CRGBMD-ABOUT

About Us

About Goals and Objectives DISEASES TO BE CONSIDERED About Nitte-DU Collaborators and partners Funding Sources Founders

The CRG.BMD consortium is a not-for-profit organization which has been recently established (November 2019) at NITTE DU (deemed to be University) following receipt of a seed grant from NITTE-DU and is currently housed at NUCSER (Nitte University Center for Science Education and Research) in Mangalore.

Most physicians in India are overwhelmed with clinical responsibilities and find little time to research questions of clinical and scientific interest to them and their patients, leaving many relevant questions unanswered. The CRG.BMD consortium could address this unmet need and help to bridge the critical gap between the Indian clinic and the bench.

The eventual goal of the consortium is to understand the prevalence, etiology and molecular underpinnings of selected rare genetic and bone marrow disorders and through collaborations and rigorous scientific enquiry, to identify therapeutic options for patients

Our specific goals are:

To generate a simple seamless platform to facilitate the interaction between interested clinicians and scientists to address clinical and scientific questions pertaining to selected rare genetic and bone marrow failure syndromes

To utilize genetic analysis, including Next Gen Sequencing, to identify disease causing DNA variants from samples obtained from patients with selected rare diseases

To establish a patient database with a sample repository to provide information on the incidence and prevalence of these rare diseases in India, which, could influence Public Health planning decisions by the government.

To model selected disease causing variants (mutations) in zebrafish and to use the zebrafish models to a) functionally analyze the disease causing variant and b) to screen small molecule and natural compound libraries to reverse the disease phenotype (symptoms) in the zebrafish model, thereby providing pre-clinical drug options for further scrutiny.

Our findings will be published with our collaborators with shared authorship and ownership of archived patient samples.

All physicians will be invited to actively participate in the design of the study that will ensue following sample collection. We believe that the input of the physician is vital to any study that will impact the patient in the long run.

All initiatives will be funded through a) Grants from the Govt of India b) Grants from private Foundations c) Private donors d) Pharmaceutical companies e) other sources

Nitte (Deemed to be University) has been established by Nitte Education Trust, which has in its fold 36 institutions spread on 3 campuses at Nitte, Mangalore and Bangalore. A centre of excellence in education and community service in Karnataka State, Nitte Health Care institutions are duly recognized by the Government of India. Nitte (Deemed to be University) was established in the year 2008 vide MHRD Notication No. F.9-13/2007-U.3(A) dated 4th June, 2008. The University has been accredited by NAAC with 'A' Grade with 3.11 CGPA in October 2013 vide order No. F.NAAC/DS/RK/65EC-71/2013 dated October 26, 2013 and placed under category 'A' by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India vide letter No.F.9-26/2009-U.3(A)(Vol.5) dated 19-10-2012. The NIRF has ranked Nitte (Deemed to be University) as 70th amongst 907 Universities of the country in 2019. Nitte (Deemed to be University) has been awarded “Diamond” rating by QS I-GAUGE Indian University Ratings.

NitteDU is the first Institution in Karnataka to achieve this distinction. All the constituent institutions, namely, K. S. Hegde Medical Academy (KSHEMA), A. B. Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences (ABSMIDS), Nitte Gulabi Shetty Memorial Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (NGSMIPS), Nitte Usha Institute of Nursing Sciences (NUINS), Nitte Institute of Physiotherapy (NIPT), Nitte Institute of Architecture (NIA), Nitte University Centre for Science Education & Research (NUCSER) and Nitte Institute of Communication (NICO) are housed in independent buildings with the best of infrastructure and amenities and are located on a sprawling campus of over 50 acres at Deralakatte and Paneer, Mangalore. One of the unique features of this university is the concept of giving back to the society through the extensive network of 21 rural health centres and 3 rural hospitals spread across 5 districts of two states, where more than 2.5 million people are provided with free health care annually.

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Why NITTE as a center for the consortium ?

The following are sound reasons as to why the consortium should be set up at NITTE

NITTE is a neutral venue for the consortium involving a number of Medical Centers in Southern India and has a great reputation of a University striving towards exellence in medical research and teaching.

Availability of patient samples from the super speciality hospital associated with the University and also from other medical colleges and the associated hospitals in and around Mangalore.

Available infrastructure and resources with state of the art research facilties in the centre for science education and research (NUCSER) and a stem cell and regenerative medicine centre involved in HSC research (NUCSEReM).

Faculty of International repute with years of expertise in the area of rare genetic disorders, particularly in acrofacial dystoses and bone marrow failure syndromes

Recognition/Accreditation

Diseases to be considered

At CRG.BMD, our focus will be on, but not limited to, two specific categories of genetic diseases:

A) Rare Genetic Disorders:

Syndromic orofacial distoses (FND, OAVS) Acrofacial dystoses /Mandibulofacial dystoses (TCS, AFDCIN, AFD1, MFDGA), Elastic fibre and connective tissue diseases (Marfan syndrome, Cutis Laxa, ATS, PXE, FOP, EDS ) Bone disorders (OI) Eye disorders (RI, Stargardt disease, LCA, ACHM)

B) Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes (inherited and acquired).

Fanconi anemia, Dyskeratosis congenita, Diamond Blackfan Anemia,Shwachman-Diamond syndrome, Severe Congenital Neutropenia,Congenital amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia Aplastic anemia, Paroxsymal nocturnal hemoglobinura, Myelodysplastic syndromes

These categories have been chosen as a start because the Co-founders and members of our govern boards have proven expertise in each of these diseases.

Collaborators and partners

Clinicians and Scientists at NITTE DU

Dr Rathika Shenoy, Professor, Dept. of Pediatrics, KSHEMA
Dr Vijith Shetty, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Medical Oncology, KSHEMA
Dr Sunil Kumar Y, Additional Professor, Dept. of Pathology, KSHEMA
Dr Mohan Kumar, Associate Professor, NUCSEReM

Collaborators from other institutes

Dr Sujata Mohanty, Professor, Stem Cell Facility, AIIMS, New Delhi
Dr Sheela Nampoothiri, Professor, Dept. of Pediatrics, Amrita School of Medicine, Kochi
Dr Lakshmi B R, Founder, MDCRC, Coimbatore, India
Dr Ph Madhubala Devi, Professor & HoD, Department of Pediatrics and Pathology, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Manipur, India
Dr Harsha Prasad L, Pediatric Hematologist and Oncologist, KMC, Mangalore.

Founders

Dr. Anirban Chakraborty, PhD
Professor and Deputy Director,
Nitte University Centre for Science Education & Research
P.O Deralakatte, Mangalore - 575018 Website: nucser.nitte.edu.in
Email: anirban@nitte.edu.in

Dr.Arati Khanna-Gupta,, PhD
Consultant in Precision Medicine
(Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Failures)
CEO, SriGene LLC
Ex Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
Email: arati1239@gmail.com

Initial funding (Seed Grant) would be from Nitte (Deemed to be University)
Other sources of funding could include

Government Funding Agencies including Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Science and Technology (DST)
Private Foundations
International Foundations