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UCL and the Institute of All India Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have entered into a new partnership that will allow for closer research collaboration and explore opportunities to increase academic and student exchanges between institutions.
As part of this commitment, UCL (University College London) is pleased to announce that AIIMS has joined the new International Center for Genomic Medicine for Neuromuscular Diseases (ICGMN), led by l & # 39; UCL.
ICGMN is a £ 5 million initiative bringing together the skills and resources of five countries. It aims to advance the diagnosis and genetic treatment of patients with muscular neuromuscular diseases, including motor neuron diseases and muscular dystrophy, which affect at least 17 million children and adults worldwide. .
As part of the Center's research, AIIMS will soon launch its first trials on patients. These trials will help to better understand the different genes present in Indian populations, which affect neuromuscular diseases, and this overview could lead to better treatments.
On Friday, February 22, 2019, a letter of intent was signed between Professor Michael Arthur, President and Provost of UCL, and Professor Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS.
"We are delighted to have signed a" Letter of Intent "with AIIMS, agreeing to further explore ways to strengthen our strong relationship.Our existing collaboration activities cover a wide range of health and engineering, developed over the course of several years, "said UCL President and Vice President, Professor Michael Arthur.
"Through closer collaboration and the sharing of our complementary expertise, UCL and AIIMS will deepen their knowledge of innovative research and seek to achieve our common goal of meeting some of the greatest challenges facing the world." society is today confronted.
"The joint search for new opportunities for students and students to collaborate more closely will also enrich the communities of UCL and AIIMS, allowing them to develop and develop intellectually, culturally and socially. .
"This fits very well with UCL's approach to global engagement – building mutually beneficial partnerships, based on trust and respect, in this case between UCL and AIIMS."
In 2018, the Queen Square Institute of Neurology at UCL completed a £ 3.66 million offering to the Medical Research Council to create a brand new International Center for Genomic Medicine. for neuromuscular diseases. An additional £ 2 million was provided by UCL and United Kingdom staff, the universities of Newcastle and Cambridge.
The goal of the center is to develop an international fellowship program in genomic medicine, to increase the number of patients with neuromuscular diseases benefiting from accurate genetic diagnosis, to build cohorts "at the "Test" and ultimately improve patient outcomes in health.
The staff and resources of the international centers in India, Brazil, Turkey, South Africa and Zambia will be at the heart of the partnership.
Professor Michael Hanna, director of the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology at UCL and director of the ICGMN, said: "Our vision is to create a transcontinental partnership in genomics research and development. capacity building between the UK and excellent centers such as AIIMS.
"We will discover new disease genes, define known genetic variants of neuromuscular genes, understand the comparative genetic architecture of different populations and explore the mechanisms of the disease.
"We will dramatically increase the number of patients with a precise genetic diagnosis, build" trial-ready "cohorts and, ultimately, improve the health outcomes of patients with this unmet health need, on a combined population of more than 1.5 billion people. "
AIIMS researchers will recruit, phenotype and genotype approximately 1,000 Indian patients over the next 5 years, creating a unique cohort of highly phenotyped and test-ready patients. In addition, the partnership will support a unique clinical training fellowship program that will enable Indian neurologists to become experts in future genomic medicine in India.
Padma Srivastava, Professor of Neurology at AIIMS, said: "The AIIMS Neurology team is excited to be part of this new major international genomics initiative funded by CRM with UCL.
"This will allow us to jointly train Indian fellows in genomic medicine, to understand the genetic architecture of neuromuscular diseases in India and to build a cohort of" ready-to-use "patients.
"We believe that this collaborative initiative will enable a radical change in genomic medicine in neuromuscular diseases and serve as a model for genomic understanding of other neurological diseases in India."
Professor Hanna added, "I am very pleased to work with leading AIIMS researchers to advance the diagnosis and genetic therapy of patients with neuromuscular disorders, affecting at least 17 million children and adults. of adults in the world ".
Last year, UCL academics specializing in medical research, health technologies and frugal innovation hosted AIIMS colleagues in London to discuss this future collaboration.
Dame Nicola Brewer (Vice-Provost of UCL) said: "This initiative connects experts from the UK, India, Turkey, South Africa and of Zambia in a major global partnership.
"This international partnership will help train a new generation of clinical academics who, we hope, will become leaders in genomic medicine and specialized care delivery in each of the partner countries – which will allow to jointly create smart solutions to global challenges and to develop independent research capacity globally ".
The new International Center will be officially inaugurated by Professor Fiona Watt, Executive Director of the Medical Research Council, at a reception hosted by Lord Kakkar in the House of Lords on April 3, 2019, attended by high-level colleagues. AIIMS level.
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