Chennai based Madras Diabetes Research Foundation (MDRF) has joined hands with US based Emory University to establish a global centre for research on diabetes at the Women’s Biotech Park in Siruseri, Chennai.
The Centre will be set up on a 300 sqft plot initially and then it would be expanded to over 3000 sqft. Emory University has agreed to invest around One million US dollars into this project over a period of five years. The MDRF will be providing the land and other infrastructure.
This project is aimed at strengthening the epidemiological study on diabetes among Asians and other ethnic groups. Apart from this the collaborative research will also aim at strengthening the data management process at MDRF. It would also help to develop quality assurance and analysis of data and assist in transfer of cutting-edge laboratory techniques.
“As of now there is no proper data management done anywhere. We are aiming to improve the storage and analysis of research data and bring them out as research papers. This venture will also help in strengthening the research capabilities of both the institutions,” said Dr Rema Mohan, vice president MDRF.
The president of MDRF, Dr V Mohan said that the collaboration would lead to solutions that would help reduce the burden of diabetes in India and the rest of the world. He said that from Emory University, KM Venkat Narayan, Hubert Chair of Global Health and Professor of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, would head the project.
He said that as a part of this venture both the institutions were planning for research student exchange programmes. According to Mohan, through this the students would be able to gain a wider insight about the diseases.
Moreover, the project is also aimed at becoming a platform for international researchers to conduct their studies on Diabetes. Mohan said that his center would be more than happy to welcome researchers from other universities to conduct their research work.
He said that the legal formalities pertaining to the project would be over in the coming weeks and the center would be inaugurated next month. “We will be inaugurating the center in the month of September, but we will be starting the project right away,” said Dr Mohan.
James Curran, Dean, Rollins School of Public Health, said that the best way to understand an epidemic better was to study its pattern from the various perspectives as it manifests differently in different countries.
He said that the collaboration will initially be for a period of three years and after that it would be extended further.
