Mumbai: T cells that are full of puzzles, are believed to hold the key to long-term protection against the SARS-COV-2 virus which causes Covid, will soon be the focus of research at the BMC Nair BMC Hospital near the Mumbai Central Central Railway Station.
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This study will be conducted at the Advanced Immunology Laboratory, the first for the city public health system, which was inaugurated by Uddhav Thackeray’s main minister on Saturday and funded by Tata Sons.
The Immunology Lab is an additional one from the Nair Hospital when finished 100 years on Saturday.
The clinical skills laboratory of 3,000 square feet, once again the first in the public system, is also inaugurated to train 6,000 surgeons every year on newer technology and skills.
Dr.
Jayanthi Shastri, who will lead the immunology lab, said together with the Genom Sequencing Laboratory, which was inaugurated on August 4, his team could study “host and pathogens extensively.
“This leap for the public health system,” he said.
While laboratories will initially study Covid, it can be used to study various pathogens and other conditions such as HIV, stem cells and cancer.
Global research on Covid and the immune system has shown that antibodies produced by beta cells begin to decrease in one year, but research is underway to check whether T cells – are also called memory cells of immune systems against covid.
“Initially, we could see the immune signal in Covid.
The equipment here can be used to learn why some people who are vaccinated do not develop antibodies,” Dr Shastri said.
The second laboratory at Nair Hospital is located next to the corpse because it also has a walk-in freezer to save 15 bodies for use to teach.
“The clinical skill laboratory has been developed such as modern operating theater with advanced audio-visual systems to carry out medical procedures or surgical procedures in the corpse,” said Dr.
Amresh Baliarsingh, former Head of the Ministry of Plastic Surgery who had worked on the development of the lab.
He said the clinical skill lab would be used to train medical students on newer surgical skills.
“The main advantage is that as a hospital Nair is a public institution, operational costs will be low.
We will be able to provide training with subsidized costs while the laboratory in the private sector imposes more than RS 25,000 for two-day training,” he said.
Dr.
Uday Bhatt, who heads the plastic surgery department, said the plan is to offer 50 to 100 courses a year with 60 participants for each.
Dean Dr.
Ramesh Bharmal said, “Since it was founded in 1921, Nair Hospital always tried to improve.” After 2005 floods showed the emergence of leptospirosis and dengue fever, he received a molecular diagnostic laboratory (at the Kasturba Mitra Hospital).
“Now, we have a genome lab.”