Clinical Translation of Neuro-regenerative Medicine in India: A Study on Barriers and Strategies

• Main Author: Messih, Mark
• Other Authors: Abdallah, Daar, Medical Science
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Subjects: regenerative medicine; qualitative research methods; global health; neuroscience; 0317; 0566; 0573; First Nations
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/29531

The prevalence of neurodegenerative disease in India is rising. Regenerative medicine (RM) is being developed to treat these conditions. However, despite advances in RM application for neurological disorders (NeuroRM), there is a lack of research on clinical translation of NeuroRM technologies in developing countries. Given that India is one of the first nations to translate in this field, much can be learned on challenges and solutions arising during translation. This study identifies stakeholders involved in such translation and outlines roles of each; it describes India’s regulatory environment concerning NeuroRM translation; and discusses the impact of collaboration in clinical translation. Twenty-three face-to-face interviews with clinicians, researchers and policy-makers within India were undertaken and transcripts subjected to thematic analysis. The study demonstrates that clinical translation of NeuroRM within India is taking place robustly, it identifies barriers and good practices being adopted, and provides recommendations based on participants’ experiences. MAST