India, Netherlands joint project to study brain problems

India today launched a joint project with the Netherlands to study health problems related to brain and develop a model to prevent stroke and dementia as well as heart attacks.
The joint project will see the Netherlands (University of Erasmus), AIIMS and Department of Biotechnology's National Brain Research Centre, Manesar (Haryana) working together.
Minister for Science and Technology Jaipal Reddy said on the occasion, "Through this process we hope, not only to help people at risk but also define known or novel risk factors that place people at risk of developing health problems mainly related to brain."
"This project is designed to serve as a unique model in the sense that instead of usual practice of people seeking help for cure of their diseases at AIIMS, it is the AIIMS which in this project will seek people at risk to prevent diseases. The project focuses on people above 50 years of age in one rural and one urban area.

"Social workers will screen people in the adopted areas, invite them to AIIMS even if they have no symptoms, assess the health of their brain, heart and blood, ask their food habits, give them necessary advice," Biotechnology Department Secretary K Vijayraghawan said.
Minister of Health Welfare and Sports, Government of the Netherlands Edith Schippers said the Erasmus University Medical Centre would provide training and intellectual inputs to people who will work in this project.
AIIMS Director M C Mishra said the organisation stands to gain from this collaboration with the Netherlands' experience in running a world-famous similar study at Rotterdam for last 25 years with over 1,000 research papers.