Press release - 20th September 2005
Inauguration of the country’s first, centre for Regenerative Medicine in Chennai,
with Japanese collaboration.
The Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM) a unit of Nichi-In Bio Sciences (P) Ltd, an organization for Research, Training and Clinical application – protocol development in cell therapeutics with emphasis on stem cells, will be inaugurated in a function to be held in Chennai on Saturday, the 24th of September 2005 by His Excellency Mr. Yoshiaki Kodaki, The consul general of Japan at Chennai. The function will be attended by Dr K.M Cherian, a renowned cardiac surgeon, Dr C.M Habibullah, a pioneer in liver failure treatment and many eminent scientists and doctors.
The inaugural ceremony will be followed by a scientific session in which, scientists and physicians will present their research work / clinical outcome and future potentials on stem cells based therapy in Corneal disorders, liver failure treatment, blood cancer treatment and other applications.
This centre is an Indo-Japan joint research effort in regenerative medicine and has association with leading Japanese medical institutes (Yamanashi University and Waseda University) and likely the first of its kind in the country. The stem cell based therapy research work started in 1998 in Japan, which upon having resulted in many positive developments, joint researches with Indian institutes and hospitals started in 2001. This centre (NCRM) apart from coordinating and overseeing the Indo-Japan joint researches, will also conduct its own research projects aimed at developing protocols for stem cell based clinical treatment for Corneal, retinal and skin disorders, liver failure, blood cancers and orthopedic problems.
Prof. Yuichi Mori and Dr Yoshioka of Waseda University will function as chief advisors of the centre and Dr. Samuel JK Abraham, a cardiothoracic surgeon, in Yamanashi University hospital, Japan, will function as the director.
