ISARCON 2016- The Annual Conference of Indian Society for Atherosclerosis Research was conducted successfully at Aster Medicity. The inauguration was done by Dr. M K C Nair, Vice Chancellor of Kerala University of Health Sciences on 21st October at 6 pm. There were 10 scientific sessions, 2 Orations, 18 Original papers and 3 Award papers during the course of 3 days. The 2 orations, delivered by the esteemed faculty, were:

LHMC Oration ‘Clustering of cardiovascular risk factors across the fabric of Indian society- true unity in diversity in depiction’: Dr Anupam Prakash

Amar Shyam Oration Cardiovascular Research: ‘Make in India’ by Prof. Ganesan Karthikeyan
Thirty five National faculties and 5 International Faculties (Dr Bobby khan from Atlanta USA, , Dr Dorian O Haskard , UK, Dr Sampath Parthasarathy, USA , Dr Shobha Ghosh, Richmond , USA) including 1 Nobel Prize nominee contributed to the academic proceedings. There were a total of 100 delegates, 10 Medical students from WIMS attended the conference and interacted with the National and International Faculties. A Press Meet, a Clinician-Researchers collegiums meet and a grand cultural show were the other highlights of the conference. The conference ended with a boat ride on the Periyar from the Aster Pier. All in all the conference was greatly appreciated by all the Attendees

28 TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE INDIAN SOCIETY FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS RESEARCH & CME New Paradigms in Atherosclerosis & Cardio-vascular Disorders 29 th – 31 st October, 2015 ORGANIZED BY: Hamdard institute of Medical sciences & research, JAMIA HAMDARD, N.DELHI

BRIEF REPORT, ISARCON-2015

28 TH Annual conference of Indian Society for Atherosclerosis Research was held at Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences & Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi from 29 th to 31 st October. The theme of the conference was ‘New paradigms in atherosclerosis & cardio-vascular disorders. It included a workshop on Flow Cytometry. The conference was inaugurated by Dr. Girish Sahni, Director General CSIR & Secretary DSIR, Govt.of India & presided by Dr.G.N.Qazi, Vice Chancellor, Jamia Hamdard (Deemed University). The conference was largely attended with speakers from abroad , guest speakers from India & delegates from all over the country.

The scientific deliberations included :

• Key note address By Prof.Mahmood Hussain(USA)
  Orations
  Prof. R.N Chakravarty Oration :By Dr. Shantanu Sen Gupta(IGIB, N.Delhi)
  LHMC Oration : By Prof.J.Bhattacharjee
• Plenary Talks
  Dr.S Parasarthy(Florida, USA)
  Prof. H.R.Rao(Minnesota, USA)
  Prof Bobby V Khan(Atlanta, USA)
  Rai.Ajit K Srivastava(USA)
• Invited Lectures (40)
• Oral Presentations (18), including 3 award sessions. (Total 14 sessions; Conducted in two parallel Sessions)
• Poster Presentations (53) conducted in 3 Poster Sessions
• Quiz sessions (03)
• Flow Cytometry workshop.

Election of Office bearers President - Prof S.B Sharma, Prof.Biochemistry, UCMS-GTBH, Delhi , elected asS Secretary – Dr. Amitesh agarwal, Asst Prof Medicine, UCMS-GTBH, Delhi ,

Next Conference: Org. secretary & Conference Venue Dr. Anil Kumar R, Lead Consultant, Aster Cardiac Sciences , Kochi, Keral

• 27 th Annual National Conference & International CME of Indian Society for Atherosclerosis Research. 25 th – 27 th November 2014.
• Theme: “Innovation in Atherosclerosis and Cardiac Diseases”
• Organized by: Dept. of Pathology, King George’s Medical University, UP at state-of- the-art Scientific Convention Center, Lucknow, India.
• Organizing secretary: Dr. Wahid Ali, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Pathology, King George’s Medical University, UP, Lucknow.

The 27 th Annual National Conference & International CME of Indian Society for Atherosclerosis Research on the theme of “Innovation in Atherosclerosis and Cardiac Diseases” was organized by Dept. of Pathology, King George’s Medical University, UP at state-of- the-art Scientific Convention Center, Lucknow, India on 25 th – 27 th November 2014. The organizing secretary was Dr. Wahid Ali, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Pathology, King George’s Medical University, UP,Lucknow.

Over the course of three days, more than 200 delegates from India and abroad have actively attended the conference and participated in 9 sessions having one key note lecture, 6 plenary lectures and 34 invited talks. Student delegates have given 26 oral and more than 30 poster presentations. The major thrust areas of the discussion were markers of the cardiac diseases, novel therapeutic agents and new targets and molecular mechanism of atherosclerosis.

The Organizing committee was privileged to receive encouraging messages from His Excellency Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Hon’ble President of India; His Excellency Shri Ram Naik, Hon’ble Governor of Uttar Pradesh; Shri Akhilesh Yadav, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh; Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India; Prof. Ravi Kant, Vice- Chancellor, KGMU, Lucknow; Prof. Raj Mehrotra, Head, Dept. of Pathology and Dean, Faculty of Medicine; Prof. A.P. Tikku, Dean, Faculty of Dental Sciences, KGMU, Lucknow; Dr. Sanjeev Mishra, Director & CEO, AIIMS, Jodhpur; Prof. Rajendra Prasad, Director, Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, Delhi; Dr. N. Nalini, President, ISAR; Dr. Ritu Singh, Vice-President, ISAR and Dr. S.K. Verma, Secretary, ISAR.

On 25 th November, the conference opened with the inaugural address of Prof. M. Khalilullah on advancement in cardio-vascular sciences. Prof. P.A. Kurup Oration award was bestowed to Dr. M. Zahid Ashraf, DIPAS, DRDO, Delhi for premier research in the field of atherosclerosis. The first plenary lecture was given by Prof. Sampath Parthasarathy, University of Central Florida, USA on the topic New Paradigm on Atherosclerotic Calcification. There were 10 invited lectures in 4 sessions which covered the various aspects in the field of atherosclerosis including obesity, stress, cardiac diseases as well as its management. Prof. Ritu Singh, Vice-president, ISAR spoke about the biomarkers related to the severity of atherosclerosis. Prof Yeolekar from KJS Medical College, Mumbai was discussed about the coronary artery disease in young South Asians. In post-lunch sessions, Dr. R. Anil Kumar, Dr. Anvay Mulay Prof. Saichandran, Dr. Shantanu Sengupta and Dr. Piruthivi Sukumar delivered the interesting talks on clinical aspects and management of atherosclerosis. President of ISAR, Prof. N. Nalini discussed the protective role of resveratrol against atherogenic diet induced inflammation in atherosclerosis. All the sessions were chaired by renowned clinicians and scientists of the field of cardio-vascular disorder. After the scientific sessions, the general body meeting was held on and all the office bearers discussed the pros and cons for the fruitful future of atherosclerosis research. The GBM was followed by Awadhi cultural event which was cheerfully appreciated by all the delegates. The glimpse of Awadhi Kathak dance and music was presented by a team of Bhatkhande Music Institute.

The day second was started with plenary lecture of Prof. Biju Pottakat, JIPMER, Puducherry. He delivered an interesting talk on vascular occlusive diseases in the mesenteric circulation. Dr. Madhu Dixit from CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow presented a talk on initial plaque instability and subsequent regression of accelerated iliac artery atherosclerosis in rabbits following cholesterol diet withdrawal. Prof. S.K. Verma, Secretary ISAR discussed about the metabolomics and atherosclerosis. Prof. Anupam Prakash, New Delhi; Prof. P.R. Sudhakaran and Prof. V.B.Sameer Kumar, CUK, Trivendrum were outlined the molecular mechanism of angiogenesis. In another session, Prof. S.B. Sharma from UCMS, New Delhi talked about the role of Guannidium Derivatives in type 2 diabetes mellitus followed by the lecture delivered by Dr. Y.B. Tripathi, BHU, Varanasi on PTY-1 in Management of Diabetic Nephropathy. Two plenary lectures and one invited lecture were delivered on post-lunch session in which scientists describe the novel therapeutic agents and targets against atherosclerosis and cardiac diseases. Prof. Rai Ajit Srivastava from Philadelphia, USA delivered an interesting plenary talk on AMP- activated protein kinase as a cardio-metabolic drug target and Prof. R.K. Tangirala from UCLA, USA spoke about the novel therapeutic targets to control vascular inflammation and cardiometabolic disease. In the evening session, Dr. Sagartirtha Sarkar, University of Calcutta followed by Dr.Kamna Srivastava, University of Delhi and Dr. Roopali Khanna from SGPGIMS, Lucknow highlighted the etiological factors and genetic basis of atherosclerosis.

The valedictory function was organized after the lunch and all the participants applauded the quality of research work presented in this conference and hard work of organizing committee. The various awards were presented to young scientist as well as students for the appreciation and encouragement of their quality of work. Balaji endowment medal for basic experimental research in atherosclerosis was conferred to Dr. Mansi Arora form PGIMER, Chandigarh. Lord Sreenivasa of seven hills gold medal for best original paper was awarded to Mr. Sanjay C. Ribello, CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow. Sri Venkateshwara cardiac research medal for clinical research on atherosclerosis and allied aspects was given to Dr. Vani Bharani, SGPGI, Lucknow. Awards for oral presentations were bequeathed to Dr. M. Salman Khan, Integral University, Lucknow (Young Scientist category) and Dr. Shahana Gupta, JIPMER, Puducherry (Student category). Poster presentation awards were confirmed to Dr. Poonam Rani, KGMU, Lucknow and Dr, Manu Sudhakar, SRMC Chennai.

Overall, the ISARCON 2014 was the highly appreciable and successful event in terms of scientific discussions and hospitality which was widely covered by well known local Hindi and English language newspapers.

The 23rd Annual Conference of Indian Society for Atherosclerosis and International Symposium on Atherosclerosis: from Bench to Bedside was held on 13th and 14th November 2010 at University College of Medical Sciences and GTB Hospital, New Delhi.

The conference was marked by active participation of over 300 delegates from all over India and abroad. The conference was directed at physicians, scientists and young researchers. To ensure that the goals of the conference were effectively met, the plenary sessions and symposia were organised with the premier lectures of experts according to the theme and focus areas of the conference.
Major thrust areas of the conference were:-

• Molecular biology and nanotechnology giving dimension to atherosclerosis
• Newer diagnostic techniques for assessment of atherosclerosis
• Emerging therapeutic modalities
• Holistic approach of Ayurveda in atherosclerotic diseases

Following presentation of the annual report by Dr. Anupam Prakash, the Secretary ISAR, the conference was initiated by plenary lectures by Prof. KK Talwar, Director & Head, PGIMER, Chandigarh and Prof. Dorian Haskard from National Heart and Lung Institute, London. Dr Talwar elaborated on coronary artery disease in young while Dr Dorian enriched the delegates with mechanisms regulating blood flow, inflammation and distribution of atherosclerosis, that provide the basis for the design of therapeutics. The first symposium was conducted on the Role of molecular biology and nanotechnology in atherosclerosis. This symposium consisted of 5 lectures by Prof Martha Cathcart, Prof M Hussain, Prof G Subramanyam, Prof PR Sudhakaran and Prof AK Dinda. The speakers covered aspects ranging from role of trace elements in atherosclerosis to medical applications of nanotechnology. The session was fruitful by giving direction to new thoughts for research in molecular biology and nanotechnology. To elaborate on the impact of natural sciences on cardiovascular diseases, a symposium on role of ayurveda in atherosclerotic diseases was successfully held with contributions from Prof. Rakesh Maurya, Prof. N Nalini, Prof LN Misra and Dr KV Pugalendi. The session provided focus on natural agents isolated from the various household and indigenous plants and their wonderful results on reducing the progression and prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Day 2 of this scientific extravaganza was marked by Dr Martha Cathcarts plenary lecture on soluble epoxide hydrolase as a novel target for intervention in MCP-1 driven inflammation. Besides prevention and treatment, early detection of the disease is always a priority for clinicians. Therefore to focus on this area, a session on newer diagnostic techniques for atherosclerosis was organized and the enlightening lectures of Prof Rajavashisth Tripathi, Prof. ME Yeolekar, Dr. Rosalind Marita and Prof. SK Verma were applauded. The final symposium of this scientific feast was on emerging therapeutic modalities in atherosclerosis and Dr OP Yadava, Dr Anupam Prakash, Dr Deepak Jain, Dr M Zahid Ashraf and Dr MMA Faridi presented their views on various interventional and non-interventional modalities of management of cardiovascular diseases.

Another achievement of the conference was the successful conduct of a workshop on Assessment of Subclinical Atherosclerosis: Issues beyond Framingham which included cases elaborated with the aid of pedigrees, carotid intima-media thickness and echocardiography. It was a parallel session attended by a selected group comprising mainly of resident doctors.

Besides the symposia and workshop, the conference was enriched by open poster and free paper sessions where young researchers got a platform to present their work. Poster session was organised on both days in which around 40 young researchers participated. At the same time, best poster award and travel grant was provided to them as a mark of encouragement. ISAR also appreciated the young researchers work through Balaji and Sri Venkateswara awards. Kurup oration award was also given by the society for the premier work on atherosclerosis. Our conference was graced by Honorable Guest of Honour Dr SK Sarin, Chairman, Board of Governors, Medical Council of India whose inputs boosted the morale of young scientists.

The conference was held to summarize the current problems, development of new advances, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), as well as to identify gaps in our knowledge base that need to be addressed. The conference provided a rare opportunity for extensive discussion on various aspects of atherosclerosis and was an amalgamation of opinions of biochemists, physicians, cardiologists, molecular biologists and pathologists.

CULTURAL PROGRAM: ISARCON - 2010. A cultural program was organized on the evening of 13th November, 2010. After the day academic activity, the delegates were treated with a high tea followed by a very relaxing and enjoyable cultural program. The program consisted of musical and dance performances ranging from folk to classical to western. Pt. Chakrapani, a renowned classical guitarist of international repute and winner of many National and International awards was invited to perform. He was accompanied by equally renowned Pt. Vinod Pathak on tabla. His kacchapi veena vadan left the audience mesmerised. This was followed by Bhartnatyam dance recital by nursing student Meghna in worship of Lord Krishna. Undergraduate MBBS students staged a skit Once upon a time in artery based on pathophysiology of Atherosclerosis. They added on humor & fun to such a serious topic that the audiences were in bouts of laughter. A Gidhha performance by a group of nursing students made the delegates revel in the beauty and sweetness of our folk music & dance. This was followed by a very electrical western dance by a group of UCMS students which made the audience yearn for more.

The final performance was given by Dr. Ujjwal who sang a beautiful sufi number and few bollywood (PG Student Medicine) hits along with the orchestra. Last but not the least, we also had our very own singers from Dept. of Biochemistry performing with guitar singing Jamaican farewell and students perspective of atherosclerosis in a lighter view in the from of a short but very sweet piece of poetry.

On the whole all the delegates thoroughly enjoyed the program & welcomed a change in mood and were relaxed & ready for next days activity.

Prof. SB Sharma
(Organizing Secretary, ISARCON-2010)
Department of Biochemistry
UCMS, Delhi

22nd Annual Conference of ISAR on "Cardiovascular Diseases Secondary to the Metabolic Disorder : Mechanisms & Therapy"
organized by
University of Mysore
and
The Indian Society for Atherosclerosis Research
on December 17 - 19, 2009

The Department of Biochemistry came into existence in 1974. Establishing the department was the dream of founder professor T.R. Ramaiah. Since the training Ph.D and masters degree students has been major thrust for the development. The teaching program is designed to give the students current awareness in a wide variety of subjects with-in depth study of core Biochemistry. Consequently many of the students successfully complete national level examinations like UGC/CSIR & GATE. The department has so far produced over 800 M.Sc and 52 Ph.D Students. The excellent training given to the students help them to be placed in national / international research labs, pharmaceuticals, Medical, Dental, Under-Graduate & Post Graduate Colleges in the country and abroad.

The department at present has 21 research scholars pursuing their PhD Programs. The department has received funding from the DST, CSIR, ICMR, UGC, Lady Tata Memorial Trust and the University Postgraduate Fellowships. The research work in the department has resulted in more than 200 publications, in peer reviewed international journals with high impact factor.

Research Activities Related to Cardiovascular Disorders:

The faculty has been working on various aspects of cardiovascular and related disorders during the past 35 years.

• HDL as an atherosclerosis risk index: South Indians have high HDL and yet high risk of CVD. The role of oxidative and glycative modifications of HDL and associated proteins is being studied.
• Paraoxonase: This is an HDL-associated enzyme and is responsible for the atheroprotective mechanism of HDL. The substrate specificities of this enzyme in relation to its anti CVD activities are being investigated.
• ACE inhibitors: Natural and synthetic molecules are tested as ACE inhibitors
• Platelet function: Pro and anti-coagulant factors from animal venoms (spider, scorpion and snakes) is being characterzied for their therapeutic applications.
• PAF AH: Role of this enzyme which is associated with HDL and LDL is investigated for its function in Asthma among South Indians.

The department is known for snake venom resarch for the past two decades. Currently venom of spiders and of endemic snakes are being investigated.

In addition, active research is going on in cancer biology research particularly on early diagnosis and detection using specific antibodies for hyaluronic acid binding protein.

The other important area of research is identifying phytochemicals and designing synthetic analogs targeting inhibition of clinically important enzymes like PLA2, COX, LOX, Proteases, 5' Nucleotidase and Hyluronidase especially in the treatment of inflammatory diseases like Arthritis.

21st ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE INDIAN SOCIETY FOR ATHEROSCLEROSIS RESEARCH

Organising Committee of ISARCON 2008 Patron :- Dr. M.A.M. Ramaswamy
President :- Dr. M. Ramanathan
Chairman :- Dr. Venugopal P. Menon
Co-Chairman :- Dr. T. Balasubramanian & Dr. N. Chidambaram
Conveners :- Dr. K.V. Pugalendi & Dr. N. Nalini

The 21 st Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Atherosclerosis Research was organized by the Dept. of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar,Tamil Nadu, India dec 7th-10th 2008 under the able chairmanship of Dr Venugopal Menon.

It was a extremely successful conference and a large number of internationally renowned scientists traveled across the Globe to be a part of this accademic feast.

P.A.Kurup Oration was conferred to Dr. Augusti, Retd Professor of Biochemistry, Kerala University.

After the impressive inauguration on 7th Dec 2008 , the accademic deliberations started with the plenary lecture on 8th dec by renowned international scientist Dr. Kailash Prasad from Canada where he highlighted the role of Flaxseed and its components in the treatment of atherosclerosis. Symposium Session-I was chaired by Dr. Kailash Prasad (Canada) &Dr.NarasimhamParinandi(USA) where Dr. Nilanjana Maulik (USA) gave a lecture on Rescue of diabetes and related impairment of myocardial angiogenesis. The second lecture by Dr.C.C. Kartha raised a question that can MCP-1 be a target to reduce the risk for atherosclerosis in type-2 diabetes mellitus? . For the Symposium Session-II the Chairpersons were Dr. Dipak K Das (USA) & Dr.Kuppusamy Periannan(USA)DrDipak K Das highlighted the effect of tocotrienols on the hypercholesterolemic rabbit hearts and Dr. Belma Turan of Turkey showed the roles of oxidant stress and matrix metalloproteinase in endothelium-dependent relaxation of diabetic rat aorta.

Dr. P.R. Sudhakaran gave molecular insights into Mo-Mq foam cell formation which was followed by an interesting lecture on Phytomedicine for diabetes: Time tested or time to testby Dr. M. Balasubramanyam from Chennai. The third session of symposium chaired by Dr. Nilanjana Maulik (USA) & Dr. P.R. Padma (Coimbatore) started with a note on Vasa vasorum imaging using MRI and contrast ultrasound by Dr. R. Ravi kumar of Chennai. Dr. John E Baker (USA) delivered a talk about the origin and treatment of total body irradiation accelerating the onset of coronary sclerosis. In the same session Dr. Raj Ajit Srivastava presented a talk on hamster as an animal model to test compounds for the treatment of metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis followed by Dr. Govindasamy Ilangovans (USA) Heat shock proteins in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

Dr. Narasimham Parinandi (USA) presented intresting insights on the signaling lipidemics of phospholipases and lipid oxygenases in vascular endothelium-while dealing with the split personalities of redox-active antioxidant.The last symposia was chaired by Dr.G. Subramanayam (Tirupati) & Dr.Belma Turan (Turkey) and Dr. R. Umarani presented a study on Carotid intima media thickness and its risk factors. Dr. Kuppusamy Periannan (USA) was invited for a talk on PTENuation of restenosis by a synthetic curcuminoid.

On 9th December the day started with the plenary lecture of Dr. Naranjan S. Dhalla (Canada) about the role of platelet activation in the development of atherosclerosis. Symposium Session \96V was chaired by Dr. Naranjan S. Dhalla (Canada) & Dr. GovindasamyIllangovan(USA). Dr. C. Rajamanickam gave lecture on the partial homologous sequence of cardiac hypertrophy specific rat cardiac alpha-2 macroglobulin in marine sponges (Spongia Officinalis) then Dr. V.Mallika continued the session with the inter-relation between lipoprotein (a) and homocysteine in atherosclerosis. Dr. S.R. Gupta gave updated insights about coronary artery disease in young and Dr. Stanley M. Prince told about cardioprotective effect of (-) epicatechin in isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarcted rats. The session ended with the talk on fusion peptides as gene delivery agents by Dr. Rukkumani Rajagopalan.

The Chairpersons for the next session were Dr. Chandan K Sen (USA) & Dr. John E. Baker (USA).It started with a interesting lecture on cardiovascular benefit from antioxidants given by Dr. Sampath Parthasarathy (USA). Dr. Sashwati Roy(USA) told the role of apoptotic cell clearance in resolution of inflammation then Dr. N.Chidambaram asked the question Should Lp (a) be measured in Asian Indians? Dr. Rama Gopalan described some ageing changes in the cardiovascular system. The others symposium session of the day was continued by Dr. Saswati Roy (USA). It started with a brief review on bioactivity and structure correlations of curcumin, its derivatives and analogs given by Dr.K.N. Rajasehkaran then the session continued with PPAR-a and GLUT-2 gene expression in hyperlipidemic rats with/without diabetes lecture given by Dr.K.V. Pugalendi.

Dr. Hari Shankar Sharma (Netherlands) shared his experience on how NO donors augment vascular endothelial growth factor expression during chronic airway inflammation. The last symposium session of the day was chaired by Dr. Sampath Parthasarathy (USA) and this highlighted some of the modification of HDL-associated enzymes and their implication in cardiovascular disease by Dr. Cletus J.M DSouza. The upcoming role of vitamins was discussed by Dr. Chandan K Sen (USA) in his lecture on Tocotrienols: vitamin E beyond tocopherols. Dr. B.S. Viswanath described plant latex proteases and their involvement in blood coagulation and wound healing. On 10th December the sessions were in the Centre for advance study in Marine Biology (CAS) at Parangipettai. There were parallel sessions in morning and afternoon. Chairpersons for one of the morning session were Dr. Hari Shankar Sharma (Netherlands) & Dr. T.J. Pandian this started with faith and facts of phytotherapy for obesity by Dr. M.A. Akbarshah then Dr. Shiva K.P. Shivakumaran (Australia) described Seaweeds as a potential source of pharmaceuticals. Dr. Surekha Zingde discussedProteomics and cancer and Dr. K. Srikumar described that a phyto-oxy sterols is a natural anthihyperglycemicfactor .

The other morning session was chaired by Dr. T. Balasubramanyam & Dr. Lindsay Brown (Australia). In this session, Dr. Jayadeep showed natural antioxidants of in vivo biotransformed rice then Dr. T. Balasubramanyam described isolation and partial characterization of collagen from outer skin waste of Squid Loligo uyii .Dr. V. Sampath discussed potential for bioactive substances from marine organisms, with reference to potential drugs for treating human diseases. The oceans and human health: drugs from the deep was the lecture given by Dr. K. Venkateshvaran .Dr. Kemparaju discussed that NN-PF3-is a fibri(NOGE)nolytic and antithrombotic factor from Indian cobra venom Dr. A. Ganapathy described the effects of Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) seed extract on osteoblast activities of rats.In the end there was an oral presentation session for which the chairpersons were Dr. Shiva K.P. Shivakumaran (Australia) & Dr. V.Sampath.The first presentation was an update on HIV drug development given by Dr. M. Elanchezhiyan and in the other Dr. M. Arumugam showed isolation of heparin from fish waste (Istiophorus platypterus)

This was followed by the Validectory Function and Award Presentation Dr Viji Vijayan received the Balaji Endowment Award for her research work on Modulation of inflammatory mediators by Bacopa monniera (L.) Wettst. on experimentally induced arthritis

Due to the level of research presented and the enthusiastic participation of doctors and scientists from India and abroad , the ISARCON 2008 was extremely successful and academically fruitful. The Conference was well attended by national and international faculty and the scientific deliberations provided a virtual update on the latest developments on atherosclerosis Research across the world

The 20th Annual conference of Indian Society of Atherosclerosis Research 22-23rd December 2007

Organising Committee of ISARCON 2008 Venue :- Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences Tirumala, Tirupati
Chairman organizing committee :- Dr G Subramanyam,MD DM.
Organizing Secretary :- Dr D Rajashekhar,MD, DM
Jt organizing Secretaries :- Dr S.A.A.Latheef & Dr V.Vanaja

Dr G.Subramaniam, Director / vice-chancellor and Professor in Cardiology, in his message, emphasized the advances in genomics, proteonomics and metabolomics as tools for diagnosis and prognosis of atherosclerosis. President, ISAR, Dr S.R.Gupta praised the efforts of the organizing secretary, Dr D.Rajasekhar, in organizing the academic feast at Tirupati. A very detailed scientific programme had been worked out to discuss all the new research developments in atherosclerosis.

Dr Venugopal Menon Head ,Annamalai University, discussed work on combination therapy with statins and reserveratrol which induced cardio-protection against myocardial infarction in hypercholesterolemic rats. Dr N.Nalini described the effects of piperine on fatty acid composition and and anti-inflammatory markers in hypercholesterolemic rats. Atherogenic effects of lead acetate and alcohol were discussed by Prof K.T.Augusti, from School of Medical education, Kottayam Dr G.Subramanyam and Prof. Rama Gopalan chaired the Session 1 wheras Prof. V.Mallika and Prof S.B.Sharma chaired the session on experimental atherosclerosis.

Dr Jayashree Bhattacharjee, talked on evaluation of CAD risk in post-menopausal women and Dr Nibhriti Das Highlighted the association of paroxonase activity and paroxonase gene polymorphisms with coronary artery disease in Indian Subjects. Prof Gambhir while reporting higher levels of Lp(a) in CAD patients also found a decrease in Lp(a)in patients taking aspirin. Prof Subhash Kaul found a significant association between Chlamydia pneumoniae and ischaemic strole in his work at NIMS, Hyderabad. Dr Ritu Singh from Lady Hardinge Medical College,Delhi discussed her work on apo (A) gene Polymorphisms in essential hypertension. Prof S.R.Gupta, President ISAR gave an overview of Rimonabant in Obesity. Prof RamaGopalan from Chennai gave a talk on bio-markers in cardio-vascular disease. Dr Rosalind Marita, Mumbai, gave an interesting account of adipocyte models in drug discovery.Dr Rajashekhar shared his viewpoint of targeting non-LDL cholesterol for management of CAD. Dr V.Vanajakshamma gave a talk on statins whereas Prof Sudhakaran discussed the targeting of transcription factors against vascular pathology.

Numerous free papers of a high level of research were part of the academic feast .

The conference was well attended and gave a common platform for the clinicians, students and scholars to learn, share and exchange up-dated knowledge of the challenges and opportunities for diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in India

The General Body meeting was held on 23rd December 2007 a tTirupati. Elections took Place and the new office bearers were elected.

Dr V.P.Menon volunteered to organize ISARCON 2008 ar Chidambaram and Dr Rosalind Marita volunteered to organize ISARCON 2009.This was accepted by the GBM.

The 19th Annual conference of Indian Society of Atherosclerosis Research December 2006

Venue :- Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences Tirumala, Tirupati
Organizing Secretary :- Dr Niranjali Devaraj
Professor :- Deptt of Biochemistry, University of Madras

The XIXth Annual Conference of the Indian Society for Atherosclerosis Research (ISARCON 2006) was held on 16th and 17th of December, organized by the Department of Biochemistry, University of Madras. ISARCON 2006 focused on the state-of-the-art in Atherosclerosis research, from the level of clinical manifestations in diseased arteries to the challenges and opportunities for the prevention of coronary artery disease.

The conference opened on the 16th of December in the Chemical Sciences Auditorium of Madras University, with the Organizing Secretarys welcome address. Dr.S.Ramachandran, Vice Chancellor of the University of Madras, while inaugurating the conference, stressed the need for recognition and prevention of atherosclerosis and its end-points. He particularly referred to the changes in life style and their impact on youth. Padmashri Dr.K.M.Cherian delivered the keynote address on regenerative medicine-stem cell research and its clinical applications, tissue engineering for preparing cardiovascular implants and the development and availability of cheap biological porcine valve banks in our country. Dr.H. Devaraj, the Campus Director, spoke about the utilization of the wealth of medicinal plants available in India for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The President of ISAR, Dr.S.R.Gupta, stressed the need to focus research on recognition of simple and more informative early markers and predictors of cardiovascular disease, which would minimize the morbidity and mortality associated with Atherosclerosis Professor Jayashree Bhattacharjee, Secretary ISAR, released the ISAR News Letter and also presented the Secretarys report. Her untiring effort to add 50 new life members to the association was appreciated by the delegates. Dr.Gowri Chandrakasan proposed a vote of thanks.

The scientific sessions of the two-day conference had invited lectures by eminent scientists and clinicians from all over India followed by oral presentations by young investigators. The speakers offered a range of expertise in the field.TheDr.R.N.Chakravarthi Oration Lecture titled Pedigree profile-a valuable clinico-epidemiological tool for atherosclerosis risk management was delivered by Dr.S.Dwivedi from the University College of Medical Sciences, University of Delhi.

Dr G.Subramanyam of SV Institute of Medical Sciences, Tirupathi discussed the therapeutic potential of stem cells in cardiovascular diseases. Dr.Jayashree Bhattacharjee analysed the role of nitric oxide and eNOS gene polymorphism in coronary artery disease of menopausal women. Dr Narasingan, Director of SSN Medical Center and Diagnostic Center, Chennai outlined the pleotropic effects of statins, in addition to their potency to reduce LDL cholesterol, and such effects being beneficial in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Dr.P.R.Sudhakaran, from the University of Kerala, explained the molecular mechanisms involved in angiogenesis. Dr.Anjali Arora questioned whether the prevention of hyperlipidemia was effective in the Indian population. Dr Rama Gopalan of Madras University spoke on the prevention of atherosclerotic lesions and Dr.Nalini,Annamalai University, detailed the novel role of leptin on fibrogenesis. Shorter Telomeres in human arterial tissue from atherosclerosis-prone vascular beds may be promising and emerging new biomarkers said Dr.M.Balasubramanyam, a Senior Scientist of Madras Diabetic Research Foundation. Dr.Rosalind Marita of Nicolas Piramal, Mumbai, judged the oral presentations by the young scientists and announced the prizewinners. Dr.Annie Mary Fernandez, Registrar of the University of Madras, gave the Presidential address at the valedictory function. Dr.V.T.Balaraman delivered the Valedictory address. He spoke on the relation between obesity, hypertension and atherosclerosis. No conference happens without the tireless work of many people and the organizing secretary, Dr.S.Niranjali Devaraj concluded by acknowledging those who worked behind the scene. The conference was well attended and gave ample opportunities for the clinicians, students and scholars to learn, share and exchange up-dated knowledge of the challenges and opportunities for prevention of cardiovascular diseases in India.

The 18th Annual conference of Indian Society of Atherosclerosis Research December 2005

Venue :- Lady Hardinge Medical College, Cannaught Place, New Delhi.
Organizing Secretary :- Dr Jayashree Bhattacharjee, Dir . Prof and Head , Deptt of Biochemistry
Jt.Secretary :- Dr Ritu Singh, Assoc.Professor ,L.H.M.C.

The XVIIth Annual Conference of the Indian Society of Atherosclerosis Research and International Symposia / CME on Atherosclerosis was organized by the department ofBiochemistry, Ladyy Hardinge MedicalCollege, New Delhi. ( Nov 25-27th2005)..

The organizing Secretary was Dr. Jayashree Bhattacharjee,Dir. Professor,, And Head of the Department ofBiochemistry..

The Organizing Comittee was honoured to receive encouraging messages from Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India, Madam ShielaDikshit, Chief Minister of Delhi and Prof.G.K.Sharma, Principal and Medical Supdt.,Lady Hardinge Medical college., Dr.GowriChandrakasan, President ISAR, AND Dr.N.Nalini, Secretary ISAR.

The Conference was well attended by national and international faculty and the scientific deliberations provided aa virtual update on the latest developments on atherosclerosis Research across the world. The focus of the conference was women and atherosclerosis and the factors beyond dyslipidemias which could be playing a important role in etiopathogenesis of atherosclerosis.

The conference was inaugurated on 25th Nov.2005 and Professor M.Khallilullah gave a innaugural address on Cardiology in the 21st century wherein he highlighted the tremendous progress in cardio-vascular sciences particularly invasive and interventional cardiology in the last two decades. The plenary lectures were given by renowned international and national scientists in thisfield. Professor Rajavashishth Tripathi(University of Medicine andScience) California talked in detail about the Molecular Basis of Therapies to favourably modify chronic inflammation and atherosclerosis whereas Professor Jawahar Kalra(College of Medicine, Saskatoon, Canada) gave an interesting plenary lecture on cell proliferation inatherosclerosis.The Symposias on DayoneI were on Pathophysiology of lipids andlipoproteins, Genomics and Women and atherosclerosis. The Symposia sessions were followed by thirty Short Symposias and and thirty poster and free papersessions.The conference went on till 8.30 p.m.

On the second day ofConference, the first plenary lecture was given by Prof. Dr.Rai Ajit Srivastava(Dept. of Atherosclerosis, Bristol, U.S.A.)on the targeting of Reverse Cholesterol Transport pathways to treat atherosclerosis. This was followed by a very interesting lecture on the non-surgical management of coronary artery diease by Prof. D.S.Gambhir,Dir.ofCardiology, Kailashh Heartinstitute. The Symposias on this day were on Epidemiology of Atherosclerosis , Paediatric Cardiology and Pharmacological control of Lipids and Lipoproteins. This day had seven short symposia and thirty two free paper and poster presentations run in parallel sessions.

On the final day of the conference , Prof. Yamini Tripathi gave the Prof. K.A. Kurup Oration on BHUX, a Polyerbal formulation for atherosclerosis and hyperlipidemia. The plenary lecture of this day was delivered by Dr. Kamlesh Ashotra of the Tobacco Research Development Project, USA.The Symposias of this day were onObesity, hypertension andatherosclerosis; Preventionof Atherosclerosis and Basic Sciences.

This was followed by the Validectory Function and AwardPresentation..

Dr. S.K. Biswas presented five Travel grants to selected free paper presentations.

Due to the level of research presented and the enthusiastic participation of doctors and scientists from India andabroad, the ISARCON 2005 was very successful and accademically fruitful. The Conference was also attended by Media Personnel and highly appreciated in the Times of India ( Delhi, Main Newspaper dated 6th April2006..