A FUTURE IN MEDTECH

Over the past few years, several IITs have started research centres and separate schools that marry medical science with technology.

- Sheena Sachdeva

A few weeks ago, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur laid the foundation stone for the new Gangwal School of Medical Sciences and Technology. It became the second such centre to marry technology and medical sciences in the IITs. The first was IIT Kharagpur's School of Medical Science and Technology, started in 2001.

In a bid to become more interdisciplinary, several IITs, both old and second-generation ones, have launched initiatives in the field of health technology. IIT Guwahati has launched the Jyoti and Bhupat School of Health Sciences and Technology (JBMSHST). Others have collaborated with neighbouring national medical colleges such as IIT Roorkee and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh; IIT Delhi and AIIMS Delhi; IIT Jodhpur and AIIMS Jodhpur.

Not yet authorized to offer MBBS although IIT Kharagprogrammes pur has come close most of these centres currently offer postgraduate and research ones. IIT Guwahati's JBMSHST, for example, is offering M.Tech and PhD in biomedical sciences and engineering with a focus on diagnostic devices, regenerative medicine, stem cells, bioinformatics and public health. IIT Kharagpur offers three integrated MSc-PhD programmes - medical physics; molecular medical microbiology; nuclear medicine - a master's in medical science and technology; and a master's in science (research).

New schools, courses

The Gangwal School aims to build an "interdisciplinary ecosystem" of research in medical technology - "medtech" - and innovation, said S Ganesh, deputy director, IIT Kanpur, who also heads the task force for establishing the school.