Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

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Amrita Centre for Advanced Research in Ayurveda Laboratory

Amrita Centre for Advanced Research in Ayurveda (ACARA) Laboratory at Amrita School of Ayurveda of Amrita Vishwa Vidhya Peetham, has been set up with the blessings of Amma. Inspired by Amma’s vision to foster the global acceptance of Ayurveda through world-class multidisciplinary research, the lab is constructed.

Ayurveda Research lab and studies will help
1. Understand the mechanism of action of Ayurvedic medicines.
2. To assess the efficacy of Ayurvedic medicines administered in humans
3. Interactions between Ayurvedic medicines and allopathic medicines can be checked.
4. The presence of heavy metals in Ayurvedic medicines and also to check their quality and consistency.

In the first phase of its operations, the ACARA Laboratory has acquired over 30 instruments to set up facilities for Chromatography (HPTLC), Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS and LC MS/MS), Microbiology, Cell Culture, Gel Documentation, Genetic Studies, Fluorescent Microscopy and other Analytical Techniques to test quality of Ayurvedic medicines.

This lab will cater to the needs of Ayurveda PG and PhD Scholars for the pursuit of their research projects, Scientists and researchers interested in multidisciplinary research in Ayurveda, Clinical researchers in the field of Ayurveda as well as the Ayurveda Pharma Industry.

The new lab was inaugurated at Amrita Shcool of Ayurveda in Amritapuri on 15 December 2017. 

 

Amrita Hospital researchers find way to ‘burn’ liver cancer

Researchers at Amrita Hospital have turned a substance commonly found in bones into a potent weapon that can seek and kill tumour cells.

Tiny particles of calcium phosphate, a biomineral that is a natural constituent of the bone, when doped with similarly small iron particles, can become what medical scientists call a theranostic agent, a substance that serves both diagnostic and therapeutic functions, the Amrita Hospital scientists found.

The team led by Shantikumar Nair and Manzoor Koyakutty of the Centre for Nanosciences and Molecular Medicine at AMRITA demonstrated that these iron-doped calcium phosphate nanoparticles, at least 10-fold smaller than the smallest dust particle, can be guided to the liver where tumour-afflicted tissues can be scarred using radio waves.

“We have been working on calcium phosphate nanoparticles that can be used for tissue engineering applications, for a while. But our interest was in finding whether this material could be used for imaging (diagnostic) applications,” said Koyakutty.

So they synthetically prepared these nanocrystals and doped them with impurities that have magnetic properties so that they can be used for MRI scans or similarly with X-ray-absorbing particles to make them suitable for X-ray imaging.

One such nanocomposite they prepared was iron-doped calcium phosphate nanoparticles, which they found could be a good imaging substance. While working with this nanocomposite, the AMRITA researchers quite accidentally discovered that they have an ability to heat up when exposed to certain types of radio waves.

“It is then that we decided to explore whether this material could be used to burn tumour tissues,” said Koyakutty, the lead author of a recent paper published in the journal Scientific Reports.

This technique of using radio waves for killing cancer cells is called radiofrequency (RF) ablation, and scientists elsewhere have been developing it as a plausible treatment for cancers of different organs such as lungs, liver and oesophagus.

Biodegradable
“Most of the materials currently being explored as heat-generating materials for RF ablation — such as gold nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes or graphene — suffer from an inherent problem: they are non-biodegradable. Calcium phosphate, on the other side, being part and parcel of the bone mineral, is easily biodegradable.”

The current challenge with RF ablation is that as the thermal conductance of tissues is low, heat will not spread well enough to a large area in order to kill all cancer cells. It is useful if the cancer area is restricted to an area of 3-5 cm.

Koyakutty admitted that this may remain a challenge. But they are hoping they can evenly spread these nanoparticles through the cancer cells if they can be tagged with certain tumour-specific molecules which bind to the malignant cells.

As the next step, the scientists plan to try this out on rabbits where they hope to target tumour tissues of 3 cm diameter.

$95 million worth free medical care to 4.33 million patients at Amrita Hospital

8 October 2017, Amritapuri – Amritavarsham64 

The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, present certificates for totally free surgeries at Amrita Hospital to five onstage beneficiaries. These five individuals were representative of 1,940 economically challenged people receiving such certificates — including 200 recipients of heart surgeries, 70 of neuro surgeries, 20 of kidney transplants, 50 of head-and-neck surgeries, 50 of major gastrointestinal surgeries, 50 of urological and nephrological surgeries, 500 of dialysis treatments and 1,000 of cancer treatments.

Since the inception of the Amrita Hospital in Kochi and the allied medical institutions of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math have provided totally free medical care to more than 4.33 million patients. During that time, we have provided more than $95 million in charitable care has been provided.

-Dass

Segula Meso – open your eyes

Zambia, Africa

Embracing the World, Zambia, in collaboration with Vision Without Borders, organized Cataract Surgeries for 216 patients at Petauke, an Eastern Province in the country, in the last week of August 2017. The operations and the hospital care were given totally free to the patients. The volunteers also ensured that the patients were picked up from very remote interior areas and dropped back after their surgeries.

The operations were done at the Minga Hospital in Petauke. Patients were selected by three ophthalmic nurses who traveled more than 100km east and west of the hospital to screen patients with cataracts.

A team of doctors and nurses under Dr. Isabel Signes, an active volunteer of Embracing the World, travelled all the way from Spain to help with the surgeries.   

Apart from the 216 cataract operations, two capsulotomies and several pterygiums were also performed. Around 180 pairs of glasses were provided as well. Many of the patients were thrilled to get back their vision and filled with gratitude for Amma.

The volunteers from Zambia, inspired by Amma, put in a lot of efforts to organize the eye surgeries and were blessed by the beneficiaries with all their heart.

Upper double arm transplant at Amrita Hospital for a female recipient from a male donor

Shreya Siddanagowda was only 19 years old when she tragically lost both of her arms in a bus accident last year. Today she received the upper double-arm transplant at Amrita Hospital. Shreya has two arms again, and her doctors expect her to regain 85% of her hands’ functioning within 18 months. The procedure that gave Shreya a new lease on life was the first upper double-arm transplant in all of Asia, and only the 9th ever to be performed successfully in the world.

Incidentally, this is the first time in the world a male donor’s hand has been transplanted on a female recipient. “It was Shreya who removed our doubts on the matter. She was ready to receive the arm from a male donor,” Dr Mohit said.

The surgery, which lasted 13 hours, took a team of 20 surgeons and 16 aestheticians. Dr. Subramania Iyer, head of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Amrita said, “Upper-arm transplants are much more challenging due to the complexity involved in accurately identifying and connecting various nerves, muscles, tendons and arteries. Rehabilitation is also much more difficult because the patient bears the weight of the transplanted hands at the upper arm.”

The organ donor was Sachin, 20 year old, studying in Ernakulam who died in a motorcycle accident. Shreya’s body has accepted the transplanted arms, and she is showing good signs of recovery. She has been discharged from the hospital and put on an intensive physiotherapy and rehabilitation program.

“When I heard there is hand transplant facility in India, I finally felt my disability is only temporary. It helped a lot. Hopefully, in the next couple of years, I will lead a near normal life” said Shreya, a 19-year-old chemical-engineering student from Pune. “I want to continue my studies and fulfill all my dreams that I had before the accident. I thank the donor Sachin’s family and doctors at Amrita Hospital for giving my life back.”

Hanging brain matter removed, tribal boy gets  a face lift at Amrita Hospital

July 2017, Kochi

Manikandan, the son of plantation workers in Palakkad, Kerala, was born with a rare medical condition called Eencephlocele. Encephalocele is a rare congenital disorder in which bones of a baby’s skull do not close completely in the mother’s uterus. This creates an opening through which brain tissue and cerebro-spinal fluid protrude out of the head in a sac-like structure.

Manikandan’s parents watched their son’s life unfold as a daily, unending tragedy. Past infancy, patients usually live an isolated life, ashamed to show their face in public. Manikandan was no different – until earlier this week, a fist-sized ball of brain matter hung from his nose as a pendulum and he did not mingle with children his age because they would make fun of him. It obstructed his vision and deformed his nose and face.

A 10-member team of surgeons at our own Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Center, Kochi changed all that, removing the entire deformity in a surgery that lasted 11 hours.

Dr. Subramania Iyer, head of the institute’s Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, explained their process: “It was a complex surgery. Manikandan’s encephalocele was very large which had pushed the bone of his right eye outwards. For surgery, his skull was opened and the normal brain isolated from the sac of non-functioning brain matter hanging from his face. The removal of the deformity left a defect in the skull, a portion of which had to be reconstructed. The patient’s eye sockets were repositioned to remove the deformity in the right eye, and the nose was also remodeled. All these were huge surgical challenges. Manikandan has now recovered fully from the surgery and is ready for discharge. He will now be able to attend school and participate in all social activities like any other child of his age.”

Doctors at Amrita say they were drawn to working at an institution that does not shy away from big challenges, and where patients in need can get treatment, regardless of the level of complication or their financial situation. Since 1998, Amrita Hospital has been building up a cutting-edge medical infrastructure that has become a leader in innovative procedures, and has treated more than 4.5 million people free of charge.

 

Can Ayurveda and Allopathy go hand in hand? Amma addresses a group of doctors

8 Aug 2017, Amritapuri Ashram 

Amma met with 25 speakers from Amrita Samyogam –  the International Conference on Integrative Medicine that was recently hosted on August 6th and 7th at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi.  This was the largest conference on Integrative Medicine held in India and the delegates and speakers came from many parts of the world to discuss ways whereby practitioners and researchers in the fields of modern medicine and Ayurveda could work together.   Amma spent almost two hours interacting with the doctors on this morning when they came to Amritapuri for a visit.  Amma began by saying that she was neither solely for Ayurveda nor solely for modern medicine but that she wants only is what is best for the patient.

A renowned scientist from California, Dr Daniel Furst, expressed his concern that many in the field of Ayurveda were not in favor of further validation or proof of their treatment outcomes and asked what should be done.  Amma gave a beautiful reply that traditional therapies were combinations of many ingredients often mixed with oil.  She continued that such therapies came from the inner vision of ancient sages and felt that it is very difficult to study such complex systems and that may be why those in Ayurveda may be less inclined to scientifically investigate how these medicines work.  Amma, however, strongly encouraged further research in Ayurveda as a means to bring the communities together and suggested studies with two arms – one where the patients are treated by Ayurveda and another where they are treated with modern medicine – for comparative purposes. She said initially we should take up simple single component medicines where research is easier.

Amma went on to explain why Ayurveda, which was established in ancient times, was such a success.  Modern medicines, which are often just chemicals, may provide immediate relief or cure but the chemicals destroy many other cells and therefore may cause a lot of side effects.  On the other hand, in Ayurvedic treatments, the medicines are natural herbs and there are no side effects and yet in many cases, they work very effectively.  So we need to understand that for certain situations modern medicine may be necessary, but in many other situations, Ayurveda works better.  She gave the example of old times when someone had a fever they inhaled steam and were given Tulasi which would cause them to sweat and eventually bring the fever down.  Today we immediately administer antibiotics and this kills many good cells and has side effects.  However, if the fever is too high then we may have to administer antibiotics, so we need to understand when to use what medicine and not be indiscriminate when we use medicines.

Another doctor from Pune expressed a conflict.  He said doctors are expected to be compassionate, yet there are others who say that a doctor has to be detached.  How can we reconcile the two?  Amma said this conflict arises because we see others are different from us.  When we see unity then there is no conflict because compassion and detachment then will not be seen as different.  She said when one hand is hurt the other hand automatically caresses it yet is not attached to the other hand because both hands are part of one and the same person.

Another doctor from Italy expressed concern that many children are experiencing depression and are committing suicide and whether Ayurveda can help.  Here Amma felt that what is missing is that these children were never taught proper values very early in age nor did they have a loving environment where they could open their hearts. Then they become addict to drugs and alcohol. Once the problem reaches this stage it is difficult to do much except to try some medicines.  She emphasized the importance of parents showing love and teaching values to children at an early age as the only way to prevent such casualties.

Another doctor from Lucknow expressed the feeling that this was the best ‘scientific session’ of the conference!!

Amma blessed everyone with Prasad and every participant felt so full, saying words cannot express what they had felt in Amma’s presence.

-KaliCharan

Amrita Kripa Hospital received award for its 0% transmission of HIV to children

Amrita Kripa Hospital, Mysuru received a national award in recognition of its 0% transmission of HIV to children born to HIV positive mothers. The award was bestowed on 7 July 2017, at a national conference on the “Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV and Syphilis” in New Delhi. The National Consultation was hosted by NACO – the National AIDS Control Organisation and the National Health Mission. Amrita Kripa Hospital was among 12 private hospitals across the country recognized at the conference for their service to society. The children born at Amrita Kripa tested HIV negative at 18 months. The hospital’s 0% transmission stands in contrast to 5% HIV transmission risk seen globally for children born to HIV positive mothers.

Dr Sowmya was present at the conference to accept the award on behalf of Amrita Kripa Hospital, Mysuru.

Amrita to improve patient care in Non-Government Hospitals (ANGHOS) of Nepal

Kathmandu, Nepal – January 23, 2017 

Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, India, and Nepal’s Association of Non-Government Hospitals (ANGHOS), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for improving patient care and healthcare delivery system at ANGHOS member institutes. Under the agreement, Amrita hospital will be setting up state-of-the-art telemedicine service for specialty and sub-specialty consultation across all seven ANGHOS-affiliated healthcare institutions in Nepal.

ANGHOS is an umbrella organization for NGO-run hospitals, strongly involved in protecting basic health rights of the Nepalese population and being a part of the social development process

Through this MoU a wide-ranging collaboration in skill enhancement of healthcare professionals through medical education and training programs will be initiated. Efficient use of Information Technology will be encouraged by the introduction of Health Management Information System (HMIS) to NGO hospitals in Nepal. There will also be e-learning programs in Continuing Medical Education (CME) and paper presentations as well as exchange programs for medical students, doctors and other healthcare professionals.
Signing the agreement with Dr. Bharat Pradhan, Chairperson of ANGHOS, Dr. Prem Nair, Medical Director of Amrita hospital said “The expertise of our medical specialists in India will instantly become available to them through telemedicine. We have already begun the treatment of two referrals from ANGHOS hospitals at our institution in Kochi. Furthermore, six nurses from the member institutions have completed their training in advanced infection-control practices. Training programs in advanced surgery will be initiated soon. With telemedicine, our engagement with patients will further deepen.”
Another important part of MoU is the exchange of medical students, doctors, nurses, scientists and other healthcare professionals between the two countries.
Dr. Prem Nair added: “We intend to focus on specialized short-term, hands-on training for doctors and other healthcare professionals from Nepal. The training areas would involve specialties like head and neck, upper airway cancers, thyroid, heart diseases and arthoscopy surgery, as well as radiology and pathology. We are starting training programs for doctors from Nepal in laparoscopy and advanced surgical skills. Additionally, we will be developing an E-learning package for Nepal to enhance the training of medical students in the country.”
The joint research projects between Indian and Nepalese healthcare professionals will revolve around neglected tropical diseases and dengue, chikungunya, malaria and filaria. Community-based health activities will be another focus area.

Amrita hospital launches first cosmetic heart surgery for kids in India

For the first time in India, Amrita Hospital in Kochi, Kerala has introduced cosmetic heart surgery for children – a procedure that has gained popularity in Europe in the last decade. Cosmetic heart surgery means cardiac surgery with an alternative approach through minimally invasive procedure. “The advantage of this advanced surgical procedure is that, the incision is not visible either from the front or from back, no major chest muscles are cut and hence the child has no long-term functional problems. No bones are cut and hence recovery is fast. The incision is kept to less than 5 cms and hence cosmetically appealing and finally even if the child undresses fully, the scar is not visible in normal posture,” said Dr. Brijesh Kottayil.

“This approach will reduce the lifelong psychological trauma from a visible surgical scar. The hospital would incorporate robotic assistance in cosmetic heart surgery for children shortly” said Dr. Brijesh.

Already six children have successfully undergone this procedure so far at Amrita Hospital, Kochi.