On 18 November 2022, the Centre for Genetics and Genomics at Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Sevagram added DNA sequencing and molecular cytogenetics to its armamentarium. Shri Dhirubhai Mehta (President, Kasturba Health Society) and Shri PL Tapadia (Vice-President, Kasturba Health Society) performed the pooja of the newly acquired facility. Dr NM Gangane (Dean, MGIMS), Dr (Mrs) P Narang (Emeritus Professor of Microbiology and Coordinator of Centre for Genetics and Genomics), Dr AK Pal (In-charge of Cytogenetics & Molecular Genetics), head of departments, faculty and staff were present during the function.
“The addition of Molecular genetics shall now help us precisely understand the patient’s genomic sequence and thereby contribute to a better understanding of health and disease. With the help of the laboratory tools of molecular biology, it will now be possible to relate the changes in the structure and sequence of human genes to functional changes in protein function, and lead to the precise targeting of the affected gene”, informed Dr Pal.
“Since all diseases are genetic in origin, the understanding of genetics is pertinent to a patient’s diagnosis and treatment. We are proud to inform that our work on Molecular Genetics has been highly acclaimed and published in high impact journals. Our research will provide the doctors with novel insights into the biology of human health and diseases”, said Dr (Mrs) P Narang. “We are now hopeful to get more referrals of congenital disease patients from other hospital in Vidarbha”, Dr Narang added.
“The Centre for Genetics and Genomics has been doing commendable work in cytogenetics since 1992. Molecular diagnosis launched in 2010 and recently has added sequencing and molecular cytogenetics to its armamentarium’, said Dr Gangane.
On the same day, a study involving the registry of various Rheumatology diseases by the department of Medicine at MGIMS was inaugurated. “MGIMS along with Medanta Institute of Education and Research and 5 public and private collaborators shall create a Rheumatology database to ensure faster and cost-effective drug development in Rheumatology”, informed Dr Bharati Taksande (Professor of Medicine, MGIMS and the Principal investigator of the project). “Under BIRAC NBM grant, the GCP compliant network is being established by utilizing trained manpower, procurement of equipment, and establishment of common software for Rheumatology database”, said Dr Jyoti Jain (Head of Medicine, MGIMS)