IndiaMedToday July 2022 by IndiaMedToday

JULY 2022, VOLUME 6 ISSUE 07 `200 INDIA MED TODAY

Most Innovative

Fertility Service Providers of India

Delivering Excellencein IVF Oasis Fertility JULY 2022

Kiran Gadela, Co-Founder and MD, Oasis Fertility

INTERVIEW European Fertility Genetics Architect

Dr Durga G Rao, Co-Founder & Medical Director, Oasis Fertility

INNOVATE Leveraging AI in Assisted Reproduction

APPROACH Is the Fertility Specialist on Instagram

OPINION The NEET PG Conundrum

Edit Note

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July 2022 EDITORIAL Editor Neelam Kachhap Sub-Editor Abishek Raj editorial@ indiamedtoday.com

Technology: The Way Forward for Treating infertility

BOARD OF ADVISORS Dr Alexander Thomas Dr Girdhar Gyani

Infertility is common these days, the reasons being many. Today,

Dr Prem Kumar Nair

technological innovations to treat infertility are bringing about

Dr Bhabatosh Biswas Dr Alok Roy

a revolution for couples who are unable to conceive. Assisted

Ramesh Kannan

Reproduction Technology, the concept of social media like Instagram for fertility services etc are becoming the new norm.

CONSULTING EDITOR

Our July issue focuses on how to overcome infertility issues where we have experts talking about leveraging AI for assisted reproduction,

Dr Libert Anil Gomes Dr Salil Choudhary Venkatesh Ganesh ART & PRODUCTION

in-vitro fertilisation techniques and how through

ADVERTISING Gunjan Chauhan gunjanc@indiamedtoday.com The Media Ant help@themediaant.com DIGITAL MARKETING

Instagram an

increasing number of patients are sharing their (in) fertility journeys

ScreeTract | Shylesh

through Instagram. The issue also covers the comeback of poliovirus in London where virus strains have been found in the sewage system. The article talks about the crucial role of vaccines in this regard and the difference between IPV and OPV in controlling polio. Also, we have an expert talk about issues related to NEET PG exams and the way out.

Vivek Nair Sales & Strategic Partnership Snehal Vajpayee snehal@indiamedtoday.com

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July 2022

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CONTENTS

Facebook

INTERVIEW

INNOVATE

APPROACH

European Fertility Genetics Architect

Leveraging AI in Assisted Reproduction

Is the Fertility Specialist on Instagram

UPFRONT

03 Editorial 05 Letters 06 News Roundup 35 Opinion 38 Impact 41 Pulse

COVER STORY

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Most Innovative Fertility Service Providers of India

CHECKIT OUT ONLINE

July 2022

Letters

ypically, bed charges constitute ~10-12 per cent of average medical expenditure for hospitalisation in for-profit hospitals. In the absence of input tax credit, we expect the hospitals to pass on the levy to patients, making it largely credit-neutral for hospitals. However, given that in most cases, hospitals tend to offer packages for various treatments, computing bed

cost separately is likely to be a challenge and clarity on the same is awaited. Mythri Macherla, Assistant Vice President and Sector Head, ICRA

The healthcare industry, driven by value-based patient care, is at a turning point that will put a greater emphasis on connectivity and accessibility. As the world is transforming digitally, we need to ensure we don’t miss out on lifesaving, critical information. Jan Makela, President and CEO, Imaging, GE Healthcare As a result of the commendable efforts of the Government of India, according to the latest report of SRS-2019, the child mortality rate in the country has come down considerably since 2014. This rate has come down from 45 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 35 per 1000 live births in 2019. But even today, diseases related to diarrhoea continue to be a major cause of death in children under the age of five. Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare India is standing at the forefront of a digital revolution. The world has seen the success story of our country with the largest digital identity programme, record adoption of digital payments and

more recently, the national vaccination programme via CoWIN platform. The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission aims to replicate this success in healthcare delivery by building an equitable, accessible and inclusive ecosystem that rides on collaborative efforts of the government and private sector. Dr RS Sharma, CEO, NHA During our fight against COVID-19 pandemic, we saw the importance of digital services for healthcare delivery. The impact that teleconsultation, online appointment bookings, readily available health information and access to specialists had on people was unprecedented. We’re positive that the ABDM platform will help us scale the efforts and create a conducive environment with enthusiastic public and private sector participation. We look forward to taking up implementation of ABDM in mission mode and giving it speed, scalability and support that we can provide at the state-level to achieve the ultimate aim of healthcare for all Dr K Sudhakar, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, and Medical Education, Government of Karnataka

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News Roundup obituary

Prof Savitri Srivastav

Noted paediatric cardiologist Prof Savitri Srivastav passes away Paediatric cardiologist Prof Savitri Srivastav has recently passed away. She was a highly respected teacher at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi and a great clinician. Her special interests were in paediatric and congenital heart diseases, echocardiography and noncoronary interventions. She played an important role in the formation of the Indian Academy of Echocardiography as the Founder President of the Society in 1995. She started the Paediatric Cardiac Society of India, as the founder President in 1998. In 1995, she left AIIMS and her team to join the Fortis/Escort Heart Institute. She was also joined by an iconic couple from AIIMS – Dr Krishna Iyer, a paediatric cardiac surgeon and his paediatric cardiac intensivist wife Parvathy Iyer. Together, during the past 27 years, they made a trailblazing clinical and academic work at Fortis / Escorts that has been globally acclaimed.

respiratory infections. The safety and efficacy have been demonstrated through a double-blind, randomised placebocontrol (considered as a gold standard in clinical research) multicentre trial in India with the drug showing significantly early clinical response and cure. The trials were conducted during the Delta wave of COVID-19 and showed early improvement and complete relief from symptoms in patients who received VIRALEX.

centre of excellence encompassing a skill-building centre, primary, secondary and higher secondary schools at village Kharel in south Gujarat. The hospitals are part of an eight-acre AM Naik Healthcare Complex which also includes a residential enclave for consultants, specialists, nurses and paramedical staff. In proximity to the schools are hostels for students and accommodation for the faculty and principal.

Medulance partners with e-RaktKosh powered by Paytm

Health tech hav. raises $400k

Medulance has announced a collaboration with e-RaktKosh powered by Paytm. By using the e-RaktKosh’s QR codes, Medulance will get real-time information about the blood availability in the nearest blood bank. e-RaktKosh is a national platform developed by C-DAC under the Blood Cell National Health Mission by the Indian government’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It is a centralised blood inventory management system to track blood availability in blood banks across India. As a one-of-its-kind initiative, e-RaktKosh connects, digitizes, and streamlines the workflow of 2,100+ blood banks across the nation. The centralised blood bank management app is successfully integrated into Paytm.

PM inaugurates 500-bed hospital in Navsari Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi

Rewards-based health-tech platform hav., which has been operating in stealth mode has announced the launch of its operations formally. The company has raised $400,000 in a round led by USbased VC StartUp Health. Funds raised will be used for growing the user base and achieving PMF. Started in 2021 by Abdul Paravengal (ex-CFO & CBO, Shipper & an angel investor) along with Lajesh Kolath (ex-AVP, Open Financial Technologies) and Sajith Nair (ex-Yahoo!) hav. is a free app that tracks various health parameters to help 20 to 40-year-olds middle income and below individuals to reduce the probability of lifestyle-related diseases.

United Way of Bengaluru, Thermo Fisher partner to set up 30-bed modular facility in Mon, Nagaland United Way of Bengaluru and CSR partner Thermo Fisher came forward and set up a

recently inaugurated a 500-bed, state-

30-bed modular facility, type C ambulance,

of-the-art,

cancer

dental and paediatric medical equipment

and

as an extension to the existing community

hospitals

multispecialty complex

and

Navsari

Themis Medicare launches VIRALEX approved by DCGI Themis

Medicare’s

VIRALEX-

Inosine

Pranobex is the new option for COVID-19 treatment that is effective irrespective of the new variants. The benefit of VIRALEX is that it is effective not just in COVID-19 but also in other viral

July 2022

The PM inaugurating a 500-bed hospital in Navsari

30 days or such other date mutually agreed between the parties and shall be subject to fulfilment of necessary closing conditions.

Dr Prathap C Reddy conferred with Lifetime Achievement Award by IMA

The health centre at Tobu Block of the Mon District in Nagaland health centre at Tobu Block of the Mon District in Nagaland. This modular setup has been equipped with advanced medical equipment that would benefit patients as well as the medical fraternity. The 30bed modular facility has been designed by Modulus Housing, a start-up from IIT Madras. These units have long durability, for at least 20 years.

Researchers develop N95 mask with nanoparticle coating using 3D printing tech Researchers have developed a reusable, recyclable, washable, odourless, nonallergic and anti-microbial N95 mask by using 3D printing technology. The fourlayer mask whose outer layer is made up of silicon has a shelf life of more than five years depending upon the use. Dr Atul Thakur, Dr Preeti Thakur, Dr Lucky Krishnia and Prof PB Sharma, Dinesh Kumar

research scholar from Amity University Haryana (AUH) and Prof Rakesh Srivastava from the University of Nebraska, USA have jointly developed this product that has immense potential as a prophylactic.

Glenmark Pharma, USA buys approved ANDAs from Wockhardt Glenmark Pharmaceuticals announced that its fully owned subsidiary Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, USA (Glenmark) has acquired the approved Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) for Famotidine Tablets USP, 10 mg and 20 mg (OTC), Cetirizine Hydrochloride Tablets USP, 5 mg and 10 mg (OTC), Lansoprazole DelayedRelease Capsules USP, 15 mg (OTC) and Olopatadine Hydrochloride Ophthalmic Solution USP, 0.1 per cent (OTC) in the US from Wockhardt.

Dr Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group was conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Young Doctors Leadership Summit. The award was presented on the occasion of the World Young Doctors Day conference hosted by the Indian Medical Association Tamil Nadu State Branch (IMA TNSB), Indian Medical Association Junior Doctors Network (IMA JDN), and Indian Medical Association Medical Students Network Tamil Nadu (IMA MSN TN).

Dr Sweta Gupta joins Crysta IVF as Medical Director Crysta IVF has recently appointed Dr Sweta Gupta as Medical Director. In her new role, Dr Gupta will be responsible for overseeing the organisation’s clinical effectiveness and operational strategy to get superior treatment results. A stalwart in the fertility sector both in India and overseas, Dr Gupta’s rich experience has benefitted families at large. With over 25 years of experience, her work pedigree specifically in NHS (UK), is commendable.

Cipla to invest more in digital tech company GoApptiv Cipla has agreed to acquire an additional stake in digital tech company GoApptiv for Rs 25.90 crore, increasing its total stake to 22.02 per cent on a fully diluted basis. The investment will be made in equity shares and Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares. It had earlier invested in the company in June 2020 and has yielded growth and expanded Cipla’s channel reach across lower-tier towns in India. The investment will be made in equity shares and Compulsorily Convertible Preference

N95 mask with nanoparticle coating

Shares and is likely to be completed within

Dr Sweta Gupta

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News Roundup expanding its global research impact by leveraging fundamental investigations in molecular, cellular and developmental biology into foundational advances in drug discovery, pharmacology and genetic engineering.

Le Crest Hospital, AVISA launch smart hospital in Ghaziabad AVISA Smart Hospitals in association with Le Crest Hospital announced the launch of the first smart hospital in Ghaziabad. The 250-bedded Le Crest Hospital is getting upgraded and transformed into a smart hospital with state-of-the-art infrastructure. The association between Le Crest and AVISA Smart Hospitals is expected to increase the footfall of the hospital by nearly 100 patients over the next six to eight months through an The inauguration of Wellness Forever’s store in Nagpur

Nitin Gadkari inaugurates Wellness Forever’s first store in Nagpur Wellness Forever Medicare, an omnichannel retail pharmacy with a network in western India has announced the opening of two stores in Nagpur, to further its presence in Maharashtra. The chain also has its presence in Goa and Karnataka. The stores are located in Nagpur at Darodkar Square and Trimurti Nagar. The stores aim to provide a distinctive shopping experience, with a wide assortment of pharmaceutical and

lifestyle

products

which

include

FMCG products, nutraceuticals, medical equipment along with medicines.

and services that significantly improve people’s lives by helping to prevent, diagnose and treat disease.

Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences names John Kuriyan as dean Vanderbilt University has named John Kuriyan, one of the world’s leading structural biologists, as its next dean of the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, C Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, announced. Kuriyan’s appointment, effective January 1, 2023, will advance the university’s goal of

Hyd-based pharma co Austrak launches nephrology and urology division Indian pharmaceutical company, Austrak based in Hyderabad, Telangana, launched its new super speciality division to focus on around 73 valued products in nephrology and urology. With a strong presence in the segment of ophthalmology for the last 12 years, Austrak is one of the leading innovation-driven healthcare group, whose core businesses are pharmaceuticals and surgical. Austrak aims to supply products

July 2022

efficient

turnaround

strategy,

strong

marketing reach and bringing star doctors adding multiple specialisations. Patient acquisition and retention, which is atop priority, is also slated to increase by up to 60-70 per cent because of the association.

Avesthagen in strategic alliance with Wipro Avesthagen, a biotechnology major that specialises in predictive, preventive and personalised healthcare through the convergence of food, pharma and population genetics, has entered into a four-year strategic alliance with Wipro, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, for making its genetic testing portfolio commercial. The portfolio includes genome panels offering highly specific, disease-centric analysis for conditions including cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune disorders and rare disease conditions.

President Kovind inaugurates upgraded Ayush Wellness Centre The upgraded Ayush Wellness Centre in the President’s Estate, New Delhi was inaugurated by President of India Ram Nath Kovind in the presence of Union Minister of Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal, John Kuriyan

Union

Minister

State

for

Ayush

Lupin Diagnostics launches regional reference lab in Patna Lupin announced that Lupin Diagnostics has launched its first Regional Reference Laboratory in Patna, Bihar. The new Regional Reference Laboratory at Patna has capabilities to conduct a broad spectrum of routine and specialised tests in the fields of molecular diagnostics, cytology, microbiology, serology, haematology, immunology and routine biochemistry. By establishing a presence in Patna, the company now looks forward to making a deeper foray into Bihar. Earlier this year, Lupin Diagnostics opened its Regional Reference Laboratories in Assam and West Bengal.

chronic diseases such as cardiovascular

Piramal Pharma Solutions appoints Herve Berdou as COO

disease, hypertension and diabetes.

Piramal

The President unveils Ayush Wellness Centre in the President’s Estate, New Delhi Munjpara Mahendrabhai Kalubhai and other dignitaries. First lady Savita Kovind also graced the inauguration ceremony. Ayush Wellness Centre (AWC) at President Estate started on July 2015, as a joint initiative of the Ministry of Ayush and the President Secretariat. The AWC has treatment facilities in the streams of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha & Homeopathy, and it caters to the medical needs of the President, and officials of the President’s Secretariat and residents of the President’s Estate. The upgraded infrastructure along with facilities for the Ayush system will follow standard protocols of treatment.

MyHealthcare partners with Ashoka University MyHealthcare has partnered with Ashoka University clinical

build

research

evidence-based,

across

hypertension,

help develop an evidence-based clinical decision

support

system

across

key

SaveIN ties up with MyKareHealth SaveIN, the buy now, pay later platform for healthcare has partnered with MyKare Health, a tech-enabled, full-stack and asset-light healthcare chain consisting of small and medium-size hospitals to expand its care now pay later offerings across India.Through this partnership, SaveIN would be able to extend its paperless instant checkout finance for standardized and elective healthcare procedures across the network hospitals of MyKareHealth.

ESI Corporation to set up 23 hospitals across India ESI Corporation has decided to set up 23 new 100-bedded hospitals across the

management in India, the partnership

country. Six hospitals in Maharashtra

aims to research and build clinical models

at Palghar, Satara, Pen, Jalgaon, Chakan

that will help deliver better care outcomes.

and Panvel; four hospitals in Haryana at

MyHealthcare focuses on bridging the

Hissar, Sonepat, Ambala and Rohtak; two

healthcare delivery gap, by creating an

hospitals each in the state of Tamil Nadu

integrated

healthcare

The

(at Chengalpattu and Erode), Uttar Pradesh

ecosystem

uses

data-driven

(Moradabad and Gorakhpur) and Karnataka

care protocols to help clinicians and

(Tumkur and Udupi), one ESI hospital each

doctors deliver effective treatment to

in the state of Andhra Pradesh (Nellore),

their patients. Building on this foundation,

Chhatisgarh

MyHealthcare will work with Ashoka

Goa), Gujarat (Sanad), Madhya Pradesh

University

(Jabalpur), Odisha (Jharsuguda) and West

and

ecosystem.

effective

improve

clinical

data

collection, curation, and analytics and

(Bilaspur),

Goa

announced

Solutions (PPS). Berdou joins Piramal

diabetes.

diseases

Solutions

Chief Operating Officer, Piramal Pharma

With the growing need for chronic care

cardiovascular

Pharma

the appointment of Herve Berdou as

Pharma Solutions from Lonza, where he was the Global Head of Operations, Cell and Gene Technologies. He has more than two decades of experience across the global supply chain, procurement, and operations, including manufacturing and site head positions at both small and large facilities. At Lonza, Berdou led a network of contract services sites across the globe. Before that, he worked with many wellrespected

pharmaceutical

companies,

including AstraZeneca & MedImmune and Novartis.

(Mulgaon

Bengal (Kharagpur)will be set-up by ESIC.

Herve Berdou

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News Roundup Amrita Hospital with 2,400 beds to open in August 2022 in Faridabad The 2,400-bed Amrita Hospital, the biggest private sector hospital in India spread across 133 acres of land in Faridabad, is all set to begin operations in August 2022. This would be the second large-scale Amrita Hospital in India after the iconic 1,200-bed Amrita Hospital in Kochi, Kerala, which was established 25 years ago by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math. The sprawling facility at Sector 88, Faridabad, will have a total built-up area of 1 crore sq ft, including a 14-floor-high tower that will encompass the key medical facilities and patient areas. The opening of Apollo Dental clinic

Apollo Dental opens 110th clinic in Hyderabad Apollo Dental, a subsidiary of the Apollo Hospitals Group has launched its 110th dental clinic at Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. The new clinic will provide all oral healthcare services under one roof including facilities for tooth or gum trouble, braces, dentures, aligners as well as more complex treatments like dental implants, emergency maxillofacial surgeries, cosmetic dentistry or laser and microscopic assisted procedures.

technology platform will empower India to be pandemic ready.

Narayana Health’s SRCC Children’s Hospital, Indian Cancer Society launch ACT clinic SRCC

Children’s

Hospital-Managed

Narayana Health, Mumbai, in collaboration with the Indian Cancer Society, has set up an After Completion of Therapy (ACT) clinic. The objective is to facilitate the cancer

India’s first mRNA vaccine from Gennova gets DCGI approval

survivors through apt assessment of their

Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, announced that its mRNA vaccine – GEMCOVAC-19 – against COVID-19 received the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the office of the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI). GEMCOVAC-19 is the very first mRNA vaccine developed in India and the only third mRNA vaccine to be approved for COVID-19 in the world. These vaccines are highly efficacious because of their inherent capacity of being translated into the protein structure inside the cell cytoplasm. mRNA vaccines are considered safe as mRNA is non-infectious, nonintegrating in nature, and degraded by standard cellular mechanisms. Notably, this technology provides flexibility to quickly tweak the vaccine for any existing or emerging variants of the virus and this

and psycho-social effects that may have

July 2022

present condition and guidance to chart out the future course for the best possible outcomes in the context of the physical, arisen from their cancer treatment.

After Completion of Therapy (ACT) clinic

Cipla buys stake in Achira Labs Cipla has signed definitive agreements for the acquisition of a 21.05 per cent stake (on a fully diluted basis) for an amount of Rs 25 crores in Achira Labs engaged in the development and commercialisation of point of care (PoC) medical test kits in India. The investment will facilitate a Cipla entity’s strategic participation in the PoC diagnostics and AMR space through the design, development, and manufacturing of microfluidics-based technologies. A PoC that enables rapid identification of the bug causing an infection would be extremely helpful in choosing the appropriate antibiotic early in the treatment process. Achira is developing POC immunoassays and molecular assays across the clinical areas of infectious diseases, anti-microbial resistance (AMR) and hormone analysis among others.

Fermenta Biotech in partnership with Kappa Bioscience Fermenta Biotech and Kappa Bioscience (Kappa),

Norwegian

entity,

have

announced a strategic partnership that positions Fermenta as the distributor of Kappa’s K2VITAL MCT and MCC range of vitamin K2 for the Indian market. The

collaboration

combines

Kappa’s

market leading, high purity vitamin K2 manufacturing capabilities with Fermenta’s robust distribution network and market expertise in India.

Collaboration between Apollo Cancer Centre collaborates with Datar Cancer Genetics

Apollo Cancer Centre collaborates with Datar Cancer Genetics Apollo with a

Cancer Datar

Centres Cancer

revolutionary

association

Genetics

blood

test

brings

that

can

detect breast cancers at early stages in asymptomatic individuals with high accuracy, thus enabling timely diagnosis and treatment to save lives. With an easy draw of a small quantity of blood, now, EasyCheck- Breast can help in the detection of breast cancer even before the first stage. The EasyCheck will be available across India at all Apollo Cancer Centres.

IIT Hyderabad, LVPEI Hyd announce MTech prog in Ophthalmic Engineering Centre (CIP),

for IIT

Interdisciplinary

Hyderabad,

Program

collaboration

(IITH) with the LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI), is launching a blended Master of Technology (MTech) programme in ophthalmic

engineering

through

their

combined expertise in ophthalmic care and engineering and technology from this academic year (August 2022). The collaborative MTech programme aims to bridge the gap between clinicians and the medical practitioner working in Eye care with qualified technologists from related engineering streams. This may be

Karkinos Health launches centre for cancer diagnostics and research in Kochi

achieved through a training programme that blends essential elements of medical care (ophthalmic care, in this instance) and engineering (optics, biomechanics, and controls engineering, in this instance).

Karkinos Healthcare, a technology-driven,

Novotech, Medidata expand partnership

Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan.

Medidata, a Dassault Systèmes announced its renewed, expanded partnership with Novotech, a leading contract research organisation (CRO), to continue scaling clinical studies in various therapeutic areas from 2022. Leveraging Rave EDC, Rave RTSM, eCOA and eConsent technology from Medidata, Novotech is equipped with flexible, configurable tools that can address clinical research needs at scale and facilitate accelerated drug and device development in Asia Pacific and the US.

Law and Coir, Government of Kerala

ENTOD Pharmaceuticals launches nanotech-based under-eye product

Glenmark launches asthma drug Indamet

ENTOD Pharmaceuticals has developed nanotechnology-based Eyecirque under eye gel serum in collaboration with the UK-based cosmetic research laboratory NuSkin London. Its ground-breaking nanotechnology-based bio cellular formula contains carefully curated, safety-tested, and scientifically proven plant-based natural ingredients that are thoroughly tested for the safety of the skin around the eyes.

the novel fixed-dose combination (FDC)

oncology focussed managed health care platform,

launched

‘Advanced

Center

For Cancer Diagnostics and Research’ in Kochi. The centre was inaugurated by Other dignitaries present at the event were: P Rajeev, Minister for Industries, and Prof Mohanan Kunnummal, ViceChancellor, Kerala University of Health Sciences. The Advanced Center for Cancer Diagnostics and Research will serve as a central lab for the Karkinos’ global oncology network, analysing specimens at molecular and genomic level to aid in personalised targeted therapy, predicting possible response to treatment as well as to evaluate response by liquid biopsy.

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals has launched drug – Indacaterol + Mometasone for patients asthma,

suffering in

India.

from The

uncontrolled company

has

launched this FDC under the brand name Indamet. The drug will be available in three strengths with a fixed dose of Indacaterol 150 mcg and variable doses of Mometasone 80 mcg, 160 mcg, and 320 mcg respectively, to be taken once daily.

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News Roundup

Dr Khalida Parveen

Partnership between Apollo Hospitals and Imperial Hospital, Bangladesh

Neuberg Anand appoints Dr Khalida Parveen Adnan as Chief of Lab, Karnataka

Apollo Hospitals partners with Imperial Hospital, Bangladesh

Neuberg Anand Reference Laboratory has appointed Dr Khalida Parveen Adnanas as Chief of Lab, Karnataka. Dr Khalida has extensive experience of over 12 years in the clinical diagnostics industry, and her areas of expertise encompass the entire spectrum of laboratory and quality management systems which makes her one of the recognised laboratory professionals in India. She is the former Managing Director of MB Diagnostics and Healthcare Services, Bangalore. She will play a key role of technical advisor, responsible for serving customers by constantly exceeding their expectations in terms of quality, service, value and time, in alignment with the moto and strategy of Neuberg Anand Reference Laboratory.

Apollo Hospitals has joined hands with Imperial Hospital Ltd (IHL) to strengthen its presence in Bangladesh to enable access to world-class treatments. Apollo hospitals will manage IHL, a 375-bedded multi-specialty tertiary care hospital based out of Chittagong, Bangladesh. In line with the mission to bring healthcare of International standards within the reach of every individual, Imperial Hospital and Apollo Hospitals have signed a Brand licensing, Operations, and Management (BOMA) agreement. The state-of-theart facility in Chittagong shall have experienced medical staff, clinicians, and administrative staff intending to provide outstanding services to patients. Apollo Hospitals shall manage the day-to-day operations and clinical service delivery, utilising their clinical and managerial capabilities, perfected over decades.

Tredence’s HealthEM. AI wins NASSCOM’s Healthcare Innovation Challenge 3 Tredence, a leading data science solutions provider, announced that its care-management platform HealthEM.AI won NASSCOM’s Healthcare Innovation Challenge 3 in the ‘inpatient volume prediction based on outpatient Volume’ category. Organised by NASSCOM Centre of Excellence (CoE) – IoT & AI, the initiative aims to support tech innovation in health care by making it efficient, effective, and easily accessible.

Robotic Urology Forum joins hands with Intuitive India Robotic

Urology

Forum,

national

organisation of surgeons practising the art of robotic urological surgeries, has

RYA Cosmo Madras opens multi-speciality cancer detection centre at Ayanavaram, Chennai

Dr Reddy’s Laboratories launches generic version of Nexavar tabs in US market Dr Reddy’s Laboratories has announced

conference named RUFCON’22 was aimed

The Chief Justice of Madras High Court

the launch of Dr Reddy’s Sorafenib Tablets,

at familiarising surgeons, nurses and other

e-inaugurated

USP,

Manoharraj

Kamala

joined hands with Intuitive Surgical, a global technology leader in minimally invasive care and the pioneer of roboticassisted surgery (RAS), to conduct their 4th annual conference. The three-day-long

therapeutic-generic

healthcare professionals with the clinical

Kankariya RYA Cosmo Cancer Detection

equivalent of Nexavar (sorafenib) Tablets

application of the latest techniques in

Center.

the

in the US market following the approval by

the treatment of urological disorders. The

centre is also creating medical facilities

the US Food and Drug Administration (US

conference, organised at Muljibhai Patel

for dialysis, dental, wellness, therapy and

FDA). Dr Reddy’s Sorafenib Tablets, USP,

Urological Hospital, Nadiad was attended

community hall through a well-equipped

are available in 200 mg tablets in bottle

by experts of Urology from across the

dispensary.

count sizes of 120.

country.

Besides

July 2022

cancer

detection,

200

mg,

Regulatory approved

Authority a

(SAHPRA)

sweet-tasting,

has

heat-stable,

saving drugs, vaccines and high-value

of abacavir, lamivudine, lopinavir, and

pharmaceuticals. Sustainable temperature-

ritonavir that is specifically designed

controlled

for infants and young children with HIV.

developed that utilise passive cooling

(DNDi).

Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar launches Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight – 2022

temperature-controlled

antiretroviral (ARV) treatments composed

Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative

Sanofi India announced the appointment of Preeti Futnani as the Company’s General Manager – Vaccines, with effect from June 1, 2022. She transitions from Sanofi’s Greater Gulf MCO (a cluster of six countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait) where she was the Franchise Head for Dupixent Dermatology. Futnani has over two decades of experience in delivering growth and transformation that spans several therapeutic areas and functions within healthcare (primary and speciality care, medical technology) and finance.

passive

solution for the transportation of life-

developed by Cipla and the not-for-profit

Sanofi India appoints Preeti Futnani as GM, Vaccines

specific

‘4-in-1’ fixed-dose combination of four

This combination treatment has been

Preeti Futnani

Systems to develop and launch an airline-

container

units

will

technology to retain temperatures from -80 to 25 degrees Celsius for up to five days without requiring an external power source, thereby reducing carbon emissions,

Cabinet approves MoU between India and US in field of health sector

with load capabilities ranging from two to

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Biotechnology, Government of the Republic of India (DBT) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), USA to contribute towards the development of new, improved and innovative biomedical tools and technologies to prevent and treat HIV, TB, covid and other emerging infectious and neglected diseases.

MediSim VR launches VR Lab at PIMS

1,500 litres. The containers’ robust design and

multi-use

capabilities

enable

operational life of over ten years.

MediSim VR, a med-tech company working in the field of healthcare simulation, has set up India’s first fully automated Virtual Reality (VR) lab in the Puducherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for MBBS students to enhance their key medical skills and train them for the future. MediSim VR recently closed a pre-series A round of funding. The company was also backed by funds from IIT Madras & Dept. of Science

Etihad Cargo, B Medical Systems in MoU for pharma transportation solutions

& Technology (DST) for R&D. Supported

Etihad Cargo, the cargo and logistics arm

simulations.

of Etihad Aviation Group, has entered

reality

into a memorandum of understanding

comprehensive medical training accessible

(MoU) with Luxembourg-based B Medical

and affordable across the world.

by AI-powered technical advancement, the medical field is expected to undergo radical transformation with benefits like expert medical advisory, digital diagnosis, wearable health monitors, and digital MediSim

platforms

develops

designed

virtual make

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar launched the Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight (IDCF)-2022 in the presence of Dr Sapam Ranjan Singh, Health Minister of Manipur. IDCF programme is being implemented till June 27, 2022, in the States/UTs. The goal of IDCF is to attain zero

child

deaths

due

childhood

diarrhoea.

Cipla, DNDi launch child-friendly 4-in-1 antiretroviral treatment for HIV children in SA The

South

African

Health

Products

The MoU between Etihad Cargo and B Medical

www.indiamedtoday.com

News Roundup

CoviEasy

Genes2Me launches CoviEasy Genes2Me has launched CoviEasy SelfTest Rapid Antigen test kit for COVID-19 that is easy to use and gives faster results in 10 minutes. Backed by AI-driven Mobile App, this IVD product delivers a high level of sensitivity and concordance of more than 98 per cent accuracy. CoviEasy has undergone stringent quality checks at ICMR approved Validation centre and further received approval from CDSCO India. CoviEasy test can be easily performed by following simple instructions provided on the Mobile App (which is available on both Android and iOS platforms) leading to Automated Reporting of test results from this Mobile App itself.

University of Glasgow officially opens Mazumdar Shaw Advance Research Centre The University of Glasgow announced the official opening of the Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre by the Nobel Laureate, Professor Sir David MacMillan, who also unveiled a plaque to mark the official opening of the building. The £118 million Mazumdar-Shaw Advanced Research Centre (ARC) will be the creative and collaborative heart of crossdisciplinary research at the University of Glasgow. The Mazumdar Shaw ARC will be home to over 500 researchers from a range of disciplines, facilitating world-changing collaborative research. It will provide a unique environment for delivering world-changing research and will act as a catalyst for strengthening relationships between the University of Glasgow and its stakeholders, funders, Industry, civic bodies and the public.

July 2022

DBT, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation renews MoU to accelerate R&D for global health

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has renewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), originally signed in 2012, to support innovative approaches for developing new preventions, therapies and interventions needed to solve health (human and animal), food and nutritional inequities on June 7, 2022, in New Delhi.DBT and the Gates Foundation had previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of health and development issues on July 18, 2012, for five years, which was further renewed for five years till July 17, 2022. Under this joint partnership, in the last 10 years, programmes in diverse areas under maternal and child health, nutrition, sanitation, infectious disease, and data science approaches have been undertaken.

Dr CN Ashwath Narayan, the Minister of

Karnataka’s IT min inaugurates software dev centre of Laerdal Medical and Impelsys

major variants of SARS-CoV-2. The cocktail

Impelsys, a leading global provider of

new treatment is undergoing preclinical

digital

evaluation and will be ready to start

transformation

services,

and

Laerdal Medical, a world-leading provider

training,

educational,

and

therapy

products for lifesaving and emergency medical care, announced the launch of a new world-class Software Development Center in the central business district of Bengaluru. The centre was launched by Information Technology – Biotechnology, Higher Education, Science and Technology, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship & Livelihood of Karnataka, India.

ProteoGenix, Aseem Healthcare, Trident Biopharm announce antibody cocktail for SARS-CoV-2 ProteoGenix provider),

(market-leading Aseem

Healthcare

antibody (global

healthcare company), and Trident Biopharm Solutions (life science consultancy agency) have announced the development of a new antibody cocktail effective against of four fully human neutralising antibodies (AH-5-COV) was generated by screening the plasma of a COVID-19 survivor using ProteoGenix’s phage display platform. The

clinical trials in 2 months.

Dr CN Ashwath Narayan inaugurating software development centre of Laerdal Medical and Impelsys

with the markets regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), to raise funds through an initial public offering (IPO). The issue with a face value of Rs 10 per equity share consists of a fresh issue of equity shares worth up to Rs 400 crore and an offer-for-sale (OFS) up to 9,600,000 equity shares by Promoter and selling shareholders,

which

comprises

3,200,000 by Manoj Kumar Lohariwala, up to 3,200,000 by Vinay Kumar Lohariwala (Promoter Selling Shareholders) and up to 3,200,000 by Gian Parkash Aggarwal (Other Selling Shareholders).

Practo appoints Amit Kumar Verma as Head of Engineering Practo has appointed Amit Kumar Verma as Head of Engineering (SVP), Consumer Business. The appointment comes at a time when Practo is working towards strengthening

Novaseq 6000

Redcliffe Labs adds ‘Novaseq 6000’ sequencing system to its portfolio Redcliffe Labs, a unit of Redcliffe Lifetech in the US, has announced the addition of ‘NovaSeq 6000’ sequencing system to their diagnostic technology portfolio at its Noida National Reference Lab.Ease of access to NovaSeq 6000 sequencing system will prove to be very useful, as currently there’s no mass-level testing protocol rolled out by the states for genetic diseases. Following the successful adoption of NovaSeq 6000 technology, high throughput speed and flexibility will be available to conduct research or tests that need the processing of massive amounts of data more efficiently and costeffectively.

Care4Parents partners with Dial4242 Ambulance service Care4Parents has partnered with Dial4242 Ambulance service. As a part of this tie-up, users of Care4Parents will be able to book an ambulance in seconds. This service is available 24X7. To book an ambulance,

its

tech

capabilities

it continues to develop and expand its Care4Parents users will have to click on the HELP button in the app, followed by the Ambulance button. As soon as one presses this button, the call will be placed to the 1800 number of Dial4242 Ambulance service. Care4Parents customers will not have to pay any joining fees to use this service and only pay for the ambulance that they are hiring. The ambulance will be available within 30 minutes in over 500 cities across the country.

product portfolio. As the country witnessed high adoption of digital healthcare, Practo is using technology so that patients can have a more proactive approach to illness, improving affordability while reducing the TAT of doctor consultations further. In his new role, Verma will be responsible for the overall product engineering & development of the company.

Pristyn Care acquires health-tech platform Lybrate Pristyn Care announced the acquisition of the health-tech platform Lybrate to bring in synergies on overall healthcare delivery and foray into primary care. In the coming days, the companies will work towards combining the business operations seamlessly. With this partnership, Pristyn Care plans to expand its existing healthtech capabilities and offerings in primary care.

Innova Captab files DRHP to raise funds via IPO Haryana-based Innova Captab has filed its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP)

Amit Kumar Verma

www.indiamedtoday.com

News Roundup Director of Medical Education | Director of Nirmala Multispecialty hospital & President of Tirupati Surgical Society and Dr Poorna Chandran, Medical Superintendent, Fortis Hospital, Vadapalani. People who visited the launch event received free medical advice from the experts.

Neuberg Diagnostics ties up with Abha Laboratory

Deal signing between AVISA Smart Hospitals and UAE-based Royal Hospital

AVISA to launch first smart hospital in Sharjah

and the Group Head of Human Resource

Healthtech company Avisa Smart Hospitals has signed a deal with the UAE-based Royal Hospital to bring the first smart hospital to Sharjah. AVISA has inked a nine-year contract with the Royal Hospital, owned by the Sultan of Sharjah, Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, to take over its operations and management and transform it into a smart healthcare establishment named Royal Smart Hospital. The Super Specialty Royal Hospital in Sharjah has a state-ofthe-infrastructure and the interiors are akin to that of a palace. Following the collaboration with Avisa Smart Hospitals, the Royal hospital is being equipped with cutting-edge healthcare technologies and expertise which includes almost every speciality of a hospital with reputed Doctors and high-end equipment.

Rotary Trust.

Development, Infosys, Krish Shankar and other dignitaries from the government and

Fortis Healthcare opens health information centre in Tirupati Fortis

Healthcare

has

opened

information centre at Viltis Diagnostic, Tirupati as part of its commitment to provide

the

best

healthcare

services

Medtronic,

wholly-owned

Tirupati. The centre was inaugurated by

in healthcare technology, announced the

Dr N Venkata Ramanaiah, (Gen) Additional

launch of CE marked fourth-generation

CSR arm of IT major Infosys, announced the launch of four mobile laboratories also called ‘Lab Built on Wheels’ to provide cost-effective diagnostic solutions. The Foundation had signed an MoU with Rotary Bangalore Southwest Charitable Trust (Rotary Trust), to support with a grant of Rs 4 crore to make these laboratories. The launch event was also

July 2022

India

subsidiary of Medtronic — a global leader

Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic and

Medtronic launches device to treat brain aneurysms

accessible to the people in and around

Infosys Foundation launches Lab Built on Wheels in Bengaluru

attended by the Executive Vice President

its

Neuberg Diagnostics and Abha Laboratory based out of Surat have formed a joint venture to inaugurate a state-of-theart central laboratory in Surat. The new company called Neuberg Abha Clinical Laboratories was inaugurated in the presence of Darshana Jardosh, Union State Minister of Railways and Textiles, Dr GSK Velu, CMD, Neuberg Diagnostics, Dr Sandip Shah, Executive Director, Neuberg Diagnostics, Dr Bhavini Shah, Director, Neuberg Supratech Reference Laboratories, Dr Kirit Naik, MD, Neuberg Abha Clinical Laboratories and Dr Prashant K Naik, Deputy MD, Neuberg Abha Clinical Laboratories.

Opening of the information centre

EzeRx Health Tech, has received seed funding from certain promoters of Mankind Pharma, including Sheetal Arora, the CEO of Mankind Pharma. The collaboration is aimed at strengthening the healthcare infrastructure while integrating more advanced screening solutions accessible across the country, taking a more patientcentric approach. The fund raised will be used for scaling up its operations and marketing along with boosting its sales in various markets across India, Africa, and South East Asia, seeking global certifications and boosting its R&D efforts.

Dozee bags ISO 13485:2016 certification for quality management systems Dozee has recently received the ISO 13485:2016 certification from Intertek for its Quality Management System (QMS). ISO 13485:2016 is an internationally recognised

quality

standard

for

enterprises in the medical device industry Pipeline Vantage with Shield Technology

that comprises strict standards for quality

flow diverter, Pipeline Vantage with Shield

monitoring within the Karkinos’ health

management

Technology for endovascular treatment of

system and its partners using the C2i

quality management system conforms to

brain aneurysms. Pipeline Vantage with

Genomics’ ultrasensitive whole-genome

Shield Technology is a new flow diverter with enhanced design features for both the delivery system and implant. These features

allow

physicians

deliver,

deploy and treat brain aneurysms and intracranial aneurysms with greater ease and reliability while providing a scaffold that promotes the growth of cells in the inner lining of the target blood vessel.

C2i Genomics partners with Karkinos Healthcare C2i

Genomics

announced

strategic

partnership with Karkinos Healthcare, a technology-led managed care platform for cancer, to co-develop the minimal residual disease (MRD) market in India. The partnership enables C2i Genomics to

bring

innovative

cancer

detection

technology to drive R&D, future pharma partnerships and clinical use in India and supports the company’s long-term goals to scale pharma R&D projects around the globe. The partnership will expand MRD

analysis.

The

company’s

the recognised International Standard for the design and development, manufacture,

CORBEVAX gets DCGI nod as heterologous COVID-19 booster dose Biological E (BE), a Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical and vaccines company, announced that its CORBEVAX COVID-19 vaccine has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) as a heterologous COVID-19 booster dose for individuals aged 18 years and above after six months of administration of primary vaccination (two doses) of COVAXIN or COVISHIELD vaccines for restricted use in an emergency. BE’s CORBEVAX is the first such vaccine in India to be approved as a heterologous COVID-19 booster.

MedTech startup EzeRx raises undisclosed amount from promoters of Mankind Pharma Bhubaneswar-based

systems.

MedTech

Startup,

distribution, installation, and service of medical devices. Intertek India is a NABCB accredited body.

Sandoz announces new global ‘Act4Biosimilars’ initiative Sandoz announced the launch of a new global initiative called ‘Act4Biosimilars’ to help address health inequity and inequality aims

advanced greater

worldwide. increase

Act4Biosimilars

patient

medicines

approvability,

access

facilitating accessibility,

acceptability and affordability (the 4 A’s) of biosimilars. The initiative is supported by a multidisciplinary Steering Committee of patient advocacy leaders, healthcare professionals,

biosimilar

experts

and

industry leaders from around the world, with a mission to increase the global adoption of biosimilar medicines by at least 30% in 30+ countries by 2030.

www.indiamedtoday.com

News Roundup Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) announced a global licensing agreement under which Boehringer Ingelheim will obtain

exclusive

research,

worldwide

develop

and

rights

commercialise

products based on a panel of innovative, tumour-specific antibodies from A*STAR. Boehringer Ingelheim aims to use these antibodies to direct therapeutic effector mechanisms

such

antibody-drug

conjugates (ADCs) and T-cell engagers exclusively to tumour cells, and to that end develop a range of highly targeted cancer treatments.

Launch of Sandoz Technical Operations

Sandoz Technical Operations launches manufacturing plant in Maharashtra Sandoz Technical Operations, a Novartis division, inaugurated its manufacturing plant for medicines and therapies at Kalwe in Mumbai. The plant, which marks a new chapter for Sandoz, will further strengthen the company’s operations in India to support growing healthcare needs globally. The new facility will manufacture oral cancer medicines for the global market and

will play a key role in enabling the delivery of high-quality cancer treatment. Spread

Apex Labs launches advanced Supra Bioavailable Itraconazole 65 and 130 mg caps

across 32000 sq mt, and housing state-of-

Chennai-based

the-art production technology, the plant is

launched an advanced form of Itraconazole

built to cater to the export markets, with

Capsules

Olaparib

tablets

130 mg, a potent therapeutic choice to

and Lenvatinib capsules being the top

effectively control fungal infections. Supra

molecules to be manufactured here.

Bioavailable Itraconazole capsules deliver

tablets,

Darolutamide

Boehringer Ingelheim and A*STAR in global licensing agreement Boehringer Ingelheim and the Agency for

Apex

Supra

Laboratories

Bioavailable

has and

a higher percentage (90 per cent) of active medicine to the biological system, at a lesser dose. This advanced preparation also

ensures

lesser

inter-individual

variability which might translate into enhanced efficacy in the management of fungal infections.

NMC issues guidelines to stop unethical practices on social media websites The National Medical Commission (NMC) in its recently issued guidelines has called for a stop to unethical practices on various social media websites.NMC has recently released the draft of the Registered Medical Practioner Professional Conduct Regulations, 2022 in the public domain inviting comments on the same from the various stakeholders. Given the rise of the use of Internet media in particular social media, for the first time, the NMC has introduced and section within the ethics guidelines called the conduct of CONDUCT of RMPs on SOCIAL MEDIA.

July 2022

Interview

European Fertility Genetics Architect Dr Joep Geraedts, Emeritus Professor of Genetics and Cell Biology at Maastricht University has been instrumental in developing clinical genetics and assisted reproduction Source: OBM Genetics Editorial Office

Dr Joep Geraedts is a Dutch scientist,

and only licensed PGD programme in

professor and specialist in the field

the Netherlands. He was chairman of

of human genetics and reproduction.

the Dutch Society of Human Genetics

(1984-1988); chairman of the Dutch

known

for

the

introduction

and development of preimplantation

Association

genetics. Dr Geraedts (1948) obtained

Centers (2000-2013), and chairman

a BSc (1969) and MSc (1972) in

of the European Society of Human

general biology at the University of

Reproduction and Embryology (2007-

Nijmegen.

2009) and member of the Dutch Health

Leiden

University

Clinical

defended his PhD thesis in 1975. From

Council.

1982 to 2013 he was a professor of

Background and education

Genetics and Cell Biology at Maastricht

Genetics

University and head of the Department

Dr Geraedts was born in the Netherlands

of Clinical Genetics of the University

in a small village in the Province of

Hospital. In 1995 he started the first

Limburg,

near

the

German

border.

He decided to go to the University of Nijmegen to study General Biology. After he obtained Bachelor's degree, he had to select three optional subjects for my Master's. From the beginning, it was clear to him that genetics would be the main subject and chemical cytology and zoology the minors. His research for all three topics was quite successful and resulted in either presentations at conferences or journal articles. He is still very grateful that his teachers were all enthusiastic and inspired him tremendously. Dr Geraedt's supervisor in genetics was Dr Lee T Douglas from the US. He used Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism to study irregularities of the Mendelian laws like meiotic drive, segregation distortion and distributive pairing. He was allowed to present his Dr Joep Geraedts, Emeritus Professor of Genetics and Cell Biology at Maastricht University

findings at the 2nd European Drosophila Research Conference in Zürich in 1970.

www.indiamedtoday.com

Interview

Besides the progress reports of the experimental work of each student during one afternoon a week, new journal

articles

and

books

were

presented and discussed. He became very interested in human genetics after discussing 'Man and his Future' and 'Genetics and the Future of Man' from 1963 and 1965. Thereafter he was looking for a PhD position in this area. He obtained one at Leiden University. His supervisor and promotor was Peter Pearson, who was one of the leading cytogeneticists introducing differential chromosomal staining techniques. He used these to study the normal and abnormal variation of chromosomes and

especially

chromosomal

polymorphisms. In 1975, the year that the University of Leiden was exactly 400 years old, he defended my thesis.

Teaching journey Over

the

years

was

involved

in education at all sorts of levels: teaching at the undergraduate level, practical training in the laboratory

Cutting-edge technologies in the research field

and supervising his Master's and PhD

When he started in the early 70s

thesis. He was also been dean of a so-

there

called Transnational University in which

regarding genetics and the only human

the University of Hasselt (Belgium)

reproduction that was possible was

and the University of Maastricht in

natural. Therefore, how couples with an

the Netherlands together offered a

increased risk could avoid transmitting

bachelor's training programme in the

genetic

life sciences. Furthermore, as a biologist,

abnormalities was limited as well: to

I have been the chairman of the exam

refrain from having children; sperm

committee of the medical faculty.

donation and in some cases prenatal

the

beginning,

still

limited

disease

knowledge

chromosomal

diagnosis. After more genetic knowledge

Main research area From

was

became

and

especially

molecular methods to study genes at

interested in genetics and reproduction.

the DNA level new diagnostic options

Reproductive

with

arrived. After Steptoe and Edwards had

the relationship between the genetic

introduced IVF the number of treatment

material and reproduction and includes

options increased spectacularly. At the

the transmission from one generation to

end of his career, the following topics

the next and also the effects of genetic

could be added: Donation of oocytes;

abnormalities

Invasive

which

has

available

been

genetics

deals

can

hamper

Prenatal

Diagnosis

(PND)

reproduction. Finally, he has always

for almost all genetic disorders; Non-

been interested in the diagnosis of

Invasive

genetic abnormalities in gametes and

Preimplantation

embryos.

(PGD); Spindle transfer or pronuclear

July 2022

Prenatal

Diagnosis genetic

(NIPD);

diagnosis

transfer to avoid MtDNA defects and

the introduction and development of

family was not seeing me regularly. I

genome editing.

preimplantation genetics. My centre

tried to be at home as many weekends

in Maastricht was and still is the only

as possible and we spent the winter and

one in the Netherlands having a license

the summer holidays. Only now after

According to Dr Geraedt, many of the

to perform this. Over the years the

challenges are less technical but the

two years of COVID-19, I have the idea

number of patients making use of this

clinical application has more ethical and

that Zoom and Teams could have been a

alternative has grown from a few to

societal aspects and impact.

more than 500 each year. To avoid

good replacement making many travels

Challenges and development

"About 20 years ago, I was able to bring together experts from the European Society

Human

Genetics

(ESHG)

and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE)

the need to come to Maastricht for IVF there is a cooperation with another three hospitals in the country. They do the IVF and take it to biopsies which are then sent to the diagnostic centre in

to discuss the developments at the

Maastricht."

interface between clinical genetics and

Work-life balance

assisted

reproduction.

Among

other

topics, the need for proper genetic counselling before any new technique can be applied and the lack of randomised clinical trials to substantiate that newly

says,

unnecessary."

Plans He adds, "At the end of my scientific career and at my age the number of plans is limited. I am writing a biography and of course, I hope to keep

have

contributing to medical journals and never

worked

OBM Genetics."

according to standard working hours.

Ref:

Furthermore, I have been travelling

with Dr. Joep Geraedts. OBM Genetics 2022; 6(1):

abroad quite a lot. This means that my

148; doi:10.21926/obm.genet.2201148.

OBM Genetics Editorial Office. An Interview

developed techniques are both effective and efficient was clear. Studies are also needed to address issues related to the impact of assisted reproduction on epigenetic reprogramming of the early embryo." Furthermore, regarding is

the

legal

assisted

evolving

but

landscape reproduction

remains

very

heterogeneous and often contradictory. The lack of legal harmonisation and uneven access to infertility treatment and

preimplantation

and

prenatal

genetic diagnosis fosters considerable cross-border

reproductive

care

Europe and beyond.

Applied research in clinical Practice Applied research should be beneficial for the patient who is asking for help. In case of a rare disorder, the diagnosis will be welcomed. However, unless in other

medical

disciplines

treatment

of patients presenting with a genetic disease is only possible in a very small minority of cases. However, treatment at the level of the family, which means stopping

the

transmission

the

disease, is helping the next generation.

Benefits to patients

Photo Source: maastricht-university

He says, "My major contribution was

www.indiamedtoday.com

Innovate

Leveraging AI in Assisted Reproduction Application of AI is a recent advancement in digital medicine for treating infertility is becoming the new norm

Dr. Sravan K. Payeli, Ph.D. Chief Innovations

July 2022

Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART)

Despite, the rise in infertility, the

enables millions of infertile couples

broader application of ART is restricted

to fulfill their dream of conceiving a

due to lack of accessibility, affordability,

child. As per WHO estimates, infertility

low success rate and complexity of the

couples

procedure. Moreover, ART is a highly

and 186 million individuals globally.

skilled and manual procedure, thus

According to ISAR (Indian Society for

induces

Assisted reproduction), about 10-14

some variables are inherent to the

per cent of the adult population in India

patient, many variables are rooted

(27.5 million) are infertile with every

during the procedure starting from

one in six couples impacted. This data

assessing

suggests that there is a high demand

(oocyte and sperm) for fertilisation to a

for treatment solutions such as ART.

selection of embryos. Indeed, infertility

Annually, about 2.6 million ART cycles

specialists and embryologists can be

are performed with 0.5 million babies

trained to be successful by mastering

born worldwide. Thus, current ART

the ART procedure over the years,

success rates remain very low at <30

however, it is subjective and time-

per cent.

consuming. Thus, improving the systems

affecting

40-60

million

several

good

variables.

quality

Although

gametes

treating infertility. By definition, AI is coming from the training of the algorithms to identify/assess patterns and summarise with the help of human intelligence. Due to its capability to recognise a subtle difference at a high speed on varied big data sets and patterns, it has become an add-on/ asset to human intelligence. Within the last decade, AI has influenced largely innovation and research in ART procedures such as, assessing the gametes quality, sperm selection during intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), selection of embryos for implantation and/or cryopreservation and assessing endometrium for embryo implantation. Furthermore, AI can be also applied in ART labs for predictive maintenance of lab QA/QC by automatically extracting and for the procedure and the objectivity in ART procedures through the application of artificial intelligence (AI) opens a new arena for ART accessibility and success rates.

analysing

key

performance

indicators to carry out quality control (4). Areas of AI Application in ART Artificial

intelligence

reproductive

assisted

technologies

An overview of Human Reproduction

implemented majorly for the best viable

and ART procedure

embryo selection. Overall it starts with

During

the

reproduction,

the

cycle

couple undergoes natural intercourse. Over

time,

when

this

intercourse

coincides with ovulation (right time) there is a possibility of conception, which is called natural conception. If natural conception does not occur within

two

years

uninterrupted

intercourse, the situation is considered to be infertility/subfertility. The risk factors associated with infertility are obesity, stress, late marriages, changes

analysing and selecting the sperm based on morphology and motility parameters. On the other hand, oocyte morphology, time-lapse-based

image

processing

for morpho kinetics and D5 blastocyst morphology sources are utilised to conclude the embryo selection process. In addition, the morphometric analysis of endometrium thickness in a cycle through image processing was well being considered for determining the potential implantation window. For the first time, we have implemented a system that is

in lifestyles, food habits and genetics.

a step closer to understanding oocyte

Assisted

technologies

quality by touch and feel without any

(assistance of physicians with ovulation

additional invasive steps called OVA

induction and/or in vivo or in vitro

Kr (Oocyte Viability Assessment). In

reproduction

artificial insemination and/or gamete donation or surrogacy) help to treat infertility/subfertility

and

facilitate

bypassing this condition.

addition, we combine SAna (Semen Analyzer powered by AI), to help in providing the best possible outcomes in given scenarios of IVF treatment

The application of AI is a recent

kinetics. Furthermore, AI can also be

advancement in digital medicine for

applied to assess the endometrium

www.indiamedtoday.com

Innovate

morphometrics for preparing to implant

research

the

and selection of high-quality sperm,

embryos.

significance and correlation of oocyte

respectively. We believe that these two

biomechanics

quality

AI methods would become an asset

using a variety of advanced techniques.

to reproductive technology platforms

Nevertheless,

has

that are a step closer to understanding

reached clinical implementation bedside

oocyte biology, sperm health and better

the

recent

morphology

past, and

variety

morphokinetics-

based embryo selection software and AI algorithms have been implemented. Embryo

selection

process

groups and no

published inherent such

method

from the research bench.

allow the analysis of gametes quality

cohort for subsequent transfer and/or

based on the different demography and

cryopreservation. These AI models are

production is an error-prone process

ethnic origin with some insights into

trained and evaluated for their ability

as millions of sperms are produced at

gametes evolution. In addition, our AI

to predict and rank the embryos with

once. Moreover, recent reports suggest

methods provide a landmark/gateway

a high chance of achieving successful

that sperm quality is deteriorating

for developing algorithms to objectively

implantation and pregnancy based on

with more than 90 per cent of sperm

the trained data (4). However, the ART

produced being malformed and unable

success rate claimed to improve by these

AI models over existing is around 10-

diagnosis and selection for ICSI is a

AI models for evaluating oocytes and sperm for improved ART success. Recently,

Therefore,

sperm

crucial step in achieving high ART success rates. Similar to the embryo and oocyte assessment, software and AI algorithms are developed for sperm and motility. However, achieving high

algorithms are also being developed for

resolution and objectivity are important

oocyte quality assessment, the ability

during sperm analysis and selection.

of these AI models for predicting and

Our AI algorithm SAna.ai has been

ranking oocyte quality is yet to be

trained and developed to analyse as per

reported. However, objective oocyte

WHO guidelines and assess the quality

quality assessment methods are very

with a clinical touch of the samples.

needed

ART

labs,

where

it is determined partially by visual observation or with the subjectivity of embryologist assessment. Over the last few decades, several

Team: IVF Precisions

July 2022

integrate

Our

methods,

OVA

Kr.ai

and

SAna.ai show the proof of concept of

reproducible

measurement

oocyte

accurately

day

clinical

non-clinical

ART success rates. References: •

https://www.who.int/healthtopics/infertility#tab=tab_1

•

https://www.isarindia.net/ index.php

•

ESHRE_ARTFactSheet_2022

•

Kragh & Karstoft (2021). J. Assisted Reproduction and Genetics; 38: 1675-1689

•

Kort & Behr (2017). Fertility and Sterility; 108 (5): 738-741

•

Priel et al., (2020). Scientific Reports; 10 (1): 14066

•

Maziotis et al., (2020). Scientific Reports; 10 (1): 19235

•

https://slman.com/health/spermhealth-101

quality

(Day of ICSI) and objective analysis

other

parameters for further improving the

quality analysis based on morphology AI

much

morphology-based

factor

technologies

40-50 per cent. By nature sperm

eggs.

male

data

contribution to infertility is around

fertilise

hand,

big

select the best of them within a patient

scope for evolving better and alternate

other

cloud-based

evaluating the quality of blastocysts to

15 per cent. Therefore, there is a huge

the

patient experience and care. Moreover,

Collaborators: Bmom, Santaan

Cover Story

Most Innovative Fertility Service Providers of India Improving Fertility Treatment Outcomes

Kiran Gadela, Co-Founder and MD, Oasis Fertility

July 2022

Dr Durga G Rao, Co-Founder & Medical Director, Oasis Fertility

t is not common to see innovation as a driving force for a fertility service provider. But you would be surprised to know how small service providers are using innovation as their core value proposition. These providers have embraced innovation as a critical strategic platform. Some of them have partnered with companies and some have their in-house scientific collaboration. These providers see innovation as the path to the future. These are some of the most innovative fertility service providers in India and their story needs to be told.

India.

Fertility services market India is a huge market for fertility services due to the number of couples seeking fertility treatments. It is also known for surrogacy and good medical care which lays the foundation for foreign nationals to seek treatment here. Today, fertility treatments are not only available to those who can afford them but it has also reached the poor marginal people. Treatments like in vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, and surrogacy are available abundantly in

high cost of care. The devices used in IVF

According to the report published by Allied Market Research, India's in vitro fertilisation market stood at a revenue of $793.27 million in 2020 and is predicted to amass $3.72 billion by 2030, witnessing a CAGR of 16.45 per cent from 2021 to 2030.

and the highly specialized manpower impacts the cost of these treatments. Even though many centres have been able to innovate to bring down the costs, the cost of drugs and imported devices has not been curtailed. This is a challenge for the providers.

Growth drivers

Innovations in IVF Technologies such

The rise in accessibility and increasing

led to increasing demand and leverage

proximity of healthcare facilities act as

of fertility services. Apart from this, the

growth drivers of the market incessantly.

rise in the utilization and emergence of

The recent spike in modernisation along

fertility clinics and the rampant increase

with all the research and development

in the same-sex marriage trigger lots of

sectors

market

innovations in procreation techniques.

growth. The insurance coverage for

This provides lucrative opportunities

IVF procedures and an increase in the

for the expansion of the market.

also

boosts

as embryo scope and capsule IVF have

the

number of IVF procedures due to male infertilities and ovarian failures spike

Innovative Centers

up the demand for fertility services.

•

Jaslok Hospital (Department

Late parenthood as a lifestyle coupled

Of Assisted Reproduction And

with rising disposable income also

Genetics), Mumbai

triggers market growth.

Challenges and Prospects Like

many

medical

segments,

•

Oasis Fertility, Hyderabad

•

Bmom Fertility and Research Center, Bangalore

the

fertility service is also impacted by the

•

OSHERM

www.indiamedtoday.com

Cover Story

•

Bavishi Fertility Institute, Ahmedabad

•

Chennai Fertility Centre

•

Centre for research in assisted reproduction and fetal therapy (CRAFT), Kochi

•

Sabine Hospital & Research Centre, Kochi

•

Indira IVF, Udaipur

•

NU Fertility, Bengaluru

Dr Firuza Parikh, HoD, is a well-known name in the fertility service circle. Dr Parikh and her team have several firsts to their credit including South-East Asia's

first

micromanipulation

baby

in 1994 and the first laser-hatching pregnancy in 1999. More recently, she introduced the technique of CumulusAided Embryo Transfer (CAT) to the world.

renowned

“I was very fortunate to work at Jaslok, it has a very forward-looking perspective. We have a very cohesive unit here. There was a time when we used to

began

“Male infertility is rising steadily but

this single speciality centre backed by

fertility

specialist

men either deny or ignore it due to

technology and advanced research to

the social taboo around it. To give a

offer all advanced fertility treatments

hassle-free treatment experience to

under one roof to both men and women.

male patients, we have an exclusive

get patients with low sperm count and

From just one centre in 2009, we have

mobility so we started doing our initial

grown to 25 centres pan India today. We

work with micro-manipulation which is

have been able to offer higher success

intra-cytoplasmic sperm injections. Now

rates due to our holistic approach,

this was so new all over the world that

high-end technology, expert fertility

there were hardly any centres doing

specialists, and the finest embryologists.

this and people were surprised that we

Ethics and transparency are the core

were doing this here,” she shares.

principles that drive Oasis. Being the trusted experts in fertility, we aspire to

Oasis Fertility, Hyderabad Oasis

Fertility

spread our wings far and wide.”

pioneer

reproductive medicine in the country and has been offering an outstanding treatment experience to couples in their

parenthood

journey.

Highly

personalised fertility treatments backed by

cutting-edge

technologies

make

Oasis stand out from the crowd.

male fertility clinic AndroLife catering to male fertility issues. We respect the sensibilities and apprehensions of males and hence with a team of highly specialised andrologists, and hi-tech equipment, we have been enabling men to achieve fatherhood. We help men even with very low sperm count achieve

fatherhood

through

Micro-

TESE, a highly advanced sperm retrieval procedure that is being offered by

Being a single-speciality clinic, Oasis

very few centres in the country,” says

Fertility has created a niche for itself.

Dr Durga G Rao, Co-Founder & Medical

Oasis has a laser focus on offering

Director, Oasis Fertility.

a convenient and highly satisfying treatment experience to couples. Every step of treatment is explained in detail

Bmom Fertility and Research Center, Bangalore

which enables the couple to make

Bmom (meaning Becoming a mom)

informed

Fertility

decisions.

State-of-the-art

and

research

Center

was

Talking to IndiaMedToday exclusively

technology, competent specialists, and

founded in the year of 2014, in

interview, Kiran Gadela, Co-Founder

robust patient engagement channels

Sahakaranagar, Bengaluru. A group of

and MD said, “Breaking the barriers to

enable Oasis Fertility to provide services

five like-minded fertility specialists,

parenthood has been our prime focus

on par with international standards.

radiologists

since we started way back in 2009.

Data analytics and research team help

together with the idea of providing

There was a lack of an institutional

in interpreting huge volumes of patient

top-notch treatment possibilities for

setup in the fertility segment and I

data enabling predictive analysis and

the patients that would be patient-

alongside Dr Durga G Rao, a globally

personalised treatment options.

centric. The focus of the Bmom fertility

July 2022

and

researchers

got

and research centre is to provide transparent, effective and cost-effective solutions to all those who come seeking

OSHERM As Oasis firmly believes in research

Bavishi Fertility Institute, Ahmedabad

and technology, it has an exclusive

Founded and led by the well-known

Research and Academic wing OSHERM

experts in IVF Dr Himanshu Bavishi

Assisted

(Oasis School for Human Embryology

and Dr Falguni Bavishi, BFI clinics offer

reproductive technologies from both

& Reproductive Medicine) which is

meticulous attention of the highest order

the clinical and lab side to provide

committed

in a pleasant environment to patients.

the best possible patient care and

science

latest

Working in the field of women's health

experience.

the

advancements in the fertility industry

since 1986, Bavishi implemented newer

rates

through long and short-term courses.

technology in sonography, endoscopy,

From

infertility etc.

treatment. The

team

unbiased,

integrated

Bmom

fine-tuned

cumulative

success

over the period to approximately 50 per cent. In addition, we have also observed that success rates can be achieved significantly higher up to 80 per cent with the addition of options

equipping

graduates

simulation

with

labs

medical/ the

hands-on

experience, OSHERM helps aspirants to acquire academic excellence through cutting-edge technologies. added,

“We

upgrades help BFI provide the best of the technology in the world. Be

such as donor gametes and surrogacy

Gadela

from registered donor banks. Our core

empowering

strength relies upon in-house QA/QC

outreach

programmes, and

couples

Cutting-edge technology and continuous

have

been

through

IVF

lab,

Sonography,

Endoscopy

our

operations equipment, to patient safety

online

monitors, the clinic uses the latest

protocols, total embryo formation KPIs

campaigns,

fertility

technology available. Their patient data

(OPU, Screening, sperm selection & ICSI),

consultation camps in tier-II and tier-

management, record-keeping, double

embryo selection strategies and effective

III regions all over India and trying to

witnessing

embryo transfer methods (Differential

create awareness about the tremendous

benchmarks.

embryo transfer technique). We are

treatment options that are available to

very particular in getting the maximum

infertile couples. Our commitment and

outcome from in-house protocols as

evidence-based approach helped us

Chennai Fertility Center was founded

well as understanding the deep causes

to gift the joy of parenthood to over

in the year 2010 by Dr VM one of the

of the failed cycles to enable patients to

60000+

patient

forerunners who brought in fertility

initiate their parenthood with the best

outcomes have become possible due

treatments. He brought in the most

possible way of preserving their genetic

to technologies like ERA, PGT, etc. The

high-end

identity.

fertility industry is set to grow at a

treatments within a highly appealing

Innovations

faster rate in the coming years. Artificial

hospital atmosphere. Chennai Fertility

Intelligence and Machine Learning are

Center has made the best progress over

The patient-centric approach makes

set to change the landscape of IVF in

the years with the number of patients

Oasis bring out innovations in every

future.”

flowing in and getting the kind of care

couples.

various

Improved

etc.,

meet

international

Chennai Fertility Centre

and

cutting-edge

fertility

sphere. Through IVF@Home, a firstof-its-kind initiative in India, Oasis delivers IVF treatment to the couple’s doorstep. This is a unique concept that helped many patients undergo IVF via a contactless program during the pandemic. “We intend to offer best-in-class services to

couples

through

tech-powered

treatments. EWS (Electronic Witnessing System) is our unique technology that ensures

the

prevention

manual

errors and mismatch of samples in an IVF process thereby enabling couples to embrace their biological child. Through this, each step in IVF is verified, recorded, and monitored using RFID,” says Dr Durga G Rao.

www.indiamedtoday.com

Cover Story

and treatment they deserve. Chennai

and

scalable model make Indira IVF stand

Fertility Center over the years has

transformation. Teamwork, speed and

apart and have helped us notch a

achieved unshakable trust with state-

quality are the cornerstones of Sabine

success rate of ~74 per cent.”

of-the-art infrastructure and excellent

Hospital. These qualities permeate the

capabilities of the team at Chennai

hospital’s entire organisational culture.

Fertility Center.

Shared commitment, clear intent and a

There are several high-end and rare treatments at Chennai Fertility Center that are performed with accuracy and utmost care to achieve success for the patients. The best part about Chennai Fertility Center is that all facilities are under one roof.

the best in the field of infertility treatment,” Dr Sivadasan.

Ajay Murdia, Dr Kshitiz Murdia, Nitiz

who

are

Lodha

and

Manish

at 59 centres across 16 states in India. Indira IVF is a technology-first company

and treatment with a team of experts dedicated

to helping couples to combat and

of the curve by deploying artificial intelligence (AI).

NU Fertility, Bengaluru in the year 2015. The centre is equipped

Indira IVF was founded in 2014 by Dr Ashish

Indira IVF is also trying to stay ahead

NU Fertility Bangalore started a journey

Indira IVF, Udaipur

Khatri. It offers infertility treatments

CRAFT specialises in fertility research specialists

technology

solid plan of action ensure we remain

Murdia,

Centre for research in assisted reproduction and fetal therapy (CRAFT), Kochi

and

embrace

with comprehensive assessments for both male and female infertility-related problems. The embryology laboratory is built according to the ESHRE guidelines and the quality is constantly monitored, ensuring the appropriate culture and

and is constantly looking to add new

conditions are maintained. Some of

cutting-edge technologies to make IVF

the advanced techniques used at the

treatments cost-effective and at the

centre are the endometrial receptivity

same time safe.

array, an advanced test to find out the

overcome infertility issues. With a fully-

Dr Kshitiz Murdia, Co founder and CEO,

fledged, state-of-the-art department of

Indira IVF says, “Assisted reproductive

gynaecology and obstetrics, infertility,

technologies have grown leaps and

personalized window of implantation in cases of patients with repeated implantation failure.

bounds in the last four decades, and

Dr Prasanna Venkatesh, MD - NU

it is primarily credited to advanced

Hospitals says, “NU Fertility @ NU

technology. We have invested in the

Hospitals apart from offering the above,

latest equipment including electronic

specialises in the treatment of male

witnessing

working

factor fertility as we are aware that

chambers, microfluidics, as well as

60 per cent of infertility is caused by

artificial

machine

male factor issues. Dept of Andrology

learning. All these technologies are

and men’s sexual health at NU Hospitals

mainstreamed with our strict SOPs. Our

offers the entire gamete of evaluation

CRAFT has a medical team consisting of

trained embryologists across all our

and

12 senior consultants, eight registrars

centres in the country and an entirely

conditions."

embryology, PGD,

medical

paediatrics,

genetics

foetal

and

medicine,

laparoscopic surgery and neonatology (level 4), urology, paediatric surgery, and diagnostic imaging. CRAFT is well equipped and loaded with a wide range of the latest diagnostic & therapeutic equipment.

and nine embryologists. This team of expert specialists is indeed the crux and backbone of CRAFT.

Sabine Hospital & Research Centre, Kochi Sabine Hospital and Research Centre is a progressive, hi-tech hospital offering successful programmes in infertility, assisted

reproductive

technology,

obstetrics, gynaecology, neonatology, paediatrics,

general

surgery

and

genetics. The hospital was founded in 2010 by Dr Sabine Sivadasan. “Our success is based on its excellence and commitment to the speciality. To grow, prosper and remain sustainable 30

July 2022

systems, intelligence

closed and

treatment

for

these

complex

Approach

Is the Fertility Specialist on Instagram Why it is rewarding to connect with the millennial generation utilising fertility services and the fertility community at large on Instagram Alexandra Peyser, Liat Goldstein, Christine Mullin & Randi H. Goldman; Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Northwell Health, North Shore University Hospital, USA

Social media has rapidly become an

control. However, little information is

integral part of our daily routines.

available on the use, risks, and benefits

Communication

of using social media to educate the

content

via

enables

collaboration communities patients

user-generated interaction

among and

utilise

patients. social

and

healthcare media

Most to

general public, patients, and healthcare professionals.

What is Insta

inquire about information about their

Instagram (Insta) is a free online social

symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.

networking service that is currently

Online availability of health-related

used by 67 per cent of American young

information has increased significantly

adults aged 18–29 years and 47 per

has

cent of adults aged 30–49. The platform

changed the way people seek and share

enables users to post pictures and videos

information on healthcare despite the

to their profiles, add a caption, and use

potential lack of information quality

hashtags (# symbol) to describe photos

recent

years.

Social

media

www.indiamedtoday.com

Approach

and categorise posts into searchable

related content on Instagram, and more

topics that other users can find. Users

importantly, limited published reports

can follow specific hashtags and any

are indicating who is responsible for

number of accounts to view a steady

these posts.

stream of personalised content. Users can also search by hashtag to view desired content posted in aggregate and “share”, “like”, or “comment” on posts. A recent poll showed that the average user spends 21.2 minutes on Instagram each day, with the 18–29 age group spending the most time at 30 minutes.

Fertility journey on Instagram

A recent article by Blakemore and colleagues analysed individual accounts from 'Fertility Influencers' on both Twitter and Instagram to determine the

topography

fertility-related

information on social media. They found that the majority of influential accounts were from patients, with a paucity of

board-certified

reproductive

Increasing numbers of patients are

endocrinologist

now sharing their (in) fertility journeys

specialists contributing to this space.

through

The authors analysed the five most

Instagram.

Using

hashtags,

patients can share their experiences or find others going through similar circumstances.

Whereas,

physicians

utilize Instagram as a platform for sharing

evidence-based

medical

education to inform the public on any health care subject.

and

infertility

recent posts by fertility influencers (39 on Twitter and 28 on Instagram) and reported the top 11 hashtags most used by those influencers. While that study focussed on fertility influencers and they are most commonly used hashtags, this study was designed to determine

Despite the rising influence of this

what

particular

platform,

fertility treatment may find as they

remains

scarce

use of

Instagram

reproductive

the

literature

regarding within

the

medicine

the field and

first-time

Our study We

quantitatively

authorship,

July 2022

fertility-

desiring

begin their search on Instagram.

infertility. Few peer-reviewed studies evaluate

patients

tried

look

and

for

types

prevalence, of

fertility-

Approach

related information targeted toward

is “not only acceptable for the modern

new fertility patients on Instagram and

practising physician but has become a

compared the content of posts authored

necessary element for relating to patients

by physicians versus patients.

and practising medicine.” The American

We made a list of ten hashtags consisting

Medical Association (AMA) describes six

included:

considerations for ethical use of social

IVF, Infertility, Fertility, IVF Journey,

media, encouraging the protection of

Infertility

patient privacy, realising permanence,

fertility

terms

which

Awareness,

IVF

Support,

Fertility Awareness, IVF Success, Egg

alerting

Freezing and Egg Retrieval. These terms

inappropriate use, maintaining patient

were chosen based on what a first-time

boundaries, realising that actions online

IVF or planned oocyte cryopreservation

may negatively affect their reputation

patient may search for as they gather

amongst patients and colleagues, and

information regarding fertility options. Top posts were determined by Instagram via a proprietary algorithm consisting

colleagues

suspected

considering creating separate personal and professional accounts.

Conclusion Social media provides a powerful tool to inform, engage, and communicate with the fertility community. It will exponentially grow larger as the millennial and Gen Z generations begin to reach their reproductive prime. Physicians have an opportunity to connect with and educate a large number of patients looking for support by authoring evidence-based posts on social media. Modified from: Peyser, A., Goldstein, L., Mullin, C. et al. Fertility education: what’s trending on Instagram. Fertil Res and Pract 7, 3 (2021). https:// doi.org/10.1186/s40738-021-00095-6

of parameters including the number of likes, comments, and user engagement on the posts.

What we found

Authorship of the top 50 and most recent 50 posts for each hashtag were as follows: patients

Our study demonstrated an abundance

67 per cent)

of information related to fertility on Instagram with 66 per cent of posts directed

toward

patient

experience

and authored by patients. Only 10

physicians

(10 per cent)

for-profit commercial groups

(6 per cent)

per cent of posts were authored by individual physicians. 10 per cent of

allied health professionals

posts were advertisements directed at

(4.5 per cent)

reproductive-aged women.

professional societies

(1 per cent)

Physicians be online Despite the recognised role of social media

providing

and other

health-related

(11 per cent)

information, many medical providers and

public

are

reluctant

healthcare to

use

institutions social

media

platforms. Providers need to be wary of maintaining patient confidentiality

Of these posts,

60 per cent related to patient experiences,

online and abiding by HIPAA. Providers must also be aware of workplace policies surrounding the use of social media, the time commitment of posting content, and the implications of engaging in discussions

online.

Many

10 per cent were outreach,

medical

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) was one of

were advertisements,

8 per cent were educational,

societies have published guidelines on the appropriate use of social media.

10 per cent

and

6 per cent were personal posts unrelated to diagnoses

the first to offer guidance to physicians. Their

recently

revised

committee

opinion in 2019 states that social media 34

July 2022

Ref: Fertility education: what’s trending on Instagram

Opinion

The NEET PG Conundrum Gaurav Tyagi, Founder, Career Xpert talks about why the whole process of counselling NEET PG students is long and slow

Gaurav Tyagi, Founder, Career Xpert

The NEET PG exam was usually held in

mode for 50 per cent of (AIQ) All

January but, due to the pandemic, it

India Quota, seats are for government

was held on May 21, 2020. The result

institutions,

of NEET PG was declared on June 1,

deemed universities, ESIC and AFMS

2020. The test consists of 200 MCQ

institutes whereas, the remaining 50

questions

system.

per cent if the state quota seats will be

There was a new announcement by the

filled by the individual state counselling

Medical Counseling Committee (MCC),

conducting

like counselling for NEET PG will be

upon the candidate, which courses and

held next month and the process was

college aspirants want to choose and

stuck due to the newly introduced EWS

they will be allotted by their concerned

from

the

MBBS

central

authorities.

universities,

depends

quota. Now only those candidates who

authorities.

are qualified for the PG exam and have

The NEET PG 2022 Counseling schedule

managed to secure up to the mark, can

is all set to release on www.mcc.nic.in.

take part in the counselling of NEET PG 2020.

This year is also very popular as (26,168) MD; (13,649) MS; (922) PG

It is confirmed that the NEET PG

Diploma and (1,388) DNB CET seats

counselling

are offered by the NEET PG 2022. As

will

the

online

www.indiamedtoday.com

Opinion

the process got stuck by the pandemic,

seats inside the private and considered

students are working as junior residents

universities should be at standard with

in the medical college hospitals as part

the charge in the Government Medical

of their training, these delays resulted

College (GMC) of that specific state and

in the hospitals being short-staffed

UT. Following the Guidelines, currently,

and the other residents taking to the

the Odisha government has issued

streets demanding that the counselling

notice to the private medical colleges

be expedited.

deemed to be universities in the state

As the result is declared in just 10

and asked them to submit their proposal

days, it is tough to fill the gap between

for the projected fee structure with all

the batches of PG counselling and the

relevant documents concerning MBBS

examination, it is announced that the

and PG courses.

cut-off for general and EWS categories

The proposition ought to be submitted

stand out to be 275/800 marks and for

with the right support for assurance

the disabilities, it is 260, whereas for

of expense construction to the State

SC/ST/OBC category has 245 out of 800,

Fee Structure Committee underneath

said by the NBE.

the accessibility of OPEI (Regulation of

In all the fields of NEET PG, the most

Admission and Fixation of Fee) 2007

who will get affected are radiologists,

and OPEI alteration Act, 2021 for the

dermatologists and medicine, as the

obsession of their charge structure in

demand is very high but, due to the

regard of half seats of the workforce

change in the counselling result and cut-

from the instructional exercise meeting

off, there will be a difference in these

2022-23.

fields as compared to the previous year.

The authority notice says, “In the

On the other hand, National Medical

event of institutions(s) who neglect

Commission

to present its/their recommendations

(NMC)

had

announced that

(s) for correction/assurance of their

communicated that 50 per cent of the

charge structure among the specified

the

assurance

July 2022

expenses

date as referenced underneath, the

so they don’t need to visit different

board of trustees while thinking about

nations for concentrating on clinical

all pertinent materials out there with it

courses.

and/or to be accumulated, will confirm the expense to the least complex of its judgment and same will be restricted on those institution(s). The last date of receipt of the proposition at this board is 15.07.2022 and no recommendations

That this is a very beneficial move by the government for all the candidates. The candidates need to be broad-minded, patient and focused. The announcement will benefit all the candidates ranked

are entertained from that point.

within 40,000. The candidates that

The NMC statement of charges at

but their fees will be increased by 30-

scored above 40,000 will also get a seat

present looks extra applicable because the

Russia-Ukraine

emergency

has

40 per cent.

featured that few Indian understudies

The candidates must target open state

travel to another country to learn

universities as they have a greater

medication as the course is undeniably

probability to get seats, but they have

elective

to tighten and focus on their strategy,

nations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi

they have to make MD, and DNB, an

and the geographic region government

option. The candidates below 45,000

have referenced that the researchers

have a higher probability to get MD and

ought to be offered more chances here

DNB government seats.

savvy

numerous

www.indiamedtoday.com

Impact

Invitro Fertilisation Treatment: Trends, Success Rates and Tech A large majority of infertile population goes untreated due to several possible reasons Infertility rates are on the rise due to a

play a crucial role in providing effective

variety of risk factors such as lifestyle,

treatment services to achieve minimised

food habits, late marriage, stress and

time for conception possibilities.

other environmental factors. As per WHO estimates, infertility rates are observed to be increasing in urban Dr Chetana V Bmom, Bangalore

areas wherein one in six couples are

July 2022

that visits us for assistance is to find out if there are any known issues in

impacted. Infertility incurs negative

male and/or female gametes (egg and

socio-economic impacts on the lives

sperm). The next step is to take them

of the infertile couple and particularly

through natural or IUI procedures for

women

conception. These are considered non-

who

frequently

experience trauma,

invasive and a couple can go for three

anxiety, social stigma and low self-

to five times or more if no known cause

esteem due to their inability to conceive

is found in the preliminary screening

a child. Thus, in a nutshell, IVF clinics

and diagnostic tests.

violence,

The first step at Bmom for any couple

divorce,

personal

Patients, with known causes or for those out the likely outcome, are counselled for the IVF treatment explaining about

the procedure and what to expect. Once

200

true indication of the actual quality of gametes would come when IVF/ICSI is

16.2

24 23.2

14 17.5

Total Patients

Positive

Positive After Repeat

+ve

46.2

40.0

44 40.9

%+ve

32 27

%mc

20.0

Total Transfers

8.3 2018

2019

2021

61.1

60.0 50.0

2020

70.0

In process

40.4

40.0

30.0

20.0

25 20

46.9

44.4

0.0

-ve

30.0

10.0

Controlled hyperstimulation (aiming at

the problem might have occurred, the

100

are signed to initiate the treatment.

While these steps might indicate where

40.0

150

56.5

50.0

250

treatment, several consent documents

followed by induction of ovulation.

60.0

300

patients are mentally prepared for the

10 good responsive follicles) is started

Number

345

350

Axis Title

the above treatments have not brought

10.0

0.0 Self +ve

D +ve

performed. The first concern is to have a good number of follicles which house the egg. Many times follicle is considered a synonym for egg but in reality that is not the case. Having a good number of follicles that also have a good number of eggs is imperative for IVF/ICSI. Once the eggs are aspirated out of follicles we can have a visual confirmation under a microscope (as they are less than 10th of a millimetre) as to the quality of the eggs. It is important to have quality and not only quantity when it

yield embryos (the number of formed

transfer into the uterus and then wait for

good quality embryos relies on the

implantation and BFP (Big fat positive)

fate of developmental potentials) that

with UPT or good beta HCG. The true

would hopefully yield in a successful

confirmation though would be to do

conception after transfer to the uterus.

an ultrasound for a foetal heartbeat.

More good-quality embryos mean the

Even though one opts for IVF, it is

possibility for multiple transfers if the

stressful to wait to know if everything

first trial fails. Whereas, suboptimal

is going fine and further waiting period

quality embryos reflect the stress in a

after embryo transfer for a positive

lower success rate.

result. Despite all the precautions and

comes to eggs. When it comes to sperm

If the sperm or eggs are suboptimal

processing, cryopreservation and IMSI

or of poor quality, there are treatment

are some of the techniques that will help

options to improve the quality. There

choose the best sperm. Once the best

is also the option of donor sperm or

possible eggs and sperms are chosen

oocyte or donor embryo programs that

IVF/ICSI is performed which would

help the couple to achieve embryo

confirmations, a positive outcome is not guaranteed. The worse will be to cope with the negative result or to lose it (for some reason) midway and to gather the courage to tackle it all over again. It is pretty stressful, desperate and nerveshattering. Toughest would be to deal with repetitive implantation failure. The average IVF success rate worldwide using own oocytes and sperm falls between 20-40 per cent and donor options would raise the hope to 50-80 per cent when the embryos make it to day 5/6 of their developmental stage. But, the majority of the times time sperm, egg or embryo quality either may be a self-cycle or and donor cycle that hinder the success of IVF. IVF treatment does not improve the quality of oocytes in the ongoing cycle but rather selects the best ones, but, perhaps it removes the poor-quality oocytes from the ovary, there might be hope for better quality egg formation in

www.indiamedtoday.com

Impact

the next cycles. For example, IVF cycles failure

and/or

RIF

would

conceive

naturally after a few months or years, once the couple is given up on IVF treatment due to lost hope, tiered or money factor but question is how many couples do conceive after giving up the treatment is an important consideration before thinking about the reason of IVF failures. Currently in India, 2-3 lakh IVF cycles are performed to treat infertility, which accounts for about only 10 per cent of

transfer (IVF) seems to be around 9

has seen a positive outcome over the

the total infertile population. Thus, a

per cent, but a significant increase was

morphological parameters of d5/d6

large majority of the infertile population

observed in 2019 and 2020, which

embryos. Hope that our observations

goes untreated due to several possible

might not exclude the covid impact on

and data and scientific representation

reasons such as lack of awareness,

miss carriages as well other inherent

from a single centre might provide hints

affordability

apprehensions.

clinical factors. Over the last four years,

in routine IVF treatment options and

reaching

out

during the time of our observation, it

success rate improvement.

to the clinic are supported with the

appears that, at our clinic, success rates

complete journey and their odds of

using self-gametes were 40% whereas,

each step prepare them for the assisted

improvising the treatment options with

reproduction procedure with the help of

donor gametes improved to 60 per

infertility specialists as described in.

cent which may provide a hint that the

Prospective

and couples

During IVF treatment, we have observed that the patient who is undergoing ART, approximately around 15 per cent of patients get conceived in the first line of treatment which is IUI with an MC rate observed to be around 18 per cent. By the time hope of IUI positive moved to IVF interventions inevitably fall around 33-34 years of average age. As per our observation from unbiased cumulative data, the age under 38 years did not impact the success rates. on the other

couple undergoing IVF treatment at the age of 35 years shows the sign of compromised gamete quality over the endometrium

implantation

function.

Moreover, we have observed that an avg blastocyst formation rates are near 40 per cent to a maximum of 50 per cent under optimal gamete quality independent of age. The morphological parameters of D5/6 blastocysts that gave us live births showed varying morphological features, yet observed

hand, we have observed an interesting

healthy live.

trend in miscarriages post embryos

A trend towards having more blastocysts

Team: Bmom

July 2022

In addition to our implementation of the procedure in each step, we vest our efforts in improving overall success rates per IVF by working in technologies that provide objective and productive parameters as described in. We work closely with our academic and industrial partners in advanced technologies in the areas of sperm selection, oocyte quality understanding and embryo selection methods using artificial intelligence. Moreover, we utilise our motivation to be ARTists (Assisted Reproductive Technologists), learning skills from the clinical and scientific side to fill the gaps in digital medicine and engineering team to contribute our part to building better systems and technologies for the best possible results and patient care.

Pulse

Poliovirus in London Sewage What You Need to Know Repeated positive readings for polio suggest that there is an ongoing infection and likely transmission in the area. This is unexpected since the UK had been declared polio-free since 2003.

Just as we thought that monkeypox

It is caused by polioviruses, small RNA

would be the new virus scare for

viruses that can damage cells in the

2022, the UK Health Security Agency

nervous system.

(UKHSA) declared a national incident of repeated poliovirus detection in sewage in north and east London. Repeated Zania Stamataki, Senior Lecturer in Viral Immunology, University of Birmingham

It is not found in animals, so, like smallpox, it can be eradicated. And thanks

effective

vaccination

positive readings for polio suggest

campaigns, we have been getting closer

that there is an ongoing infection and

to this goal every year.

likely transmission in the area. This is unexpected since the UK had been declared polio-free since 2003. Here’s what you need to know.

There are three types of poliovirus, and infection or immunisation by one type does not protect against another. Type 1 poliovirus has continued to

Poliomyelitis (polio) is a devastating

cause outbreaks, but transmission by

disease that historically has caused

types II and III have been successfully

paralysis and death around the world.

interrupted by vaccination.

www.indiamedtoday.com

Pulse

Poliovirus is transmitted by respiratory

and is safe and effective in protecting

and protect them too. It is also cheaper

droplets, but it can also be caught from

the immunised person from paralysis,

than IPV.

food or water that’s been in contact

but it is less effective at inducing local

with the faeces of someone who has

immunity in the gut, so vaccinated

the virus.

people can still become infected and

It can survive at normal temperatures for many days. The last remaining

shed infectious virus, even though they may not show symptoms themselves.

OPV is cleared by our immune system

the individual but is not enough to

to reach with vaccines. Afghanistan and

control an epidemic in poor sanitation

Pakistan are the only two countries

conditions. The oral polio vaccine (OPV),

systems that may carry the virus longer,

where wild polio is still endemic, and are

which contains a live but weakened

increasing the chance of mutations. In

targeted by eradication programmes to

virus, is ideal for this purpose. OPV

under-immunised countries, this can

stop the virus from spreading to other

is administered by drops and doesn’t

lead

need trained staff or sterile equipment

poliovirus (VDPV). Indeed, the virus

to administer, so it can reach more

detected in London sewage was of the

communities.

vaccine-derived variety, VDPV type 2.

polio. In 2021, there were fewer than 700 reported cases around the world.

for

variants.

areas with poor sanitation that are hard

Vaccines have been crucial in eliminating

protection

cases, it can revert to paralysis-causing

IPV

The crucial role of vaccines

excellent

weakened virus can mutate, and in rare

outbreaks have been associated with

countries.

offers

The downside of using OPV is that the

This vaccine can induce potent gut immunity

and

can

prevent

the

within days, but this may not be the case in people with weakened immune

circulating

vaccine-derived

There is still no wild poliovirus in the UK.

shedding of wild polioviruses. Because

Vaccine-derived

In the UK, the injected polio vaccine is

it contains a live virus, it can spread to

asymptomatic

polio

can

used. It contains inactivated virus (IPV)

close contacts of the immunised person

vaccinated people, and it is shed in

infection

cause

IPV-

faeces because there is no local gut protection with IPV. It can therefore be detected in sewage water. Detection methods are sensitive, but a single positive reading wouldn’t raise the alarm. Type 1 VDPV was recently detected in sewage in Kolkata. It is thought to be from an imported case from

vaccinated

person

with

weakened immune system who was unable to eliminate the vaccine strain from their body. There are no reports of polio-related paralysis in the UK. To prevent disease, we must ensure that family members are up to date with their vaccinations, especially

children

who

may

have

skipped a course of vaccination due to the COVID pandemic. IPV is safe, free and effective to prevent polio disease. Unlike vaccines for monkeypox that are in short supply and available to highrisk groups, IPV is readily available for everyone in the UK through their GP.

This

article

republished

from

The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. 42

July 2022

The Evolving Cybersecurity Landscape Remote working has increased cyberthreats. But even after the global pandemic is over, it’s going to be important to take actionable steps to combat the sizable security risks.

Customized MVISION Device-to-Cloud Suites MVISION Advanced

MVISION Premium

MVISION Complete

We Recommend:

Implement a cloud-based secure web gateway

1 2 3 4 5 6

Require multi-factor authentication to reduce risks of credential theft

Set policy in the cloud for routine device checks

https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/assets/reports/restricted/rp-carr-wfh.pdf https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/assets/reports/restricted/rp-carr-wfh.pd Source: https://www.darkreading.com/cloud/as-cloud-adoption-grows-dlp-remains-key-challenge/d/d-id/1335000 https://newsroom.ibm.com/2020-07-29-IBM-Report-Compromised-Employee-Accounts-Led-to-Most-Expensive-Data-Breaches-Over-Past-Year https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/is-the-cloud-secure/ https://media.nominet.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/12130924/Nominet-Cyber_CISO-report_FINAL-130219.pdf

8 https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/assets/reports/rp-cloud-adoption-and-risk-report-work-from-home-edition.pdf McAfee and the McAfee logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of McAfee, LLC or its subsidiaries in the US and other countries. Other marks and brands may be claimed as the property of others. Copyright © 2020 McAfee, LLC. 4619_0920 SEPTEMBER 2020

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