Research – Page 6 – Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning (SSSIHL)

by SSSIHLMarch 7, 2020 Research

SAI-GC – for non-invasive cancer imaging

Researchers from the Dept. of Physics, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, in collaboration with Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, have created breakthrough technology to invent a portable, cost-effective and high-resolution Gamma Camera system – SAI-GC – for non-invasive cancer imaging. The research was led by Prof. S Siva Sankara Sai and Dr. Murali Ravi.

The gamma camera is an imaging technique used to carry out functional scans of the mammary, thyroid, kidneys and bone to identify any defects. Gamma scan is a diagnostic test in nuclear medicine, where radioisotopes are attached to drugs that travel to a specific organ or tissue are taken internally and the emitted gamma radiation is captured by gamma cameras to form images, a process similar to the capture of x-ray images – but with additional advantage of providing the functional information of the organ.

The project was funded by Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. The prototype has passed the requirements with Clinical Validation on all the subjects that were part of the study. Based on the results of the study, an additional project of about ₹1.08 crores has been granted to the research group by the Dept. of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India, to make a fully handheld product for Sentinel Lymph Node Navigation surgery.

Clinical trials in thyroid scanning were conducted at Healthcare Global Enterprises (HCG) Ltd., a healthcare organization headquartered in Bangalore specializing in Cancer imaging, with positive results.

When it comes to market, this device (which offers superior imaging capabilities) will cost almost 8-10 times less than existing large field of view gamma cameras. It will help in identifying ailments related to thyroid, mammary glands, bone hotspots, sentinel lymph node navigation and excision for millions of people who currently cannot afford such medical care.

In India alone, it is estimated that 42 million people suffer from thyroid diseases. Early diagnosis and treatment remain the cornerstone of medical management.

The invention is covered by two patents.

#SSSIHLResearch #SSSIHLPhysics #SSSIHL

by SSSIHLFebruary 15, 2020 Research

Non-toxic nanomaterials with magnetic properties

Dr. (Miss) Deepa Seetharaman, Associate Professor and Miss Lavanya Rathi P, Doctoral Research Scholar, as a part of their efforts to prepare non-toxic nanomaterials with magnetic properties for use in medical, data and energy storage, magnetic sensing, and contaminant removal applications, have published a paper on synthesized magnetic nanoparticles of iron oxide doped with tin by a simple and cost effective method.

Read the paper here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2019.09.294

#SSSIHLResearch #SSSIHL #materialsscience #nanomaterials

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by SSSIHLJanuary 30, 2020 Research

Disruptive Innovations to Lower Healthcare Costs

Prof. Govind Rao, Director, Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST) and Professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA delivered a guest lecture on Disruptive Innovations to Lower Healthcare Costs at SSSIHL on 30 Jan 2020. The lecture was attended by students and faculty of the University, as well as doctors from Sri Sathya Sai Higher Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Prasanthigram.

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Prof. Rao highlighted the growing cost of healthcare in the United States, costing close to $4 Trillion per annum while 71% of world population lives on a $10 per capita per day income. Under these circumstances, where medicare is beyond the reach of the masses, the Center for Advanced Center Technology (CAST) has developed next generation bio-manufacturing technology with the ability to manufacture protein-based therapeutics at the point-of-care. Under Prof. Rao’s able guidance, cell-free systems have been used to produce lifesaving biologics in under 8 hours. His talk centered around the application of non-invasive sensors, minimizing pain and removing infection risks especially for vulnerable infants in neonatal care.

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He also spoke about the development of low-cost cardboard incubators for new born babies that is currently in clinical trials in India. Overall, he highlighted the application of sensor technology in reducing healthcare costs and reducing disparity by making disruptive and innovative low-cost devices for use in low resource settings.

They young students and researchers greatly benefitted from the talk and had a chance to interact with him after the lecture.

https://cast.umbc.edu/people/govind/
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03455-x

#SSSIHLResearch #SSSIHL

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by SSSIHLJanuary 24, 2020 Research

Amalgamation of plasmonic and photonic crystal-based sensing technologies

Dr. Sai Sathish Ramamurthy, Asst. Professor, STAR Lab, Dept. of Chemistry, SSSIHL in collaboration with Dr. Shivakiran Bhaktha B N, Photonics Lab, IIT Kharagpur and alumnus SSSIHL, have been working on amalgamation of plasmonic and photonic crystal-based sensing technologies.

The novelty of this work is the creation of a highly precise platform for the detection (1 femtomolar) of environmentally hazardous aluminium ions in drinking water. In common parlance, it is not just the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack, but even the eye of the needle. This is done using nanocavities; ‘hot-spots’ as they are called.

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Under their supervision, Sri Seemesh Bhaskar, Dr. S Venkatesh (SSSIHL) and Mrs. Pratyusha Das (IIT Kharagpur), have theoretically and experimentally investigated electromagnetic modes supported by photonic crystals in different nano-architectures.

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Read the paper published in ACS The Journal of Physical Chemistry C: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jpcc.9b11092

#SSSIHLResearch #SSSIHLChemistry #photoniccrystal#femtomolarsensing

by SSSIHLNovember 30, 2019 Research

Thought and Task – The Connect

Teachers at the Anantapur Campus, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning conducted a workshop for researchers and students, Vantage Point – Thought and Task: The Connect, that stressed on the importance of fostering good research approaches, the proper use of information and tools on how to effectively communicate in this increasingly digital world.

Dr. P L Rani, Associate Professor and Head, Dept. of English Language & Literature spoke on fostering intellectual discipline and focus in the current world of “infobesity” (Excessive availability of information), to achieve relevance and authentication.

Dr. (Miss) U Suma, Associate Professor, Dept. of Management & Commerce said that qualitative research such as positionality, epistemological, personal & critical reflexivity and reciprocity were linked to openness, introspection, empathy, objectivity, and deep enquiry. She also encouraged researchers to pursue research with an attitude of gratitude.

Miss Sai Archana M, Teaching Asst, Dept. of English Language & Literature, spoke on the importance of communication and stressed upon qualities like problem solving, critical thinking, decision making, self-management and continuous updation for better employment opportunities.

by SSSIHLSeptember 14, 2019 Research

Advanced NMR applications in solving Biology problems

A workshop for postgraduate and Ph.D. students on the potential applications of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) in the fields of chemical, biological, pharmaceutical and medical sciences to help solve complex biology problems was conducted on 14 Sep 2019 by SSSIHL Central Research Instruments Facility (CRIF).

The workshop was led by Prof. Ramakrishna Vadrevu, BITS Pilani, Hyderabad. Dr Ashish Arora, CSIR-The Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow and Prof. Siddhartha P Sarma, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore were the invited speakers.

Students were introduced to various NMR techniques including Basics of Magnetic Resonance, principles of one-dimensional, two-dimensional and three-dimensional NMR spectroscopy, and the like.

Detailed discussions about the potential of NMR, including elucidating the structures of complex biological samples like peptides and proteins along with Protein-Ligand interactions in relation to interactions of drug candidates with the therapeutic targets ensued.

Issues relating to using NMR to solve complex structures of the therapeutic targets by using various 2D and 3D NMR techniques in detail with case studies from the experts’ labs, as well as isolating toxins from venoms of snakes and cone snails were deliberated on.

#SSSIHLResearch #SSSIHLCRIF #SSSIHL

by SSSIHLAugust 16, 2019 Press Releases, Research

SAKURA Science Exchange Program – JAIST, Japan

SAKURA Science Exchange Program – JAIST, Japan, 16-26 Aug 2019.

As part of prestigious SAKURA Science Exchange Program organized by the Japan Government, nine Doctoral Research Scholars and a teacher (from the departments of Physics, Chemistry, Biosciences and Food & Nutritional Sciences, SSSIHL) visited Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), in the Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan from 16 to 26 August 2019.

This year’s research focused on Sustainable Materials. A host of six professors at JAIST exposed SSSIHL researchers to the systematic protocols of research, engaged them in discussions (at the mentor group’s journal clubs), and trained the team in various advanced synthesis, characterization and applications undertaken at JAIST.

The various techniques picked up ranged from computational simulation to experimental hands-on work. The visit yielded a good amount of collaborations, ideas and a couple of publications under preparation and review.

#SSSIHL #SSSIHLResearch

by SSSIHLDecember 10, 2018 Research

IAEA Conference Presentation, Vienna

Miss Manjula D Ghoora and Miss Ashrita C Haldipur, Doctoral Research Scholars, under the guidance of Dr. N Srividya, Associate Professor and Head, Dept. of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, have been researching sustainable food-based approaches to address micronutrient malnutrition.

The group received funding from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to present their work on micronutrient-dense microgreens and indigenous pigmented rice varieties as viable eco-friendly dietary alternatives in the management of this pertinent problem at the International Symposium on ‘Double burden of malnutrition’, a tri-agency initiative of WHO, UNICEF and IAEA at Vienna, Austria.

Abstract links in the IAEA website:
https://humanhealth.iaea.org/…/Symposi…/BookofAbstracts.pdf
https://humanhealth.iaea.org/…/Symposi…/BookofAbstracts.pdf
https://humanhealth.iaea.org/…/Symposi…/BookofAbstracts.pdf

#SSSIHLResearch #SSSIHL #SSSIHLFoodNutritionalSciences