The Department of Health Sciences and Center for Complementary and Integrative Health has been engaged in various research activities. It consists of evidence-based Ayurveda and integrative medicine as well as meta-research, analysis, policy advocacy and thought leadership in AYUSH research. The milestone research projects undertaken so far are as follows:

  •   A study of Ashwagandha administration in participants vaccinated against COVID-19 on safety, immunogenicity, and protection: A randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, multi-centric clinical trial (2021)
  •   AyurGyan - Capacity Building Program for AYUSH Professionals (2022)
    Funding agency:
    Ministry of Ayush, Government of India
  •   Indian Human Microbiome Initiative (2020)
    Funding agency:
    Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India
    Collaborator: National Centre for Microbial Resource (NCMR) - National Centre for Cell Sciences (NCCS), Pune, India
  •   Preclinical Evaluations of Selected AYUSH Herbal Extracts / Formulations for Mitigating SARS- CoV2 and Associated Pathologies (2020)
    Funding agency:
    Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, and Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India
    Collaborators:
    DBT-Translational Health Science and Technology Institute, Faridabad, India.
  •   Immunomodulatory Potential of Withania somnifera and Tinospora cordifolia in Healthy Volunteers – A Proof of Concept Study (2021)
    Funding agency:
    Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar, Gujrat, India
    Collaborators:
    Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar, Gujrat, India
    Pharmanza herbal Pvt. Ltd. Gujarat, India
    ICMR- National AIDS Research Institute (NARI), Pune, India
  •   Preclinical Study on Development of Therapeutic Adjuvants based on Ayurveda (2017- 2021)
    Funding agency:
    AYUSH- Center of Excellence, Ministry of AYUSH
    Collaborators:
    Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
    Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, India
    National Centre for Cell Sciences, Pune
    National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
    Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
    Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Pune, India
  •   Role of Ayurvedic Rasayana in Osteogenic and Adipogenic Differentiation of Human Umbilical Cord derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in 3D Culture and Diseased Animal Models (2017-2019)
    Funding agency:
    Department of Science and Technology under Ayurvedic Biology Program
    Collaborators:
    Department of Biotechnology, Sinhgad College of Engineering, Pune, India
    Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth, S T Nagar, Pimpri, Pune, India
  •   Network Ethnopharmacological Investigation for Natural Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors (2015 – 2017)
    Funding agency:
    Board of College and University Department, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India
  •   Herb-Drug Interactions between Prescription Drugs and Herbal Drugs during Treatment of Diabetes (2013 – 2015)
    Funding agency:
    Board of College and University Development, University of Pune, India
  •   AyuGenomics®: Genomic Variation Analysis and Gene Expression Profiling of Human Dosha Prakriti based on Principles of Ayurveda (2007 – 2011)
  •   Development of Novel Herbal Adjuvants for Vaccine (2004- 2006)
    Funding agency:
    Department of Science and Technology, Government of India.
    Collaborators:
    Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Pune, India.
  •   Development of AyuSoft – An Intelligent Decision Support System based on Ayurvedic Knowledge (2003-2006)
    Funding agency:
    Department of Information Technology, Government of India.
    Collaborators:
    Center for Development of Advance Computing (C-DAC), Pune, India.
  •   New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI): Development of Ayurveda-based Formulations for Treatment of Arthritis (2002 – 2006)
    Funding agency:
    Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India
    Collaborators:
    Centre for Rheumatic Diseases (CRD), Pune

|| Research Programs ||

Winter School on Transdisciplinary Research (a DHR Project)
The AYUSH-CoE team participated in organization of Winter School on transdisciplinary research for integrative health. The Winter School was a one-month residential (15th Nov-2018 to 15th-Dec-2018) program funded by the Department of Health Research (DHR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and SPPU.

The training modules covered during the Winter School are enlisted below:

  • Evidence Based Medicine and Integrative Health
  • Drug Discovery Sciences
  • Nutritional Biochemistry
  • Introduction to Molecular Biology and Ayurvedic Biology
  • Complementary Medicine and Public Health
  • Systems Biology
  • Epidemiology and Pharmacoepidemiology
  • Biostatistics and Quantitative Methods

The highlights of the DHR Winter School 2018 were as follows:

  • One-month residential training program
  • Participants from traditional (AYUSH) and modern sciences (life sciences and biomedical sciences)
  • 30 participants from 16 states of India and one participant from Nepal
  • More than 60 resource persons guided the participants
  • Unique blend of Gurukul and University systems
  • Peer group learning
  • Innovative pedagogy methods comprising group interaction, panel discussion, lab visits, field visits, fun and learn activities

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