CMC Gets First Blood Irradiator of Punjab

Ludhiana, February 15, 2014: The first blood irradiator in Punjab was inaugurated at Christian Medical College, Ludhiana by Maheshinder Singh Grewal, Adviser to Chief Minister, Punjab. The first blood irradiator developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), is used to expose the blood  & blood products to high dose gamma rays for making the blood safe for transfusion to bone marrow transplant patients. Dr.Joseph John, Head Haemato-oncology and Bone marrow transplant unit at CMC told that the method eliminates the risk of reaction, known as Graft vs Hot Disease(T-GVHD) and is very important for thalassemia and blood cancer (Leukemia/Lymphoma) patients going in for bone marrow transplant. The irradiator has been procured by a grant from Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT) and has greatly helped CMC hospital in its successful bone-marrow transplant programme. Dr.A.G.Thomas, Director , CMC, Dr.A.K.Kholi, Executive Chief, BRIT, Dr.P.J Chandi from National Association for Application of Radioisotopes in Industry (NAARI) were present during the inauguration.
S.S. Bajaj, Chairman, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), Govt. of India, inaugurated the two days symposium on “Applications of Radioisotopes and Radiation Technology in modern medicine: diagnosis, therapy and research” at CMC Hospital. During the deliberation of the symposium today, Dr.A.K.Kohli threw light on the spectrum of applications of radioisotopes in medicine and role of BARC in developing the instrumentation for the safe use of radioisotopes. Dr.N.Sivaaprasad (BRIT) elaborated on the application of the radiolabeled molecules in research- he mentioned that a number of food grains are developed at BARC by radiation mutation; particularly the popular varieties of groundnut have been the product of radiation research.
The talk of Dr.B.R.Mittal, head Nuclear Medicine, PGI, Chandigarh was an eye opener for the delegates. He emphasized on the nuclear medical imaging for bone cancer, thyroid carcinoma, renal hypertension, particularly in children with renal artery stenosis. He highlighted that the nuclear medicine has now advanced from a diagnostic to treatment branch of medicine not only for cancer but also for diseases like arthritis and hyperthyroidism. Dr.Baljinder Singh (PGI, Chandigarh) talked about the molecular imaging and drug development with the help of radioisotopes. Dr.Arun Malhotra(AIIMS, Delhi) Dr.D.K.Dhawan(Punjab University, Chandigarh), Dr.P.S.Soni(BFUHS, Fardikot) were the other prominent speakers during the symposium.
The latest developments in the use of radioisotopes in diagnosis and therapy of a number of diseases, particularly cancer were discussed during the conference. The two day symposium was planned to create awareness about the new technologies and provided a platform for fruitful interactions between potential users with scientists and technology providers. About 300 eminent faculty from India participated in the CME program.// ludhiana news online, ludhiana news in English, ludhiana news, ludhiana current news, ludhiana news live, Ludhiana breaking news, Ludhiana headlines, Ludhiana latest news, punjab news, india news, punjab news live, punjab news online, punjab news, punjab news headlines, punjab breaking news, india news, punjab news,

http://cityairnews.com/