Close X
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
ADVT 
International

India-Born Girl Vijayakumar Ragavi's Heart Disease Project Wins Award In Singapore

Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 May, 2018 11:52 AM
    An 18-year-old Chennai-born girl has won this year's A*Star Talent Search award in Singapore for her study of genetic heart disease "hypertrophic cardiomyopathy".
     
     
    Vijayakumar Ragavi, now a Singaporean citizen, topped the list of 611 other students from secondary and tertiary institution, reported Tabla!, a Friday weekly for the Non-Resident Indians community here.
     
     
    She has been awarded cash prize, a sponsored trip to an overseas conference and a trophy as well as a certificate for winning the competition.
     
     
    Ragavi said she spent almost two years studying and preparing for her award-winning project on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
     
     
    "It is estimated to be the most genetic heart disease in the world. People with the disease often suffer from arrhythmia induced sudden cardiac death," said Ragavi.
     
     
    Arrhythmia is a group of conditions where the heartbeat is irregular, too slow or too fast.
     
     
    At the talent search, Ragavi's research focused on stem-cell technology, which allows for the detection of genetic disease through blood samples, rather than the typical method of performing cardiac biopsies.
     
     
    Such biopsies are extremely difficult procedures which entail taking a small piece of the heart so that it can be checked for genetic disease in the laboratory.
     
     
    Ragavi designed a humanised hypertrophic cardiomyopathy model that recaptulates the disease phenotype. The subsequent findings set the foundation for gaining insights into disease pathology and therapeutic intervention.
     
     
    "I really didn't expect to win. I was quite surprised since it was very unexpected, but I was happy that my parents were so proud of me," Ragavi said.
     
     
    She will be pursuing a degree in biomedical science at an overseas university next year.
     
     
    "I want to become a researcher in future and thought this would be good exposure for me," said the Year 6 student from National University of Singapore's High School for Mathematics and Science.
     
     
    "I want to work in the field of stem cell and regenerative medicine," she said.
     
     
    Her parents, Rajamanickkam Vijayakumar, who works at Hewlett-Packard, and home-maker Rajendran Gomathi, couldn't be more proud.
     
     
    "She puts in a lot of effort for the research study and her efforts have paid off." Gomathi was quoted as saying by Tabla!
     
     
    A*STAR Talent Search is a 2006 initiative, rewarding students who have performed well in scientific research. It is part of the A*STAR Graduate Academy (AGA)'s Youth Science outreach to schools with the aim to inspire & sustain a passion in science in the young in Singapore. 

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Indian-Origin Doctor, 60, Jailed For 12 Years In UK For Sex Assault On Patients

    Indian-Origin Doctor, 60, Jailed For 12 Years In UK For Sex Assault On Patients
    The 60-year-old, who had moved to Britain with his family at the age of three, was also placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely and made the subject of a 15-year sexual harm prevention order at the end of the hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

    Indian-Origin Doctor, 60, Jailed For 12 Years In UK For Sex Assault On Patients

    Indian-American Educator Deep Saran Announces To Run For US Congress

    Deep Saran, 45, is one of almost a dozen Democrats in the fray for the primary to earn the right to challenge the two- term GOP Congresswoman Barbara Comstock from the 10th Congressional District of Virginia.

    Indian-American Educator Deep Saran Announces To Run For US Congress

    Over 40 pc of foreign-born tech workers in Seattle Indians: Report

    Over 40 pc of foreign-born tech workers in Seattle Indians: Report
    More than 40 per cent of the foreign-born tech workers in Seattle–which is home to Microsoft, Amazon, and Boeing—are from India, according to a media report.

    Over 40 pc of foreign-born tech workers in Seattle Indians: Report

    Another Minor Raped, Killed In Pakistan Days After Murder Of 7-Year-Old

    Another Minor Raped, Killed In Pakistan Days After Murder Of 7-Year-Old
    Cases of sexual assault against minors have come under greater scrutiny in the country following the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in Kasur, whose body was found from a dump in the city last week.

    Another Minor Raped, Killed In Pakistan Days After Murder Of 7-Year-Old

    Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal To Boycott Donald Trump's State Of The Union Address

    Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal To Boycott Donald Trump's State Of The Union Address
    Jayapal, 52, joins more than half a dozen Democratic lawmakers, including the legendary Congressman John Lewis, who will give a miss to the January 30 event.

    Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal To Boycott Donald Trump's State Of The Union Address

    Leading Indian American Tax Expert Neeraj Bhatia Honoured With Hind Rattan Award

    Leading Indian American Tax Expert Neeraj Bhatia Honoured With Hind Rattan Award
    Leading Indian American tax consultant and certified public accountant Neeraj Bhatia has been conferred with the prestigious Hind Rattan Award for 2018.

    Leading Indian American Tax Expert Neeraj Bhatia Honoured With Hind Rattan Award