Hyderabad: K & H Personalised Medicine Clinic, is launching the one of its kind medical genomics based personalised health assessment and treatment protocol, for the first time in this part of the world. The rapidly evolving field of medical genomics, which will create a new paradigm in the way healthcare services are rendered in the years to come, is currently the exclusive preserve of world’s iconic medical institutions, Mayo, Harvard and Stanford universities and Hyderabad in India will be the only other city to boast of such high end medical care now.
K & H Personalised Medicine Clinic, is being spearheaded by two distinguished professionals in medical genomics with enormous experience and international exposure gained from IVY League institutions, Dr Hima Jyothi Challa, from Harvard University and Dr Kalyan Ram Uppaluri from Stanford University. Dr Himahad the rare distinction of being invited as the keynote speaker for the recently held 3rd World Congress on Personalized Medicine, at Auckland, New Zealand. She presented latest advances in the field to delegates from across the globe.
Our constant quest to address the riddle of medical treatments always beginning after diagnosis of the disease, the system being reactive rather than proactive there being no emphasis or awareness of healthy lifestyle, prevention and the extraordinary stress being laid to find multiple treatments to the same disease, is what took us to the not so much explored frontier of medical genomics, says Dr Hima Jyothi Challa.
We strongly believe that the lack of quality food, significant lifestyle changes, exposure to stress from an young age, introduction of multiple new food products which are alien to our ancestors and thereby to our genes and hereditary factors, are all combining into a deadly concoction of chronic diseases. Therefore, there is a need to shift the gears and the focus to preventive care and medical genomics becomes the obvious option, says Dr Kalyan Ram.
Medical genomics in a nutshell is about analysing our genes (DNA), to look at the root cause for the pathogenesis of any disease process. There are umpteen advantages of testing the genome and in pre-empting the disease. It helps to
Predict the disease process before it happens and enables to prevent it before hand.
Can assess the influences of our surrounding environment like impact of work stress, addictions, pollution, dietary habits know as Epigenetics, on our health.
Above all, we can determine the right medication which works best, depending on our genome without producing much side effects, and the right dosage to be administered at the right time. This makes the current trial and error medication redundant, to the advantage of the patient.
Enables to advice the best exercise regimen needed to maintain good health and the appropriate food groups for the optimal health of the body.
Personalised medicine based on medical genomics works on the principle that not everybody should be treated the same way or put into boxes depending on the symptoms and diagnosis. Each one of us is unique and have different genetic composition, therefore one size does not fit all. Calibrating the medicine and dose as per the need brings in precision treatment and prevents ill effects of wrong and excess dosage. Often the current protocols for prescribing medicines are based on trials done on Western populace, their genomic composition and the pattern their bodies react to treatment is disparate from our population. Medical genomics addresses this concern by bringing in accuracy in administering medication and therefore the medical fraternity strongly believes that the future of modern medicine lies in medical genomics.
We are immensely enthused as we delve deeper into the concept of personalised medicine. It strengthens our belief of being able to achieve the goal of providing best medical treatment possible to our patients, by combining the best of both biotechnology and clinical medicine. Our unique qualification bridges the chasm between them, for the first time in India, says Dr Kalyan Ram Uppaluri.
Extensive research is on in countries like Europe, UK, Canada, Australia, USA, with the help of the government to obtain worldwide genome analysis and make medical genomics mainstream medical treatment. In fact, UK has set the goal to fetch genomic analysis of every citizen by 2025 and is going to be the pioneer in personalised medicine. There are only three Centres in USA providing this type of care, the Mayo, Harvard and Stanford Universities. They even started a post graduate training after medical school only in medical genomics from 2017. K & H Personalised Medicine Clinic, brings this niche and highly specilaised care, which till now was the exclusive preserve of world’s top medical and research institutions, within the reach of Indians and Hyderabadi’s in specific.
Our population is much younger and the need for preventive medicine and personalised treatments is more than the developed countries. If we do not act pre-emptively and prevent the disease within the next 20 to 30 years, the burden could become enormous and unmanageable, even as the healthcare expenses skyrocket, opines Dr Hima Jyothi.
K & H Personalised Medicine Clinic, will leverage the expertise of the two highly qualified and experienced specialists in the field, to provide state-of-the-art and most advanced precision medicine. This, first of its kind personalised medicine clinic in India will work on the DNA/genomic data to curate the state-of-the-art, highly sophisticated medical treatment in health. The Clinic will provide long-term health goals, with advice to the whole family and a guide to good health for the complete lifespan, besides counselling on food habits, lifestyle changes etc.
We are bringing to India, one of a kind futuristic medical treatment which is going to change the paradigm of medical management in the next 5 to 10 years. Most of the current medicines are going to be obsolete and treatments in future will be targeting genes through Gene Therapy. We believe, this initiative will give the necessary head start to India and the impetus to the advanced care here, adds Dr Kalyan Ram Uppaluri.
