JANUARY 2018

INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON 4th jan

    

   

                   Students and Staff members of NFSMD department went o Islamiah College, Vaniyambadi conducted an International Seminar on Molecular Basis of Diseases.

Molecular Basis of Disease

With the entire human genome sequenced, it has become easier than it was decades ago to identify the genes that are causally linked to particular diseases. Unfortunately, identification of the gene responsible for a disease does not lead necessarily to a cure. To develop a therapy or cure, we need to understand where and when the particular gene is expressed, and more importantly, how the gene functions in normal as well as in affected cells. The goal of the Molecular Basis of Disease Area of Research Emphasis is to train students to understand the molecular mechanisms by which disease genes function, regardless of the type of disease. Our experimental approaches are mechanistic, employing a variety of techniques that include basic molecular, biochemical, and cell biological techniques, in addition to state of the art live imaging, proteomics, and structural analyses. Our experimental systems also vary in basis from cell cultures to yeasts, mice and human specimens.

International Conference -10.01.2018 and 11.01.2018.

                 

                 Students and Staff members of NFSMD department went to DKM college, Vellore for International Conference on Omics Technologies in Nutritional Research OTNR 2018 on 10.01.2018 and 11.01.2018.

                 This international conference to pool the Research contribution of eminent academicians and industrial practitioners towards this Noble endeavor. Research findings, ideas, technology Sophistication, innovative methods that pave ways to make Healthier World.

                 Omic” technologies adopt a holistic view of the molecule that makes up a cell, tissue or organism. Omics technologies provide the tools needed to look at the differences in DNA, RNA, proteins and other cellular molecules between species and among individuals of a species.

                 

Omics

Technologies that measure some characteristic of a large family of cellular molecules, such as genes, proteins, or small metabolites, have been named by appending the suffix “-omics,” as in “genomics.” Omics refers to the collective technologies used to explore the roles, relationships, and actions of the various types of molecules that make up the cells of an organism.

These technologies include:

• Genomics, “the study of genes and their function” (Human Genome Project (HGP), 2003)

• Proteomics, the study of proteins

• Metabonomics, the study of molecules involved in cellular metabolism

• Transcriptomics, the study of the mRNA

• Glycomics, the study of cellular carbohydrates

• Lipomics, the study of cellular lipids

Omics technologies provide the tools needed to look at the differences in DNA, RNA, proteins, and other cellular molecules between species and among individuals of a species. These types of molecular profiles can vary with cell or tissue exposure to chemicals or drugs and thus have potential use in toxicological assessments. Omics experiments can often be conducted in high-throughput assays that produce tremendous amounts of data on the functional and/or structural alterations within the cell. “These new methods have already facilitated significant advances in our understanding of the molecular responses to cell and tissue damage, and of perturbations in functional cellular systems”

The -omics technologies will continue to contribute to our understanding of toxicity mechanisms. Regulators are interested in these new technologies but are still sorting out how to incorporate the new information and technologies in regulatory decision making. For example, the US Food and Drug Administration’s Pharmacogenomic Data Submission guidance document encourages the voluntary submission of genomics data but notes that the field of pharmacogenomics is still in its early developmental stages.

 

Nutrition, pharmacology, and toxicology

• Nutritional genomics: A science studying the relationship between human genome, nutrition and health.
  
  • Nutrigenetics studies the effect of genetic variations on the interaction between diet and health with implications to susceptible subgroups
  • Nutrigenomics: Study of the effects of foods and food constituents on gene expression. Studies the effect of nutrients on the genome, proteome, and metabolome

• Pharmacogenomics investigates the effect of the sum of variations within the human genome on drugs;

• Pharmacomicrobiomics investigates the effect of variations within the human microbiome on drugs.

• Toxicogenomics: a field of science that deals with the collection, interpretation, and storage of information about gene and protein activity within particular cell or tissue of an organism in response to toxic substances.

ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAM

            Mrs.R.Mahalakshmi, HOD, Department of Nutrition, FSM and Dietetics has been participated in Academic Leadership training  Programme for one week (22.01.2108 to 25.01.2018) conducted by MHRD .

There was a time when academicians were those people with long beards, surrounded by stacks of dis-organized books and equipment strewn all around, teaching with passion or doing experiments in long white coats, with no desire for any material things. That imagery has changed a lot. The demands on academics and academicians are much more complex. The governments expect academic institutions to produce more and better research outputs; the industry demands better employable graudates; parents expect all-round development; society expects furtherance of social causes and equity; the faculty expect a fulfilling career that is at par with the industry; the management expects growth, efficient operations, brand building and proliferation of courses.

It is not difficult to imagine the burden of expectations on academic institution in such a situation. While meeting all these expectations requires many stakeholders of the institution to work together, it most certainly needs a leader who can provide the leadership necessary to visualize, articulate, coordinate and implement strategies to achieve goals and satisfy all stakeholders. Without the appropriate leadership, the institution will be like a ship without a rudder. It will meander, go hither and thither, will become directionless and finally sink, taking with it, all its passengers. So, the importance of leadership in an academic setting is as important as anywhere else.

Having established the importance of academic leadership, let us turn our attention to what traits a good academic leader should have so that he can achieve the complex set of goals mentioned earlier.

1. An academic leader has to be a visionary: To reach a goal, one should first know what the goal is. And if that goal is in the future, the leader should have the capability to imagine the goal, perceive it and then make plans to achieve it.

2. An academic leader has to be articulate: While it is important to have a vision for the institution, it is not enough. In order to make the whole institute work towards achieving the vision, it is imperative that the vision has to be articulated in a way that makes every stakeholder work towards achieving the vision. He should have the capability to persuade, convince and paint a picture of the future that is considered as desirable to everyone. This is no mean task.

3. An academic leader has to be an academician: An academic leader’s words carry no credibility unless he is ‘one of us’. When you consider leaders like General Patton or Mahatma Gandhi, one of the main reasons why they has credibility was that they came from the ranks. People whom they led could easily relate to them. When that happens, the passion, dedication and commitment to a cause naturally surfaces. Anybody from outside that circle will be seen as a leader thrust from above and will be treated like a ‘foreigner’.

4. An academic leader has to be a team player: While leadership thrusts major responsibilities on a person, it is important that the leader carries himself as a ‘first among equals’. He should not create walls and boundaries between organisation layers. He should be always available, open to suggestions and should gladly welcome opposing views. It is through discussion and debate that useful knowledge evolves. A follower is more likely to respect an open and democratic leader and hence contribute positively to growth. If the leader is dictatorial, the followers are likely to show outwardly that they are following orders, but over a period of time, they become apathetic. This is counter-productive to the goals of the organization.

5. An academic leader has to lead by example: The leader has to be a role model to everyone. People will believe in people who lead by example. Leading by one’s own behavior is the greatest message that one can give. Not leading by example leads to loss of credibility.

6. An academic leader should have the courage of conviction: A leader will not be able to achieve anything, unless he truly believes in the goals that have been set. Once he believes in them he should have the courage of conviction to convince other stakeholders about the path to be followed. If he wavers or has doubts about the goals, it will send confusing signals down the organization.

Apart from these, there are other traits like ability to work hard, ability to be available 24X7 etc. What we have dealt with above are some of the major leadership traits that go into making an academic leader.