Hyderabad startup reverses chronic liver failure in animal trials
Conducted on rats, the preclinical study showed 100% liver fibrosis reversal and zero mortality among treated subjects, in stark contrast to the untreated group that saw only 14% reversal and 43% deaths.
Tulsi-28X is a first-in-class regenerative biologic derived from Wharton's Jelly mesenchymal stem cells and their native exosomes, a combination never before tested in any animal model globally. Tulsi Therapeutics, incubated at ASPIRE-BioNEST, University of Hyderabad, developed the platform entirely in India over three years.
Chronic liver failure accounts for nearly 20% of all liver-related deaths globally, with liver transplantation being the only treatment. Founder and CEO of Tulsi Therapeutics Dr Sairam Atluri said, 'There have been individual successes with stem cells and exosomes, but we combined them because they operate through different mechanisms. This combination maximised the biological outcome and marks a major milestone for India's biotech sector.'
Looking ahead, the chief scientific officer said the next goal is to initiate human clinical trials in partnership with Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), with groundwork expected to take up to two years.
The results were presented at the AASLD 2024 Liver Conference in San Diego and have also been accepted for publication in the Journal of Regenerative Medicine.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
US health officials crack down on kratom products after industry complaints
US health officials are warning Americans about the risks of an opioid-related ingredient increasingly added to energy drinks, gummies and supplements sold at gas stations and convenience stores, recommending a nationwide chemical, known as 7- hydroxymitragynine, is a component of kratom, a plant native to Southeast Asia that has gained popularity in the US as an unapproved treatment for pain, anxiety and drug recent months, dietary supplement companies that sell kratom have been urging the Food and Drug Administration to crack down on the products containing 7-OH, portraying it as a dangerously concentrated, synthetic form of the original ingredient. The FDA action 'is not focused on natural kratom leaf products," according to a statement Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human agency said it was releasing a report to educate about the risks of '7-OH and its distinction from the kratom plant leaf.' Regulators are also recommending that the ingredient be placed on the federal government's most restrictive list of illegal drugs, which includes LSD and heroin.'7-OH is an opioid that can be more potent than morphine," said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary. "We need regulation and public education to prevent another wave of the opioid epidemic.'The agency's recommendation will be reviewed by the Drug Enforcement Administration, which sets federal rules for high-risk drugs including prescription medicines and illicit substances. A national ban wouldn't take effect until the agency drafts and finalizes new rules governing the regulators have been scrutinizing kratom for about a decade after reports of addiction, injury and overdose. But users and distributors have long opposed efforts to regulate it, saying kratom could be a safer alternative to opioid painkillers that sparked the ongoing drug addiction month, the FDA issued warning letters to seven companies selling drinks, gummies and powders infused with 7-OH. Regulators said the products violated FDA rules because they have not been evaluated for safety and, in some cases, claimed to treat medical conditions, including pain, arthritis and executives quickly applauded the FDA "demonstrated the exact kind of data-driven, proactive regulatory excellence needed to safeguard unwitting consumers across the U.S.,' said Ryan Niddel of Diversified Botanics, a Utah-based company that sells kratom industry group, the American Kratom Association, has lobbied Congress for years against restrictions on the plant. Legislation supported by the group would prohibit the FDA from regulating kratom more strictly than food and dietary Tuesday, a rival group that supports the availability of 7-OH drugs criticized the government's move, pointing to the influence of kratom suppliers.'Big kratom trade groups have spent years blaming 7-OH for harms caused by their own unregulated products, because it threatens their market share,' the Holistic Alternative Recovery Trust stated in an emailed a decade ago, the federal government came close to banning 2016, the DEA announced plans to add it to the government's most restrictive schedule 1, reserved for drugs that have no medical use and a high potential for abuse. But the plan stalled after a flood of public complaints, including a letter signed by more than 60 members of FDA then began studying the ingredient, concluding in 2018 that kratom contains many of the same chemicals as opioids, the addictive class of drugs that includes painkillers like OxyContin as well as heroin and then, FDA regulators have continued to issue warnings about cases of injury, addiction and death with kratom supplements, which are usually sold in capsules or recent months, the FDA has also issued warnings on other unapproved drugs sold as supplements or energy drinks, including the antidepressant tianeptine. Sometimes referred to collectively as 'gas station heroin,' the drugs have been restricted by several states, but they are not scheduled at the federal level.- EndsMust Watch
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
108 ambulance operators' strike enters 2nd day, patients suffer
Ranchi: Patients in Ranchi and across the state faced major inconvenience as the indefinite strike launched by the 108 ambulance operators entered the second day on Tuesday. Despite working in the essential service sector, the ambulance drivers and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) launched the strike, demanding a hike in their payments and improved working conditions. An official of the ambulance service provider, however, denied providing a lower salary or depriving them of benefits. Even as the employees and the service provider are making charges and counter-charges against each other, patients are shelling out extra money to hire private vehicles and ambulances. Later, the service provider said it would not allow the employees to hold the essential service to ransom and would take up alternative measures to streamline the service at the earliest. Some measures were already in place to help the patients, the service provider added. Notably, around 100 ambulance drivers and EMTs from various districts gathered in Ranchi to stage a protest against the Bihar-based private agency, Samman Foundation, which is operating the 108 ambulance service in the state. The workers alleged that despite long working hours and critical responsibilities, they are paid meagre salaries and are denied basic facilities. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Emergency Generators in Belo: (Prices May Surprise You) Emergency Generator | Search Ads Search Now Undo They said until their issues are resolved, the ambulance service would be halted across the state. Neeraj Tiwari, the state president of the Jharkhand Pradesh Ambulance Karmachari Sangh, alleged that despite being engaged in an emergency service that has been providing essential health assistance to the people since the inception of 108 ambulance services in Jharkhand in 2017, their standard of living has deteriorated. According to Tiwari, the workers were neither given medical benefits nor the salary promised under the state labour laws. Moreover, they don't get overtime money, though they work 12 hours or more without getting any holidays or days off, Tiwari claimed. The protesting workers also demanded provident funds and medical insurance facilities. Moreover, they said as the 108 ambulances are deteriorating, the vehicles often put their and patients' lives at risk. In the meantime, Pankaj Dubey, a patient who came to Rims on Tuesday for a leg injury, had to hire a private ambulance for Rs 2,000 to reach the hospital from Itki, a distance of about 30 km .
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
No gaps in education: Bengaluru to get school for children fighting cancer, their siblings
Bengaluru: Bengaluru will soon get a school for paediatric cancer patients. The department of school education and literacy will collaborate with Cankids KidsCan, a Delhi-based NGO, to start a school that will cater to children undergoing cancer treatment and their siblings. The department is likely to select an existing school next to Kidwai Memorial Institute for Oncology as an interim arrangement. Later on, it plans to build a residential school near the hospital. A memorandum of understanding will be signed soon. According to Kidwai, there are around 600-650 children who receive treatment in the hospital at any point in time. The hospital officials noted it is a practice for the entire family to migrate for the treatment of a child. The father usually picks up a job as an unskilled labourer to fend for the family, while the other parent cares for the child. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru "Most of the time, siblings migrate with the rest of the family. Therefore, the schooling of both, the cancer-affected child and their siblings, gets disrupted," the hospital observed at a recent meeting. The hospital usually receives patients from all parts of Karnataka as well as other states like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Libas Purple Days Sale Libas Undo CanKids KidsCan - The National Society for Change for Childhood Cancer in India already runs similar establishments in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. "When the focus is all on health after the cancer diagnosis, the child's right to education and a childhood is ignored. That is where we want to step in," said Poonam Bagai, founder and a cancer survivor herself. Experiential education plans for each child The NGO will provide formal education in partnership with the state education department. The child will be registered in the Student Achievement Tracking System to ensure they do not drop out. Teachers prepare personalised, activity-rich and experiential education plans for each child depending on their treatment and current educational level. The child can learn at their own pace and style of learning. The student will get all the facilities available at a school. "The child will feel that he/she is going to a regular school — with uniforms, books, shoes, hear a school bell, see their peers — even if they might not end up learning like in a mainstream school," she said. Siblings will also be accommodated in the same school. The NGO has requested around 25 rooms so that they can run `the hybrid system, counselling, and nutrition support as well. It will also provide online learning when the child completes in-patient treatment and moves back to their home. "The challenge with cancer patients is the location. They keep shuttling between hospital and home and thus miss out on school. The hybrid system will ensure that children across the state continue learning," she said. Department of school education officials said the state is keen to get the school started as early as possible. "We are identifying the schools and will sign an MoU soon. We will also look at starting a new residential school soon," said a senior official.
