Arya Vaidya Sala teams up with AIIMS to combat early-age heart attacks

In a bid to tackle early-age heart attacks, Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala is partnering with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, to develop innovative treatments.

Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala’s research wing, the Centre for Medicinal Plants Research (CMPR), has joined forces with AIIMS to develop phytomedicines derived from medicinal plants for the management of early cardiovascular ageing, an emerging area of scientific interest.

CMPR senior scientist Sulaiman C.T. and AIIMS additional professor Dinu S. Chandran jointly formulated the research plan. Arya Vaidya Sala has also tied up with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras to pursue similar research initiatives with a clinical perspective.

“Integrated research bridging Ayurveda and modern medicine is the need of the hour,” said Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala managing trustee and chief physician P.M. Varier after signing a memorandum of understanding with Dr. Chandran.

“At Arya Vaidya Sala, we have consistently prioritised and supported such collaborative efforts to advance holistic and evidence-based healthcare,” Dr. Varier said.

Explaining the joint research programme, Dr. Sulaiman said that Ayurvedic medicinal plants were rich in cardio-protective compounds, offering opportunities for creating new treatments to combat early cardiovascular ageing.

“Our proposed research plan focuses on the preventive aspects of early cardiovascular ageing. We are aiming to harness the natural compounds to promote heart health and delay the onset of vascular decline,” said Dr. Sulaiman.

According to Dr. Chandran, arterial stiffness is marked by reduced elasticity and increased rigidity, and is a key indicator of vascular ageing. “As we age, arterial stiffness tends to increase due to structural and functional changes in the arterial wall,” he said.

Arya Vaidya Sala chief executive officer K. Harikumar, trustees K. Muraleedharan and P. Ramkumar, joint general managers P. Rajendran, U. Pradeep, Geeta S. Pillai, P.R. Ramesh, Shailaja Madhavankutty, Ganga R. Varier, K.M. Madhu, Mohanan K.K., Haris Cholakkal, K. Geeta and Jithin K. Nair attended the function.