Induced pluripotent stem cells - emerging technology

         Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a type of pluripotent stem cells artificially derived from an adult somatic (non-pluripotent) cell. It is used to understand model diseases, develop and screen candidate drugs and also in regenerative medicines to repair tissues damaged through disease or injury because it can overcome the 2 main obstacles associated with human embryonic stem cells- Immune rejection after transplantation and ethical concerns regarding the use of human embryos. While the establishment of iPSC lines is conceptually and technically simple, direct reprogramming is a slow and inefficient process consisting of largely unknown events. Several variables must be considered in order to reproducibly obtain iPSCs. An important area for future studies in iPSC field is directly testing iPSC tumorigenicity using methods that mimic the approaches that could be used for regenerative medicine therapies. It is believed that the biggest challenge, direct reprogramming by defined factors has been resolved and the remaining challenges are basically technical issues, which is believed to be resolved in the near future and hence provided great benefits to many patients.

Molecular Cardiology

Molecular biology has long held out the promise of transforming medicine from a matter of serendipity to rational pursuit grounded in a fundamental understanding of mechanism of life. Molecular biology has begun to infiltrate the practice of medicine; genomics will hasten the advance. Within 50 years, we expect comprehensive genomic-based health care to be the norm in advance countries. We will under stand the molecular foundation of diseases, be able to prevent them in many cases and design accurate, individualized therapies for illness. A group of eminent and highly skilled researchers has involved itself in exploring the various potentials of biomedical research especially in cardiovascular research with emphasis on gene delivery in to the myocardium cardiovascular genomics and drug discovery.