Adamas University gets approval from ICMR to conduct research on stem cells

Subhash Mukhopadhyay Centre for Stem cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at Adamas University, Kolkata, has recently been approved for conducting research using stem cells by Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). This is the first such organization in eastern India to have this approval. The founding head of this centre Dr. Maharshi Krishna Deb, who did his postdoctoral training at Stanford University’s Stem Cell Institute, was instrumental in composing and registering the Institutional Committee for Stem Cell Research (IC-SCR) with ICMR for overseeing the ethical implications of scientific research that would be conducted using human stem cells. Since human stem cells is required for the embryo to develop into an adult and for wound healing, stem cells can be used to tackle various genetic and congenital disorders as well as to regenerate tissues and organs. Moreover, as mounting evidence attributes ageing, which is the biggest risk factor for most human diseases, to decline in stem cell number, research on human stem cells is essential to extend healthy lifespan. However, as human embryo can be generated in the lab using human stem cells which can be misused for human cloning or commoditization of human organs, the ethical aspects of utilization of human stem cells for scientific research requires this ICMR-approved IC-SCR.

Figure legend: A colony of pluripotent stem cell amidst somatic cells. Image generated and provided by Dr. Maharshi Deb

The composition of the Adamas University Institutional Committee for Stem Cell Research (AU-IC-SCR),registered with ICMR, for research activities at the Subhash Mukhopadhyay Centre for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine located in Adamas University, Kolkata: