell isolation and expansion (ii) Tissue Engineering (iii) Biomaterials and Nanotechnology in (i) & (ii). NCRM has been recognised for PhD in stem cell research by Acharya Nagarjuna University.

In this collaborative project the clinical team will take up the project of harvesting mucosa from the cheek of the patient and using innovative techniques in the laboratory to multiply these cells and then transfer these cells on to the eye with ocular surface disease. To facilitate the growth of the cells, a unique thermoregulated gel will be used. This is the first such effort in the country. Initial studies in the lab have shown the success of this approach and the MOU will facilitate further research in this area to enable the clinical application of this approach.

The MOU was signed by Dr Mohan Rajan, Director,  Rajan Eye Care, Dr Srinivas K Rao, Corneal Surgeon, and Dr Sam Abraham – for NCRM enabling Rajan eye care extending the cutting edge in eye care for the general public at large.