"We joined forces to save patients with cancer": KGMU on agreements with universities in India

      The first day of the business forum “TIME: Russia – India,” which is taking place at the Kazan IT Park, is drawing to a close. The forum brought together a wide range of businessmen, government officials and members of the scientific community from Tatarstan and India. Special attention was paid to cooperation in the fields of medicine and higher education.

      On the sidelines of the forum, cooperation agreements were signed between Kazan State Medical University and Indian universities. The global problems those agreements are intended to address were discussed at the press conference “Tradition and Innovation: How the Experience of the Past Shapes the Future of Medicine in Tatarstan and India.”

      “It should be noted that KSMU has for decades actively worked with and trained medical students who come from India. Today more than a thousand of them study with us at the Faculty of General Medicine. This provided a good foundation for the agreements,” said acting rector of KSMU Diana Abdulganiyeva.

      The signed agreements will form the basis for further scientific research. Diana Abdulganiyeva shared that over the next three years they plan to develop molecules to treat malignant tumors that are resistant to conventional therapy.

      The scientific work is being carried out by teams led by Professor Sergey Boychuk, a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan, and Professor Arindam Mukherjee of the Indian Research and Educational Institute in Kolkata.

      “Colleagues received a joint Russian‑Indian grant. We are interested both in continuing the educational process and in developing new directions. They are already clearly taking shape,” said Diana Abdulganiyeva.

      Sergey Boychuk noted that Russian and Indian scientists are valuable research partners.

      “Tumors adapt to treatment — this is a global problem. This motivates clinical physicians to seek new approaches to defeat the terrible disease or prolong a patient’s life. We have combined the efforts of two research groups and will look for drugs that target tumor cells specifically. There will be fewer side effects and a greater therapeutic effect,” said Sergey Boychuk.

      The project will result in the creation of a new class of drugs that will enter clinics and help patients with oncological diseases.

      The grant program is planned for three years with the possibility of a two‑year extension. According to Sergey Boychuk, the allotted time will be used for an in‑depth analysis of the effectiveness of compounds already studied. The results obtained will later allow consideration of conducting clinical trials.

      “Perhaps that will be beyond the grant, but the first step has been taken. We look to the future with optimism,” the speaker said.

      At the end of the press conference, Diana Abdulganiyeva again touched on the topic of foreign students. She emphasized the increase in their numbers and level of motivation.

      “We have a unique trend: our alumni, after working in India, teach at KSMU. Our colleagues go to India every year and conduct master classes for prospective students who wish to come to Kazan. We hope that today’s agreements will expand exchanges among faculty,” she said.

      “Yes, this is a very good initiative. We can do this,” replied Professor Arindam Mukherjee of the Indian Research and Educational Institute in Kolkata.

      Photo: © Salavat Kamaletdinov / Tatar‑inform

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