A significant event on India’s indigenous medical system is being planned by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in collaboration with the Ministry of Ayush of the Indian government.

The Institute intends to give AYUSH scientists and researchers a venue where they may hear from specialists in academia and business and gain a general understanding of the rapidly increasing area of AYUSH sciences.

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Additionally, it served as a forum for networking, sharing, and showcasing one’s research discoveries with colleagues from academia and industry, including technical institutions, businesses, AYUSH colleges, and hospitals for potential partnerships.

The Department of Biotechnology at IIT Madras is hosting AYURTECH 2022-CME, a six-day continuing medical education (CME) event from June 20–25, 2022, on “Technological interventions to standardize the indigenous system of medicine in India.” The Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, is funding this CME program.

Dr. Manoj Nesari, Advisor, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, addressed the opening session of the combined inaugural event of AYURTECH 2022- CME and the IITM AYURTECH 2022-Lecture series, saying, “The Ministry of Ayush is working keenly to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the National Health Policy, 2017. Therefore, there is enormous potential for AYUSH and technology integration.

“We learned through the COVID-19 pandemic that Indian traditional remedies are just as effective at treating the virus as other medications. India can dominate the globe if we combine AYUSH with technology”, Said Dr. Tanuja Nesari, CEO of the National Medicinal Plant Board and Director of the AII India Institute of Ayurveda in New Delhi.

The hands-on workshop will focus on four relevant areas:

1. Applied plant biotechnology for sustainable production of uniform and high-quality medicinal plant biomass at a large scale

2. Qualitative and quantitative characterization of phytochemicals in medicinal plant extracts

3. Bioactivity analysis of medicinal plant extracts for targeted therapeutic applications with the underlying mechanism of action.

4. Application of bioinformatics to study the pleiotropic effects of medicinal plant extracts (phytochemicals)

The interactive lecture series extensively covered the fields of medicinal chemistry, applied plant biotechnology, bioinformatics, and biological sciences. Speakers at the two sessions were eminent scientists, academics, and researchers engaged in active research in related fields who are connected to several reputable national-level Institutes of Industry.

“There is a significant need for Indian medicines to have the technical assistance to take them to the next level,” Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director of IIT Madras, said in a speech to the participants. This will offer scientific and empirical support for Indian remedies. The need to concentrate on research that would result in the filing of additional patents for Indian pharmaceuticals

“We believe that such events would stimulate the researchers in IITs and AYUSH linked Institutes and Natural product Industry to foster interdisciplinary research and innovation via successful research and academic partnerships,” Dr. Smita Srivastava continued. This might result in further projects like cooperative academic degrees and research programs with AYUSH colleges, technological institutions like IITs, and related industries.