Dr. Akshay Anand

PGI Chandigarh

Abstract:

Our study aimed to investigate the impact of prenatal Yoga on pregnancy outcomes and the potency of umbilical cord blood (UCB) derived lineage negative (Lin-ve) stem cells. We examined pregnant women aged 18 to 35 who practiced Yoga from the 16th to 18th week of pregnancy until delivery. The study also involved an animal model of brain injury induced by Amyloid beta (Aβ) administration in mice.After Yoga intervention, UCB was collected from the participants, and Lin-ve stem cells were analyzed. Flow cytometry revealed an increased number of CD34+ve cells in the Lin-ve population in Yoga group participants, indicating enhanced stemness. For the animal model, Lin-ve stem cells from Yoga practitioner mothers and usual care group mothers were injected into mice with Aβ-induced memory loss. Neurobehavioral tests showed improved memory in both transplantation groups, with the Yoga group showing greater improvement. mRNA expression of BDNF, Nestin, and CREB was marginally increased in the Yoga group. Protein expression of BDNF was significantly higher in the braon of mice who recievd stem cells from Yoga group as confirmed by IHC. These results suggest that Yoga during pregnancy can impact stem cells at a cellular level, potentially enhancing the efficacy of UCB-derived stem cells. Embracing Yoga as a lifestyle during pregnancy may lead to improved outcomes, and Lin-ve SCs derived from Yoga practitioners could be considered a valuable source for stem cell banking.

Bio:
Akshay Anand graduated from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER). After obtaining his post-doctoral training at the same Institute, he joined the University of Kentucky as Scientist II. After serving there for two years, he returned to join faculty of Department of Neurology PGIMER. He was instrumental in setting up the Neuroscience Research Lab which is compliant to GLP principles. He is a strong advocate of science entrepreneurship and integrative health paradigm. Dr Anand is a research improvement specialist who is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration utilizing invitro, invivo, alternative and biotherapeutic approaches. His other research interests range from analyzing the role of genetic and other risk factors that modify ALS and AMD to screening of novel drugs and Yoga modules for memory enhancement and wellness. He has also been involved in the discovery of animal model of AMD published in Nature Medicine. Dr Anand was nominated for prestigious Padma Award, 2020 besides being honored by UT Police for exemplary work in advancement of Yoga research. He has been awarded for ICMR Amrut Mody Unichem Prize-2012, Annual PGI faculty award-2013, 2014, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Foundation 9thInternational Prestigious Sardar Patel Award, 2014, ICMR Shankuntla Amir Chand Award (2010), Young Scientist Award from DAE (2005), Retina Research Foundation / Joseph M. and Eula C. Lawrence Award (2003), Runners up for NASI Scopus Award for Biological Sciences (2012), served as Judge at ISEF, USA (2002-3), obtained over 2 dozen International travel awards besides mentoring his PhD students to lead the Swacch Bharat campaign for which the team was awarded the Bharat Nirman Award in the Behavioral change category by Ministry of Science and Technology (IISF, 2017). He is the Editor in Chief of Annals of Neurosciences the official journal of Indian Academy of Neurosciences and Journal of Integrative Medicine Case Reports (IMCR), the official Journal of Swami Paramhansa Samsthana, former EIC of Integrative Medicine International, the official journal of Karger besides serving on Editorial board of Nature Scientific Reports and Neuroepidemiology. He is also Reviews Editor of Frontiers in Behavioral Neurosciences and on Editorial Advisory Board, User-Driven Healthcare and Narrative Medicine: Utilizing Collaborative Social Networks and Technologies and other International Journals. Dr Anand is the guest faculty in the Human genomics program of Panjab University and former advisor to the local chapter of Indian Muscular Dystrophy Association. He has over 217 publications (194 as corresponding author)in International peer reviewed Journals besides filing 4 patent applications. He was also designated Expert on Mission by ICGEB, Trieste for Intellectual property and is the resource faculty for various national and International forums and academic and regulatory committees. He serves as Visiting Professor of Kyoto University of Medicine and Visiting Distinguished Professor inSwamiVivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA) and earlier served with Lesya Ukrainian Eastern European National University, Lutsk and Sri Sri Institute of Advanced Research, Bengaluru as its Visiting Scientist. He has continued to remain funded for research since he joined as faculty with an average of 4-5 grants at any point.