Clinical Research

In accordance with our vision, having established a sound service delivery program conforming to the highest quality standards, we at ISIC are focusing our attention on education and research. To this end, our doctors and researchers have undertaken several clinical research projects. Our aim is to develop a facility which would provide a platform for basic researchers to interact closely with clinicians with a mission to provide cutting-edge solutions to existing therapeutic loopholes in medical science. Efforts to this effect are reflected in the following completed/ongoing clinical research projects undertaken at ISIC.

Overview

Completed Projects

• “Autologous Olfactory mucosal transplant in chronic spinal cord injury – an Indian Pilot Study” done with approval from ICMR, has been successfully completed and published in the Journal of Spinal Cord in December 2009.
• “Thoracic myelopathy due to ossification of ligamentum flavum: a retrospective analysis of predictors of surgical outcome and factors affecting preoperative neurological status”, has been successfully completed and published in the Journal of Spine in May 2009
• “Fournier’s gangrene in a female with spinal cord injury: a case report” has been successfully completed and published in the Journal of Spinal Cord in March 2010.
• “Permanent cardiac pacemaker for cardiac arrest following cervico-dorsal spinal injury”, has been successfully completed and published in the Journal of Spine in July 2009.
• “Easy drainage of Presacral abscess”, has been successfully completed and published in the Journal of Spine in December 2007.

Ongoing Projects

The following research projects are currently being undertaken at ISIC :

• Role of Pregabalin in SCI.
• Autologous Bone Marrow Cell Transplantation for Acute Spinal cord Injury (also approved by ICMR).
• A Comparison of the Different Methods for Surgical Management of Thoracolumbar Burst Fractures: An ASSI Collaborative Multicentric Study.
• Multicentric ASSI for an SCI data base
• An Observational Study to Assess Back Pain in Patients with Severe Osteoporosis
• Outcome Assessment of Patients who have undergone any form of stem cell treatment for Spinal Cord injury at any Center in India.

Future Developments

To achieve the aim of an integrated therapeutic and research facility, ISIC is setting up a Basic Research facility as well as an Animal House at Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (New Delhi, India) for the Development of Cell-Based Therapies for Spinal Cord Injury Repair

This research facility will include a Mammalian Cell Culture Room, Molecular Biology Lab and will be supported by a well established Animal House.

The role of the Basic Research Facility is to promote and facilitate the use of cell culture as a research tool and provide support to clinicians to study disease progression as well as effect of treatment at the molecular level. This facility will include a cell culture room comprising of state-of-art equipment required for establishment and maintenance of mesenchymal stem cells cell lines as well as primary mammalian cell cultures such as laminar flow hood, CO2 incubators, light phase dissecting microscope, a routine phase contrast microscope, etc. In addition to this, a separate imaging area consisting of a fluorescence microscope with imaging facility will also be provided for immuno-fluorescence studies on cultured cells. Proper areas will be developed in the facility to facilitate culture media preparation, testing and screening, culturing of primary cells and established cell lines as well as their long-term preservation. Infrastructure to undertake advanced molecular and immunological analyses will also be developed.

Along with basic research, ISIC is committed to providing cutting edge treatments to our patients. To this end, a STEM CELL PROCESSING UNIT has been established at ISIC and a clinical trial on the efficacy of stem cell therapy in case of acute spinal injury is going to be initiated shortly by our team of clinicians and researchers.