CCP-CGC Landran, IIT Ropar get Rs. 71 Lakh grant for collaborative project to develop stem cell based therapy

Dr. Rupinder Kaur Sodhi from Chandigarh College of Pharmacy (CCP), CGC Landran and Dr. Bodhisatwa Das from IIT Ropar have been awarded a grant of 71 Lakh Rupees by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India for a joint project to develop a combinatorial therapy using stem cells and hydrogel that can be delivered to combat spinal cord injury, and the pain induced by it. The research and development of the therapy would span a period of three years.
As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), spinal cord injury refers to damage to the spinal cord resulting from trauma such as falls or accidents or from diseases or degeneration e.g. cancer; And each year, across the globe, approximately 2,50,000 to 5,00,000 people suffer from this debilitating condition.
Currently, there is no clinical treatment for spinal cord injury and the patients experience excruciating chronic pain throughout their lives. The available treatments involve physiotherapy, rehabilitation and chronic pain management. These became the principal motivation for Dr. Sodhi and Dr. Das to research upon and develop this therapy.
Statistics reveal that 49 per cent of Indian spinal cord injury cases are of young adults under the age of 30 years, said Dr. Sodhi. “We are confident that collaborative efforts of both CCP-CGC Landran and IIT Ropar would help in developing an off-the-shelf neuro-regenerative therapy for primary health care centres with Class-I cell culture facility, thus attempting to provide comfort to those suffering,” she added.