The India Post, Chandigarh, 15th May, 2009 :Dr. Rajat Sandhir, Reader in the Department of Biochemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh has been awarded a research project on ‘Identification of effective therapeutic compounds in preventing long term consequences of Traumatic Brain Injury’ for a period of three years under the Collaborative Projects with Scientists and Technologists of Indian Origin Abroad (CP-STIO) Program of the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India. This is one of the 23 such research programs funded all over India and the only one in states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. This program will allow formal scientific collaborations and student training between the Panjab University and the Medical University of South Carolina, USA.
The foreign scientist in the program is Dr. Inderjit Singh, a former graduate of Department of Biochemistry, Scientific Director, Darby’s Children’s Hospital and Distinguished University Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, USA. He is an eminent neuroscientist who has over 250 research papers in prestigious peer reviewed journals and is also alumni of the Department of Biochemistry. He has contributed immensely in the area of neuro-developmental and neurological disorders along with brain and spinal cord injury.. For his scientific achievements, the National Institute of Health of United States of America has awarded him with highest meritorious award, Jacob Javits A ward named after late Senator Jacob Javits. Dr. Singh serves on the board of many national and international scientific research organizations.
Dr Rajat Sandhir has been involved in various research activities pertaining to neuro-degenerative conditions and also has numerous publications to his credit. He has also been involved in understanding why the outcomes are worse following brain injury in elderly in collaboration with Prof. Nancy E. Berman, Research Director (Neuro-surgery) at the Kansas University Medical Centre, USA. Dr. Sandhir has also been served as reviewer for various brain injury programs of the US department of defense and also been a reviewer of various neuroscience journals.
Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In developing country like India there has been an alarming increase in number of brain injuries due to increase in number of vehicles. It has been estimated that 125,000 individuals acquire disabilities every year secondary to brain injury in India alone. The need for such research is further highlighted by increasing motor vehicle and other accidents and recently by the high number of brain injuries to soldiers in the field as improved protective vehicles save the lives but do not protect against injury especially the brain. No effective treatments are currently available to prevent long-term disability form brain injury. Dr. Sandhir hopes that this project will help in developing traumatic brain injury research program at the Panjab University along with finding an effective therapeutic treatment in preventing damage/disability following traumatic brain injury.