News about an announcement & MoU

An agreement among 

Nichi-In Bio Sciences (P) Ltd & 

Vision Research Foundation 

(Sankara Nethralaya)

Announcement of a new invention about corneal limbal stem cell research &

signing of a MoU for further strengthening the research

Subsequent to the earlier MoU signed for basic research using Mebiol Gel, a special press meet was convened to announce the outcome of the earlier work and to announce about the new MoU signed for a further advanced research using Mebiol Gel among Nichi-In Bio Sciences (P) Ltd(NBS) and Vision Research Foundation- Sankara Nethralaya (VRF) on the 05th of August 05 at the Conference hall of Sankara Nethralaya.

Picture taken during the signing of the MoU on the 05th August 05

From Left > Right: Dr Tarun Sharma, Dr Samuel JK Abraham, Dr H.N.Madhavan & Dr. G. Sitalakshmi.

　 Dr Samuel JK Abraham (II Dept of Surgery, Yamanashi University Hospital, Japan; Director NCRM & Nichi-In Bio sciences, India) briefed about the developments till date starting from the invention and validation of the non-biological substrates for 3D cell culture by Prof. Mori Yuichi and Dr. Yoshioka Hiroshi and appreciated the expertise of the VRF scientists in coming with excellent results in corneal limbal stem cells work. He also introduced about the new platform NCRM (Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine) to be launched in India soon to bridge the gap in biotechnology between Indian and Japanese institutes.

Dr H.N. Madhavan, Prof. of Microbiology and director of research of VRF explained in detail about the invention of developing corneal limbal stem cells from cadavers using Mebiol Gel based custom tailored polymers which is for the first time in the world having been made possible with the association of  Nichi-In Biosciences and Mebiol Inc., Japan that paves way to avoiding of biological materials like human amniotic membranes in corneal epithelial stem cell culture.

Dr G. Sitalakshmi, director, corneal services, VRF explained about the benefits that are due once this invention is used in clinical practice. This can be used to treat corneal epithelial diseases like persistent corneal ulcers, stevens - johnsons syndrome etc which affect almost 3000 patients every year in India.

To take this invention further, another MoU was signed among VRF and NBS represented by Dr Tarun Sharma and Dr Samuel JK Abraham, respectively. The invention will be first tried in rabbits and then taken to clinical application once the animal experiment results are acceptable.

Click the following links to view the news (on web) in the media about the event:

To Press releases page To NCRM Homepage To Nichi-In in Media