From the ministry of AYUSH centre of excellence, the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) has announced a pilot research project which will be focusing on developing therapeutic adjuvants, all based on AYUSH principals.
Adjuvants are pharmacological or immunological agents that facilitate in modifying the effect of other agents.
Dr Bhushan Patwardhan, director of the Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health (CCIH) said, “Our group has been working on developing adjuvants which can be used along with vaccines. This project is in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India. We are looking at how we can use substances of traditional medicine origin with vaccines, so that vaccine efficacy can be increased, and the dose can be reduced, and the cost-effectiveness can be increased.”
In 2013, the centre had received a US patent on their research in the field of adjuvants. The project, therefore, serves as an extension to the continuing research.
Due to the scope of research in the field and its competence, the project has collaborated with the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) and the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) , along with the Manipal University. Further, two international collaborators, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre and the National Cancer Institute, USA, have also been effectuated, said the director.
He stated that the project is at a pre-clinical development stage, which means the University will be carrying out the research-based approach that is to render basis for future development of the product. In the subsequent years, he added, to make sure that the future product is feasible and safe for mass use, the project would be consulting clinicians.
{{/usCountry}}He stated that the project is at a pre-clinical development stage, which means the University will be carrying out the research-based approach that is to render basis for future development of the product. In the subsequent years, he added, to make sure that the future product is feasible and safe for mass use, the project would be consulting clinicians.
{{/usCountry}}“We have decided that right from the beginning we consult top clinicians so that the ultimate translation is smooth. We have four such clinical consultants or mentors for the project, from top institutes which include Prashanti Cancer Care Mission, and Centre For Rheumatic Diseases from Pune, and from ayurvedic sector it is Kasturba Health Centre, Mumbai and USA’s top medical centre, Mayo Clinic,” stated Dr Patwardhan.
“This programme brings in strengths of traditional medicine, coupled with strengths of modern sciences, to produce products that can sustainably treat diseases like cancer and rheumatoid arthritis,” he added.