Amma, Our ChancellorInspiration for the World

“... We all know that the real goal of education is not to create people who can understand only the language of technology. The main purpose of education should be to impart a culture of the heart, a culture based on spiritual values.

Education is not only to help us live a comfortable life of plenty. When our plans fall apart, when we face failure and loss, when we are knocked down, education should help us get back on our feet. Education should help us regain our mental equipoise, self-confidence and positive attitude, so that we can continue forward. In fact, studying is a form of austerity. It is a process, like the bud unfolding into a beautiful flower spreading it’s fragrance. Understanding this, we should approach our topic of study with love and patience. The world of knowledge is limitless; the possibilities are as vast as the universe. Therefore, before deciding whether a discovery is beneficial or detrimental, we need to contemplate with a meditative mind. Knowledge is like a river. Its nature is to constantly flow. Wherever it can flow, it does so, nourishing culture. On the other hand, the same knowledge, if devoid of values, becomes a source of destruction for the world. When values and knowledge become one, there can be no more powerful instrument for the welfare of humankind. Today, physicists have even begun investigating the possibility that the essential substratum of the manifest universe and the individual are one and the same. We are standing on the threshold of a new era wherein material science and spirituality will move forward hand in hand…”

Satguru Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

Excerpts from the address of our Chancellor Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi upon receiving theDoctorate of Humane Letters from State University of New York 25 May 2010.

Aum Amriteshwaryai Namah

We, the Amrita family, welcome you with open arms and open hearts to this great institution of Amma’s infinite compassion and love.

To become special or extraordinary is the dream of every ambitious student. But how does one become special? Is it only through academic excellence? Of course, that is part of it, but academic brilliance alone is not enough. The most important thing in building your life is your ability to focus on your Inner Self and to realize the inherent abilities within.

When you graduate and enter the practical world of opportunities and challenges, you may find yourself among thousands of competent professionals. What will you have over them? It will be your ability to tap into your inner source and let flow the grace you find there into your work. The extent to which you will be able to do this will depend entirely on how open you are to the beautiful opportunities available at Amrita.

May you ever remain open to Amma’s Grace.

Ever in Amma.

With Love & Prayers

Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri.

We welcome every batch of students with renewed enthusiasm. We have come to be identified for our academic rigor and deep

commitments to human values. We strive to guide our students into exemplary models in their chosen profession.

Our Alumni have more than proven what we mean and this has enhanced our confidence and improved our resolve to take up the mission, for which “Amma” has set up these temples of learning, to its logical conclusion.

Come into Amrita to lead an intense life of academics flavored with universal human values. We shall send you out into your field of specialization as our Ambassadors.

I am confident that you are going to enjoy every bit of your presence here fully.

Br. Abhayamrita Chaitanya

Swami Amritaswarupananda PuriPresident

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

Brahmachari Abhayamrita Chaitanya

Pro Chancellor,Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

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Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is a rapidly developing world class University, offering Under-graduate, Post-graduate and advanced

Doctoral research in wide ranging disciplines like Biotechnology, Management, Engineering, IT, Medicine and Journalism. It is both young and immensely dynamic, with a unique holistic approach to produce leaders in all of its disciplines.

At Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, we have assembled some of the most well known academicians, entrepreneurs, executives, inventors, philanthropists, researchers and scientists to guide us in this noble endeavour.

A very hearty welcome to you to this sacred temple of learning. We hope you can become a part of this exciting venture.

Invoking AMMA’s Grace on all of us.

Dr. Venkat Rangan

T he Amrita School of Biotechnology which was founded in September 2004, has already established its presence as a preferred institution

of higher learning in the field of Biotechnology and related Life Sciences, in the short time that it has been in existence.

The School offers Undergraduate programmes in Biotechnology and Microbiology as well as Postgraduate programmes in Biotechnology, Microbiology and Bioinformatics. A Ph.D. programme has also been initiated. The Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, under it’s “Mission Reach” programme selected The School of Biotechnology to be a “Center of Relevance and Excellence”(CORE) in Biomedical Technology with a research program focused on the development of preventative and therapeutic innovations. Additionally, a number of diverse research projects including Wound healing, Target discovery and validation, RNAi, Computational modeling and development of Anti-snake venom therapeutics are in progress with adequate research funding. The School also coordinates the MHRD effort to design and create virtual laboratories for Biotechnology in collaboration with IIT Mumbai and IIT Delhi at the national level. The cutting-edge curricula along with state-of–the-art facilities of the School will provide a solid foundation in the biological sciences. In addition, the dedicated, experienced faculty, offer students an opportunity to interact, learn, advance and succeed with their career in Biotechnology and related life sciences.

With Amma’s Grace, there will be ample opportunities for everyone to be a part of the plan. Welcome to this Temple of Learning. I wish you the very best in all your efforts.

Prof. Bipin Nair, Ph.D.mes

Dr. P. Venkat RanganVice Chancellor,

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

Prof. Bipin Nair, Ph.D.Dean

Amrita School of Biotechnology

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Inspired by Her Holiness Sri Mata

Amritanandamayi Devi, Amrita

Vishwa Vidyapeetham University

is attracting the attention of

the student community, the

academia and the industry alike,

thanks to its innovative curricula,

excellent infrastructure,

committed faculty and visionary

management.

Amrita University is a world class, research-

intensive university with national and international

repute as an educational institution providing

higher education in an ambience rooted in rich

Indian Culture and heritage steeped in spiritual

values. Presently, the University spans over 550

acres of land and has a student strength of over

13,000 and 1,500 faculty members with 200

doctoral degree holders amongst them. The

National Assessment and Accreditation Council

accredited our University with ‘A’ grade, the

highest possible grade in India under the new

system of evaluation and Amrita is the first multi-

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham

campus university to achieve this distinction. The Schools under the

aegis of Amrita University have over 108 programmes in disciplines

as diverse as Biotechnology, Engineering, Management, Medicine,

Dentistry, Ayurveda, Pharmacy, Nanotechnology, Communication, Arts

& Science and Education, providing our students with outstanding

training in our several campuses across multiple states. Needless

to add, this multidisciplinary character of our University facilitates

a laudable synergy within our midst, greatly enabling us all to derive

maximum benefit from the expertise of each other. The faculty, a large

number of whom are engaged in research, are committed, enthusiastic

and proficient. They form an elite panel of expert practitioners and

erudite professors in their respective fields. Guest lectures, seminars

and symposiums add value to studies and offer students the chance

to learn from industry experts. We, at Amrita, are dedicated to creating

and sustaining an atmosphere that will nurture the innate potential of

our students and facilitate the overall development of their personality.

AMRITA has launched many new projects of national importance and

scientific relevance. One such land-mark partnership is the academic

collaboration between leading American universities with Indian

institutions led by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham to enhance science and

engineering education in India over a new satellite e-learning network

(EDUSAT). To quote a few examples - Amrita signed a MoU with SUNY

Buffalo, New York for greater collaboration in teaching and research.

Additionally Amrita has joined the Indo-European research initiative in

wireless sensor networks and is also pursuing various projects with

foreign universities like University of Milan, Italy, Malardalen University,

Sweden, KTH, Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden, TKK Helsinki

University, Finland, University of York, UK, University of Bolgna, Italy,

University of Paderborn, Germany, Scripps Research Institute, USA

and University of Michigan, USA.

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The Amrita School of Biotechnology, with qualified faculty including several Ph.D.’s recruited from academia and industry around the world, is perfectly poised to offer students an opportunity to develop expertise and succeed in building a career in the exciting areas of biotechnology and related fields.

Our cutting-edge curricula with state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and research will provide a solid foundation in the biological sciences. With a vibrant academic environment and a unique approach to learning that involves thought-provoking discussions and constant interaction among students and faculty, the Amrita School of Biotechnology provides an ideal setting for all-round development of students to achieve the goal of becoming well-trained in all aspects of Biotechnology and related fields. The excellent placement record of the School stands testimony to our laudable standards of excellence.

The School offers undergraduate and post-graduate studies in Biotechnology. It is approved by TIFAC (Government of India) as a Centre of Relevance and Excellence (CORE) in Biomedical Technology. The School’s research programme concentrates on preventive and therapeutic innovations.

School ofBiotechnology

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USA

Europe

Our International Partners

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Japan

Australia

Programmes OfferedUndergraduate ProgrammesDuration - Three years (six semesters)

1. B.Sc. Biotechnology

Mathematics * Physics * Chemistry * English * Introductory Microbiology * Biostatistics * English / Creative Writing & Soft Skills * Principles of Ecology And Evolution * Human Physiology * Molecular Biology * Biochemistry * Cell Biology * Genetics * Analytical Biochemistry * Virology * Immunology * Methods in Transcriptional and Translational Analysis * Mycology * Enzyme Technology * Plant Biotechnology * Bioenergetics and Metabolism * Introductory Biophysics * Principles and Practice of Clinical Research * Genetic Engineering * Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology * Immunotechniques * Research Methodology * Biomaterials * Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics * Bionanotechnology * Bioethics and Intellectual Property Rights * Developmental Biology * Introductory Bioinformatics * Project

2. B.Sc. Microbiology

Mathematics * Physics * Chemistry * English * Introductory Microbiology * Biostatistics * English / Creative Writing & Soft Skills * Microbial Ecology, Diversity and Classification * Molecular Biology & Microbial Genetics * Chemistry of Biomolecules & Microbial Metabolism * Cell Biology * Microbial Physiology * Analytical Biochemistry * Virology * Immunology * Methods in Transcriptional and Translational Analysis * Mycology * Enzyme Technology * Food Microbiology * Environmental Microbiology * Principles and Practice of Clinical Research * Genetic Engineering * Industrial Microbiology * Medical Bacteriology * Research Methodology * Parasitology * Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics Clinical and Diagnostic Microbiology * Bioethics and Intellectual Property Rights * Soil and Agricultural Microbiology * Introductory Bioinformatics * Project

Academics

The School follows a credit-

based system which is a

systematic way of pursuing

an educational programme

by attaching credits to its

components. When enough

credits are accrued or earned,

the program is completed

successfully.

The credit-based system makes

educational programmes

easy-to-understand and

comparable both nationally

and internationally. It facilitates

mobility, academic flexibility

and universality, and helps

universities to organize as

well as recognize their study

programmes quickly.

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Postgraduate ProgrammesDuration - Two years (four semesters)

1. M.Sc. Biotechnology

Fundamentals of Microbiology * Cell Biology and Stem

Cell Biology * Molecular Biology * Analytical Methods in

Biology * Molecular Genetics * Ethics in Research And

Intellectual Property Rights * Research Methodology

* Biochemistry and Enzymology * Biostatistics *

Recombinant DNA Technology * Advanced Human

Biology and Translational Medicine * Advanced

Discovery Biology * Experimental Cell Biology *

Cultural Education * Molecular and Cellular Biophysics

* Molecular and Cellular Immunology and Biology of

Vaccines * Pharmaceutical Biotechnology * Advanced

Pharmacogenomics * Plant Biotechnology * Industrial

Biotechnology * Project

Electives: Advanced Virology and Pathogenesis *

Developmental Biology * Neurobiology * Industrial

Biotransformations * Nanobiotechnology * Molecular

Diagnostics * Bioinformatics and Systems Biology *

Biological Data Mining * Biological Haptics

2. M.Sc. Microbiology

Fundamentals of Microbiology * Microbial Physiology

* Molecular Biology * Food Microbiology * Molecular

Genetics * Ethics in Research and Intellectual Property

Rights * Research Methodology * Biochemistry and

Enzymology * Biostatistics * Advanced Virology and

Pathogenesis * Recombinant DNA Technology * Cell

Biology and Stem Cell Biology * Mycology * Cultural

Education * Parasitology * Molecular and Cellular

Immunology and Biology of Vaccines * Pharmaceutical

Biotechnology * Advanced Bacteriology and

Pathogenesis * Industrial Microbiology * Environmental

and Agricultural Microbiology * Project

Electives: Advanced Human Biology and Translational

Medicine * Neurobiology * Advanced Discovery

Biology * Advanced Pharmacogenomics * Analytical

Methods in Biology * Bionanotechnology * Industrial

Biotransformations * Bioinformatics and Systems

Biology * Biological Data Mining * Biological Haptics

3. M.Sc. Computational Biology & Bioinformatics

Mathematics for Biological Sciences * Cell Biology

* Molecular Biology * Algorithms & Computer

Programming * Computational Biology * Database

Administration & Perl Programming * Machine Learning

& Data Mining * Molecular & Cellular Biophysics *

Biochemistry & Analytical Techniques * Structural

Bioinformatics * Statistical Methods in Genetics &

Bioinformatics * Pharmacoinformatics * Comparative

Genomics * Mathematical Modeling of Biological

systems * Advanced Programming for Bioinformatics *

* Project

Electives: Systems Biology * Computer-aided Drug

Design * Computational Neuroscience * Neurobiology &

Electrophysiology * Computational Immunology

Doctoral Programme

The overall objective of this programme is to generate re-searchers who would be competent in carrying out cutting-edge research projects having the highest societal impact.

Eligibility: Master’s Degree in Biotechnology, Biochemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Chemistry or any branch of Bio-logical Sciences with at least 60% marks. Those candidates who qualified for CSIR/UGC JRF or GATE may directly ap-pear for the interview, while others would need to appear for a written test which will be conducted in the last week of June every year. Such candidates will be invited for the interview based on their performance in the written test and their qualifying examination.

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Amrita Vishwa

Vidyapeetham was

conferred the

“University” status

under “Section 3 of

UGC Act 1956” by

the Government of

India in 2003.

• Faculty with extensive industry and research experiencefrom India and abroad.

• Potential for active collaboration with faculty of top USUniversities.

• Excellent collaboration with various top Indian ResearchInstitutes facilitates students in carrying out their research projects at internationally acknowledged organizations / establishments including Biocon - Bangalore, NCBS - Bangalore, IIT – Bombay, JNCSAR - Bangalore, INTAS - Ahmedabad, Lupin Research Labs - Pune etc.

• Excellent placement record - Our students have securedpositions in premier pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies as well as leading research institutions - both in India and abroad

• Well-equipped laboratories for Biochemistry, Microbiology,Molecular biology and Biotechnology with advanced instrumentation.

• All Amrita Campuses are connected by an Indian SpaceResearch Organization (ISRO) satellite link to facilitate e-learning.

• An updated library with reading room providing accessto international editions of books and journals. Access to leading online digital libraries and international journals is also available.

• Disciplinedandserenecampusenvironment,whichprovidesan excellent ambience for learning and overall growth.

• Credit-basedcoursecurriculum.

• Air-conditioned seminar and conference halls including aspacious auditorium. Spacious classrooms equipped with computers, video and overhead projectors, and an audio system.

• 2000 computers connected with High-speed 60 mbpsinternet connectivity in high availability mode in the campus.

• AUMS is an integrated system that enables easy accessto student’s data, reports and statistical analysis of student progression.

• Wi-Fimeshnetworkforentireacademicareainthecampus.

• Email and file server facility for both students and facultymembers

• Excellent sports facilities including gymnasium, swimmingpool, and volleyball, basketball and badminton courts.

Advantage

Amrita

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Advantage

Amrita

ResearchDST/ TIFAC CENTRE OF RELEVANCE AND EXCELLENCE [CORE] IN BIOMEDICAL TECHNOLOGY

Funded by Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.

The Amrita School of Biotechnology in Amritapuri is also approved as a Centre of Relevance and Excellence [CORE} in Biomedical Technology under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, TIFAC Mission REACH programme. The Centre aims at excellence in multiple dimensions by pioneering interdisciplinary education, research and industrial collaboration in Biomedical Technology. In doing so, the Centre will strive to advance research, generate affordable

preventive and therapeutic innovations to stimulate industrial growth and improve the human condition. The flagship project of the Centre is to develop low-cost, automated, insulin pump which was awarded an US Patent in October 2011. Further, attempts to develop an amperometric glucose sensor for coupling to the insulin pump are also in progress.

BIOACTIVE MOLECULES FROM SEABUCKTHORN

Funded by Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India.

Seabuckthorn (SBT), (Hippophae L.) are deciduous shrubs in the genus Hippophae, family Elaeagnaceae. In addition to the nutritionally active constituents, many clinically important activities of seabuckthorn (SBT), such as beneficial effects on skin, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, wound healing, cancer chemopreventive action, anti-viral activity, sun screen and radioprotection have been established. Unfortunately, most of the reported studies have been carried out with ill-defined crude extracts (e g “flavone”, “hydro alcoholic extracts”, “SBT oil”, “aqueous extracts”). Due to non-uniformity, the results are often not reproducible. Therefore there is urgent need for identification of active principles. Presently, work in the laboratory is directed towards the isolation and characterization of active principles / fractions from bioactive fractions of SBT. Isolated compounds will be available for the treatment of diseases such as diabetes, dermatitis, CVD, peptic ulcers, sun-screen and radio protective formulations, wound healing agents. Wherever isolation presents difficulty within a reasonable time frame, the extracts will be standardized with respect to bio-markers and finger-printing.

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PEPTIDE-BASED ANTI-SNAKE VENOM THERAPYFunded by Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India

Typically snake bite is treated with polyclonal antibody preparations obtained from immunized animals. This method is suboptimal because the neutralizing agents are not tailored towards specific venom components and because of batch variability due to turnover of venom donor and antivenom donor animals. We propose to improve potency and reduce batch variability by developing highly specific and defined neutralizing peptides against relevant components present in the venom of four important venomous snake species of India, cobra (Naja naja), common krait (Bungarus caeruleus), Russell’s viper (Daboia russelii), and Sawscaled viper (Echis carinatus) To that end snake venom will be fractionated and individual peptide components of the venom will be purified by various methods including size exclusion, ion exchange chromatography etc.. Purified components will be immobilized and used as baits in protein-protein interaction screens based on phage display methods. Subsequently, interacting peptides will be evaluated for venom-neutralizing properties, and promising leads will be optimized by iterative cycles of mutagenesis and evaluation of venom-neutralizing properties. Ultimately, optimized peptide sequences will be cloned, bacterially expressed may then be tested in combination to neutralize the complete venom.

MOLECULAR MECHANISMS IN IMPAIRED WOUND-HEALINGFunded by Amrita University

Diabetic wound healing is a challenging problem to solve as it requires the integration of interdependent processes that involve signal transduction input from inflammation, cell migration, cell proliferation, cell differentiation and production of extracellular protein components. A number of factors including Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), Matrix Metalloproteinases, as well as Nitric Oxide (NO) play unique roles independently, or through cross talk between these factors and thereby have a profound impact on the wound healing process.

Present efforts in the laboratory are focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMP2) and Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) mediated regulation of wound healing. Studies also involve screening of natural product extracts for modulators of MMP2 activity for potential use as therapeutic entities in the treatment of Diabetic wounds. Another approach also involves study of In-silico methods of pathway modeling to understand mechanisms involved in Wound Healing. This approach will help in unraveling the molecular effects resulting from the concerted actions of many modulators by taking into account a detailed dynamic representation of the same.

COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE AND COGNITIVE MODELING

In contrast to other fields in biology, mathematical thinking and methodology have become entrenched in neuroscience since its very beginning, as witnessed by the classical work of Hodgkin and Huxley. One of the biggest open challenges mathematicians and engineers face is to understand the complex computation that takes place in our brain. Among the most interesting parts of the brain, is the `little brain’, otherwise known as the cerebellum. At School of Biotechnology we work to understand the neurophysiological function of the brain and its neural circuits through detailed and simple models of neuronal biophysics as the neurobiology research theme. The main focus is to understand the computations in neural circuits via large detailed models,

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SUPERCOMPUTING AND ADVANCED COMPUTING LABFunded by Amrita University

The Supercomputing facility attached to the School of Biotechnology provides state of the art computing, storage, and visualization facilities supporting projects spanning the School’s various projects and as a backbone for large scale neural computation studies at the computational neuroscience laboratory. Supercomputing facilities currently support applications from such diverse fields as neuroscience,

bioinformatics, molecular modeling and computer-aided drug design. The current facility consists of multiple large-scale clusters of blade computing nodes, sometimes called a “Beowulf” system, that has supercomputer performance. The School looks to add graphics processing units (or GPUs) so students can also have hands-on experience in administration, modeling, parallelizing and simulating on cutting-edge resource-intensive projects. Ongoing projects on the cluster facility include multi-scale modeling of cerebellar microcircuits, reconstruction of field potentials, brain activity, database processing and analysis.

use information theoretic approaches to model and understand neural function and dysfunction and to establish tools to disseminate and understand data from neurophysiology experiments.

The lab works on computer simulation and modeling, neuromorphic hardware, bio-inspired robotics apart developing virtual lab for education. This research is supported by Ministry of HRD’s NME-ICT and by Cognitive Science research initiative from DST, both under the Government of India.

VIRTUAL AND ACCESSIBLE LABORATORIES IN BIOTECHNOLOGYFunded by Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Govt. of India

Amrita Virtual Biotechnology laboratory is a new kind of experimental science that is being established as a virtual simulation based laboratory. In partnership with the Government of India’s Sakshat initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, these Amrita Virtual Labs, focus on helping students retain the real feel of a laboratory, while conducting the experiment from an internet-enabled computer terminal, much in the same way as is done, in a real lab.

As a key part of the project, the School of Biotechnology will study and use mathematical techniques in biology to study, hypothesize and

demonstrate complex biological functions. Main labs in biotechnology include cell biology, immunology, microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, population ecology and neurophysiology. Amrita University jointly participates with IIT Delhi, IIT Kanpur, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Guwahati, IIT Roorkee, IIIT Hyderabad and Dayalbagh University.

By augmenting the virtual labs with a plethora of web-based resources equipped with various learning tools such as videos, animations, demonstrations, quizzes and simulators, these labs have also begun to serve as an online community hub to share and enhance conceptual knowledge.

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MASS SPECTROMETRIC CHARACTERIzATION OF BIOACTIVE PEPTIDES & PROTEINSFunded by Amrita University

Plant diseases caused by bacteria and fungi are the major reasons for significant loss in crop yields. To address this issue, many strategies have been developed and new bioanalytical tools have been utilized with an aim to control microbe derived diseases. Particularly important is the use of mass spectrometry (MS) and MS based proteomics approach to identify and characterize plant peptides and proteins as anti-microbial agents for plant protection. Further, concerted effort to quantitate proteins associated with specific plant-pathogen interactions would lead to identification of molecular players involved in plant defense mechanisms. India being a hub of unique and diverse classes of flora and fauna, my primary focus will be on MS based screening, identification and characterization of anti-microbial peptides and proteins from natural sources. The molecules thus identified expected to be used as potential leads to control plant diseases and cultivate plants with increased tolerance or resistance to various phytopathogens.

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND CELL LINE ENGINEERING LABSFunded by Amrita University

The Molecular Biology and the Cell Line Engineering labs will be involved in understanding biological function of genes, its association with diseases such as cancer and diabetes, and help engineer cell lines for the identification of compounds, or natural products capable of alleviating a disease condition. We will also explore areas such as RNAi based gene silencing, micro RNA, stem cell biology and its applications. The facilities in the School of Biotechnology will enhance our capabilities in performing ongoing research activities in the area of wound healing. The labs are equipped with state of the art instruments such as a real-time PCR machine, an ultra-centrifuge, fluorescence microscope and a flow cytometer. These labs will create opportunities to foster research collaborations within the institute, and with other national and international laboratories.

AMRITA - AGILENT ANALYTICAL RESEARCH LABFunded by Agilent Technologies, Germany

In a unique effort of its kind, School of Biotechnology at the Amrita University in collaboration with Agilent Technologies has set up an analytical research lab with the vision to promote development of science education and a scientific mindset in the country. The center currently has the latest state-of-the-art uHPLC chromatographic separation system, which covers the range from analytical to semi-preparative scale. To identify a large variety of chemical and biological compounds, detection systems as UVVIS (Ultraviolet to visible spectroscopy), ELSD (Evaporation Light Scattering) and MS/MS capable MS (Mass spectrometry) (ESI Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry) instead of (Mass Spectrometry) are in use. Additionally an ultrafast online-UVVIS spectrometer is present.

The center provides its instrumentation capabilities and expertise to the in-house researchers to solve diverse research problems such as identification and characterization of natural products, metabolic intermediates and proteome analysis related to various disease indications.

Additionally the HPLC, the LC/MS and the UVVIS systems are used for education and training.

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CANCER DISCOVERY BIOLOGY

Funded by Department of Biotechnology, Government of India.

Drug discovery is currently in an exciting phase where conventional methodologies are being ably complemented by ‘omics’ approaches due, in part, to the greater accessibility of the newest generation of high-throughput platforms and technologies. At the Cancer Discovery Biology Laboratory, we work towards making the identification of oncology clinical biomarkers more feasible through state-of-the-art pharmacogenomic and proteomic technologies as well as bioinformatic approaches. In addition, we facilitate the early drug discovery screen of novel small molecules through rational studies that help identify robust lead molecules in oncology. We also integrate drug metabolism and disposition studies with advanced pharmacometric approaches to better appreciate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of candidate drug molecules in oncology.

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Patent Awarded

Recent publications1. Harilal Parasuram, Bipin Nair, Giovanni Naldi, Egidio

D’Angelo, Shyam Diwakar. A modeling based study on

the origin and nature of evoked post-synaptic local field

potentials in granular layer, Journal of Physiology-Paris,

2011, 105, 71–82.

2. Shyam Diwakar, Paola Lombardo, Sergio Solinas,

Giovanni Naldi, Egidio D’Angelo. Local Field Potential

Modeling Predicts Dense Activation in Cerebellar

Granule Cells Clusters under LTP and LTD Control. PLoS

ONE 6(7): e21928. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0021928.

3. Pandurangan N, Bose C, Banerji A., Synthesis and

antioxygenic activities of seabuckthorn flavone-3-

ols and analogs, Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2011, 21,

5328-5330.

4. Nidhina, P. A. H.; Poulose, N. & Gopalakrishnapillai, A.

Vanillin induces adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 cells

by activating extracellular signal regulated kinase 42/44.

Life Sci., 2011, 88, 675-680.

5. Satheesh Babu, T.G., Suneesh, P. V., Ramachandran,

T. and Nair, Bipin. Gold Nanoparticles Modified Titanium

Nanotube Arrays for Amperometric Determination of

Ascorbic Acid, Analytical Letters, 2010, 43: 18, 2809-

2822.

6. Mohan, S., Sheena, A. Poulose, N. & Anilkumar, G.

Molecular dynamics simulation studies of GLUT4:

substrate-free and substrate-induced dynamics and

ATP-mediated glucose transport inhibition. PLoS One,

2010, 5, e14217.

7. Nair, A. K. Sugunan, D. Kumar, H. & Anilkumar, G. Case-

control analysis of SNPs in GLUT4, RBP4 and STRA6:

association of SNPs in STRA6 with type 2 diabetes in a

South Indian population. PLoS One, 2010, 5, e11444.

8. Sugunan, D.; Nair, A. K.; Kumar, H. & Gopalakrishnapillai,

A. A case-control analysis of common variants in GIP

with type 2 diabetes and related biochemical parameters

in a South Indian population. BMC Med. Genet., 2010,

11, 118.

9. T. G. Satheesh Babu, T. Ramachandran, Bipin Nair,

Single step modification of copper electrode for

the highly sensitive and selective non-enzymatic

determination of glucose. Microchim. Acta, 2010,169:

49–55.

10. Prasad, C. N. V., Anjana, T., Banerji, A. &

Gopalakrishnapillai, A. Gallic acid induces GLUT4

translocation and glucose uptake activity in 3T3-L1

cells. FEBS Lett., 2010, 584, 531-536.

11. Sujit Nair et al., Regulation of Nrf2- and AP-1-mediated

gene expression by epigallocatechin-3-gallate and

sulforaphane in prostate of Nrf2-knockout or C57BL/6J

mice and PC-3 AP-1 human prostate cancer cells. Acta

Pharmacol Sin. 2010 Sep;31(9):1223-40.

12. Prasad, C. N. V., Mohan, S. S., Banerji, A. &

Gopalakrishnapillai, A. , Kaempferitrin inhibits GLUT4

translocation and glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 2009, 380, 39-43.

13. S, S. Mohan., Perry, J. J. P., Poulose, N., Nair, B. G. &

Anilkumar, G. Homology modeling of GLUT4, an insulin

regulated facilitated glucose transporter and docking

studies with ATP and its inhibitors. J. Biomol. Struct.

Dyn., 2009, 26, 455-464.

14. Shyam Diwakar, Krishnashree Achuthan, Prema

Nedungadi and Bipin Nair, “Enhanced Facilitation of

Biotechnology Education in Developing Nations via

Virtual Labs: Analysis, Implementation and Case-

studies”, International Journal of Computer Theory and

Engineering, 3, no. 1, pp. 1-8, 2011.

Books Published:

Computational Neuroscience of Granule Neurons, LAP

Lambert Academic Publishing GmbH & Co. KG, Germany,

April 29, 2011, ISBN: 978-3-8443-2488-4. Pg. 184. by Dr.

Shyam Diwakar.

Insight into data mining: Theory and practice, PHI learning

Pvt. Ltd. (prev. Prentice Hall India), New Delhi (India), Dec

2005. ISBN-81-203-2897-3 Now in second edition. by Dr.

Shyam Diwakar.

Recognitions:

Outstanding Reviewer of 2011 for the journal Pharmaceutical

Research (Impact Factor 4.456) – Dr. Sujit Nair

International Collaborations - Amrita School of

Biotechnology:

Amrita School of Biotechnology and Agilent Technologies,

Germany. Collaboration to develop state-of-the-art

proteomics research capabilities utilizing Mass Spectrometry

(LC-MS/MS).

Indo-US, PI: Dr. Bipin Nair (India), Dr. Jefferson Perry

(Scripps Research Institute, USA), Regulation of Matrix

Metalloproteinases in wound healing and cancer.

Indo-Italy, PI: Dr. Shyam Diwakar (India), Prof. Giovanni

Naldi (Univ. of Milan, Italy), Cerebellum inspired approach for

pattern classification in robots.

16

Dr. Sudarslal. S

Associate Professor

Ph.D. in Biophysics, School of

Biosciences, M.G.University, Kerala

Formerly Manager at Mass

Spectrometry Core Facility, NCBS,

Bangalore, India

Areas of Interest: Mass spectrometric

characterization of medicinally important peptides and proteins

Dr. Sujit Nair

Assistant Professor

Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA, 2008.

Formerly at the Center for Cancer Chemoprevention Research at Rutgers, The State University of New

Jersey, USA with which he was affiliated for over six years.

Areas of Interest: Cancer Biology, Pharmacogenomics, Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Signal transduction in carcinogenesis.

Dr. Bipin Nair

Professor and Dean

Ph.D. Microbiology, M.S.University of Baroda 1986

Formerly at MDS Pharma Services, USA, where he worked for over 12 years as the Research Manager in the Lead Discovery Group. Currently national co-ordinator for virtual Biotech

labs in collaboration with IIT Mumbai and IIT Delhi

Areas of Interest: Pharmacology, Lead Discovery, Cell Signaling

Dr. Asoke Banerji

Distinguished Professor

DIC Biochemistry, Imperial College, London, 1975

Ph.D. Chemistry, Delhi University, Delhi, 1964

Formerly at RRL, Trivandrum and is a DAE Raja Ramanna Fellowship

awardee as well as the former Head of Bioorganic Division, at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay.

Areas of Interest: Natural product chemistry and Biotechnology

Dr. Ayyappan Ramesh Nair

Associate Professor

Ph.D. Molecular and Cellular Biology, Ohio University, USA 1997

Formerly at Anthem Biosciences, Bangalore, India

Areas of Interest: Target discovery and validation, RNAi, Cell cycle

regulation, DNA damage repair mechanisms and Stem cell biology.

Dr. Martin Reick

Associate Professor

Ph.D. Molecular Biology, MIU, Fairfield, IA, USA 1996

Formerly at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA.

Areas of Interest: Metabolism, diabetes, biological rhythms, peptide-based anti-snake venom therapy

Dr. Geetha Kumar

Associate Professor

Ph.D. Biochemistry, University of Tenneessee, Memphis, USA 1992.

Formerly at Ceptyr Inc., USA.

Areas of Interest: Drug discovery, molecular mechanisms in diabetes and wound-healing, natural products for wound-healing

Faculty

Dr. Walter Schrenk

Associate Professor

Ph.D. Organic Chemistry & Polymer

Science, Joh.Gutenberg University

Mainz, 1982

Formerly at the R&D Department

of Hewlett Packard/Agilent

Technologies,Waldbronn Germany.

Areas of Interest: Instrumental Analysis as HPLC/MS in Life

Science Applications, Microfluidics, Lab & Process Automation.

Natural Product Separation and Identification.

17

Dr. Shyam Diwakar

Assistant Professor

Ph.D. in Computational Neuroscience, University of Milan, Italy 2008.

Formerly at Neurophysiology Labs, University of Pavia, Italy where he worked for the past 2 years as Post-

Doctoral Fellow.

Areas of Interest: Computational Neuroscience, Biophysics, Mathematical Modeling, Machine learning

Mr. Kartik Iyer

Assistant Professor

M.S. Microbial Pathogenesis, Immunology and Inflammation, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA 2008. Formerly at the Department of

Molecular Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, USA.

Areas of Interest: Microbiology, Immunology, Molecular Biology.

Dr. Sreekala C. O.

Assistant Professor

Ph.D. in Physics, Amrita University, 2011.

Areas of Interest: Electronics

Dr. Sanjay Pal

Assistant Professor

Ph.D. in Biotechnology, IIT Kharagpur, 2004

Formerly at University of Texas Health Science Centre, San Antonio, USA.

Areas of Interest: Extracellular

matrix (ECM) in health and disease.

Dr. Nandita Mishra

Assistant Professor

Ph.D. in Biotechnology, IIT Kharagpur, 2005

Formerly at University of Texas Health Science Centre, San Antonio,

USA.

Areas of Interest: Screening molecules with anti-cancer properties.

Ms. Margaret Reick

Assistant Professor

M.Sc. Molecular Biology, MIU, Fairfield, IA, USA 1993

Formerly at UT Southwestern

Medical Center, Dallas, USA.

Areas of Interest: Type 2 diabetes

Dr. Gopi Chellam

Assistant Professor

PhD in Diabetic foot wound healing

Formerly at Amrita Institute of

Medical Sciences, Kochi.

Areas of Interest: Type 2 diabetes

Dr. Prakash Chandran

Assistant Professor

Ph.D. in Chemistry (Organic

Synthesis), MG University, 2004.

Formerly at Anthem Biosciences Ltd,

Bangalore

Areas of Interest: New Chemical

Entities, Biomaterials and their

chemical modifications

Dr. Sobha V. Nair

Assistant Professor

Ph.D. in Chemistry (Polymer Technology), MG University, 2006.

Formerly at PES-IT, Bangalore

Areas of Interest: Biodegradable Polymers.

Mr. Nidheesh M.

Assistant Professor

M.Sc. Computer Science, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri

2005.

Areas of Interest: Neuroinformatics, Data Mining

18

Ms. Asha R. Pai

Lecturer

M.Sc. Physics, Mahatma Gandhi

University, Kottayam, 2003.

Areas of Interest: Physics,

Electronics, Computer Science

Ms. Shalini Dinesh

Assistant Professor

M.Phil. Aquatic Biology, Kerala University, 1995

M.Sc. Biology, Kerala University,

1993.

Areas of Interest: Marine Microbiology

Bri. Praseena

Lecturer

M.Sc. Microbiology, Bharathiar

University, Coimbatore, 2003.

Areas of Interest: Medical and Environmental Microbiology

Mrs. Jyothi R.

Lecturer

M.Sc. Chemistry, Mahatma Gandhi University, Cochin, 2002, B. Ed. Physical Science, Mahatma Gandhi

University, Cochin, 2003.

Areas of Interest: Analytical /Organic /Biochemistry

Ms. Jayalekshmi H

Lecturer

M.Sc. Microbiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Manipal,

1999.

Areas of Interest: Medical Bacteriology

Ms. Vidya Prakash

Lecturer

MSc Microbiology, Bharathiar

University, Coimbatore,2004.

Areas of Interest: Food Microbiology

Ms. Suma Mahesh

Lecturer

M.Sc. Analytical Chemistry, Christian College, Chengannur, Kerala

University, 2005.

Areas of Interest: Organic & Physical Chemistry

Mr. Ajith M

Assistant Professor

M.Sc. Applied Microbiology, PSG College of Arts & Science, Coimbatore

Formerly at Sri Krishna College,

Coimbatore.

Areas of Interest: Enzymology

19

Dr. Jeff Perry (Senior Research Associate, The Scripps Research Institute, San Diego, USA)Ph.D. Natural Science, University of Cambridge, UK 2000 Dr. Perry comes to us from Scripps Institute, San Diego, USA.

Areas of Interest: Structural Biology

Dr. Sriram Devanathan(Professor, Amrita School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Ettimadai, Coimbatore)Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and Statistics, Iowa State University, USA, 1997.

Areas of Interest : Sensors, Fault Diagnosis, Statistical Modeling and Analysis, Quality Management and Six Sigma

Dr. Robert Treder (Insightful Corp. Seattle, WA, USA.)Ph.D. Biostatistics, University of Washington, Seattle, USA 1989.

Areas of Interest: Biostatistics, Clinical graphics, Statistical Application Design

Dr. Mahesh VishvanathanAdjunct Associate Professor(Bioinformatics Specialist, Assistant Professor, EECS, Research Assistant Professor, Molecular and Integrative Physiology, K-INBRE Bioinformatics Core Facility, University of Kansas, Kansas, USA)Ph.D. in Bioinformatics/Systems Biology, UMIT, Hall in Tyrol, Austria

Areas of Interest: Data mining and knowledge discovery in biomedical data, Genotype/phenotype correlation in inherited multi-systemic diseases, Data management and integration of biomedical data, Modeling of biomedical data using systems biology approaches

Dr. Prashanth Athri(Post Doctoral Fellow, Emory University, Human genetics Department. 615 Michael Street, Atlanata ,GA, USA.)Ph.D. in Computational Chemistry (major) and Bioinformatics (minor) from Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Areas of Interest: Application of statistical pattern recognition /machine learning and genetic algorithms to the field of structure-based molecular design and bioinformatics.

Dr. Sreesairam Achuthan(Post-doctoral Fellow, Center for Excellence in Neuroscience, Louisiana State University, Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, U.S.A)

Ph.D. in Mathematics, Florida State University, 2006

Areas of Interest: Computational Neuroscience and Mathematical Biology

Dr. Eileen Thatcher (Professor Emeritus, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, USA)Ph.D. in Immunology, University of California, Davis, USA 1988

Areas of Interest: Wound healing, infectious disease

Dr. Lalitha Subramanian (President, Optra Inc., Santa Clara, CA, USA)Ph.D. in Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.

Areas of Interest: Multi-scale modeling and simulation as well as biology, chemistry and materials informatics applied to discover and design better drugs and better materials.

Dr. Krishnan Namboori(Associate Professor, Computational Chemistry Group, Centre for Excellence in Computational Engineering and Networking Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham)Ph.D. in Computational Drug Designing, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, 2010

Areas of Interest: Computational Chemistry and Molecular Modeling, Biosynthesis, Computational Drug Designing and Delivery Systems, Pharmacoinformatics

Mr. Shabarinath Subramaniam (Research Associate, University of California, Berkeley)M.Sc. Computational Biology, University of Southern California, USA 2002. M.Sc. Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, 2000.

Areas of Interest: Comparative Genomics, Computational Modeling of Biological systems

Visiting / Adjunct Faculty

20

Amrita School of Biotechnology is

committed to offer advanced pedagogical

and hands-on training in the biological

sciences that is, indeed, your stepping

stone to success and your calling card to a

brilliant future on the world stage.

Placements

“Well begun is half done”, observed the Greek

philosopher Aristotle. In consonance with this calling,

our graduating students who confidently step out

through the portals of our School have consistently

been hired into premier research institutions or

pharmaceutical/biotechnology industry. Yet others

have been successfully admitted into coveted doctoral

programs in India or abroad. Just a few examples of

our placement successes include positions bagged in

the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), National Centre for Biological Sciences

(NCBS), Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), University of California network, Cellworks, Biocon,

BioGenex, Astra Zeneca, Ranbaxy, Lupin and Reliance Life Sciences, amongst many others. Our highly-

motivated faculty members are dedicated to training our students to aim for the best in science and in life.

Needless to add, this has translated into our School’s stellar placement track-record that we are proud of today.

Our students secured positions at ...

21

Life at Amrita

The School of Biotechnology is

nestled in a serene campus located

adjacent to the scenic backwaters

of Kerala and the Arabian Sea.

Despite the rigors of a life devoted

to excellence in technology,

creativity blossoms naturally and

the spirit of selfless service adds

fragrance to every event.

22

Campus InfrastructureHostel facilities: Our hostels, which are separate for boys and girls, are located within walking distance at a distance of a few hundred meters from the School. Students are provided with adequate facilities to make them feel at home. A modern central kitchen operates in the campus which provides pure vegetarian food prepared under hygienic conditions. Their stay in the hostel enables them to imbibe a healthy life-style and involve in activities including yoga, meditation, sports, music, etc., which are conducive for leading a balanced life of work and play. We attach great significance to the quality of life on our campus. Intake of tobacco in any form and any other intoxicants is strictly prohibited. Students learn to take care of their personal needs and grow in a nurturing environment.

All courses offered by the School are residential. However, students staying with their parents within a 30-kilometer radius of the College may commute to their classes from their residences.

Laboratories: Well-equipped Microbiology, Biochemistry and Biotechnology laboratories have been set up along with Tissue culture facilities, Microscopy room, Radioactivity room and a state-of-the-art instrumentation room.

Medical Facility: Qualified medical and paramedical personnel including doctors, nurses and pharmacists are available in the campus medical clinic. Additionally, a full-fledged Ayurvedic hospital also functions in the campus.

23

Campus Amenities

Transport: College buses pick-up and drop day-scholars from

specified locations in Kollam city and en route, at a nominal fee.

Canteen: The School canteen is open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm every

day. Day scholars, staff members and guests can avail themselves of

this facility. Students living in the hostels may also make use of this

canteen for additional refreshments.

Store: The General Store caters to requirements for stationary,

toiletries, provisions, etc. The store also stocks publications, audio/

video cassettes, herbal/ayurvedic products, etc. produced by the

Math.

Library: A large collection of over 8,000 international books and

journals is available for reference in the library which is open to staff

and students from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. for information retrieval and

services. Students and staff can also access the online knowledge

archival resource from any net-worked system on the campus.

Telephone STD/ISD: The students can also avail of local, STD/ISD

facilities from the pay-to-use booths located at various places in the

campus.

Banking: An extension counter of the Dhanalakshmi bank is

conveniently located in the campus and functions on all working days.

24

Students can make use of the personal banking facilities at

the extension counter. The bank also provides a 24 hour ATM

facility.

Photocopying Facilities: Students can make use of the

photocopying facility available at the institute at a nominal

rate.

ICTS: Information and Communication Technology Services

(ICTS) provides computing and all related facilities available

on the campus. There are approximately 800 computers and

nearly 20 high end servers, which are maintained by ICTS. New

network implementations and Wi-Fi networks, E-Learning

amenities, campus PABX functions and administrative

supervision over UPS are also provided by ICTS.

Sports Facilities: Sports and games are given due

importance in the curriculum. Playgrounds with volleyball,

basketball and badminton courts are available. In addition,

facilities for various indoor games like table tennis and chess

are also provided.

Yoga: For students so inclined, yoga and meditation classes

are conducted under expert guidance. Apart from this,

the students have the option of attending evening prayers

in the Ashram, which is a means for mental relaxation and

rejuvenation.

Cultural: Amritakalotsavam, our annual arts festival gives

tremendous opportunities for students to be creative and

exhibit their artistic talent. Cultural celebrations / festivals

like Onam, Vishu, Christmas and Gokulashtami are also

celebrated will great élan in the campus. Many of these

festivals including New Year are celebrated in the presence

of our beloved Amma, Her Holiness Mata Amritanandamayi

Devi.

Amrita Sanjeevani: Amrita Sanjeevani, a student group on our

campus, was formed to inculcate in the students a realistic

knowledge and understanding of the society that we are living

in. It strongly encourages the students to harness their innate

potential and to confidently assume personal responsibilities.

Amalabharatham: It is a campaign aimed at cleaning India’s

public places and national highways. Through this cleanliness

drive, students at Amrita along with MAM hope to raise social

awareness of humanity’s debt to our beautiful earth and

nature. Amma launched this project on her 57th Birthday

celebrations on 27th Sep 2010.

25

How to reach AmritapuriThe closest airport is in Thiruvananthapuram

(110 km south of Amritapuri). At the airport you

may go to the “Airport Taxi Service” counter

and ask for a prepaid taxi to Amrita Vishwa

Vidyapeetham, Amritapuri. Cochin International

Airport at Nedumbassery is 140 km north from the

School. Kayamkulam (12 km north of Amritapuri)

is the closest town situated north of the School of

Biotechnology. Autorickshaws can bring you to the

campus, which takes about 20 minutes and costs

about Rs. 200. Bus services are also available

from Kayamkulam Bus Stand to Vallikavu, which is

approximately a five-minute walk from the School.

26

Mata Amritanandamayi MathThe Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM) is a

registered Public Charitable Trust dedicated to serving

humanity without distinction of nationality, caste, race

or religion. The Math, which has a global presence,

has its International Headquarters at Amritapuri,

Kollam, Kerala State, India. The Economic and

Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations has

awarded the Math with Special Consultative Status.

The Math is among 30 Indian NGOs to receive formal

UN affiliation in India.

Humanitarian Activities

Project to combat Farmer Suicide

In recent years, suicide has been spreading like an epidemic amongst farmers in India who suffer from crop failure and debts.

On 27 September 2007, the Ashram inaugurated two programs aimed at fighting the problem: Vidyamritam and Amrita SREE. The projects are focused at Indian States with high farmer-suicide rates - Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Vidyamritam

Through Vidyamritam, the Ashram is providing full scholarships to 100,000 children (ages 10 to 15) of farmers

living below the poverty line. The children receive a monthly stipend until they finish their education, subject to their performance in their studies.

Amrita SREE (Self-Reliance Education and Employment)

Through Amrita SREE, the ashram is providing free vocational training to 5,000 groups of women from impoverished agricultural families. After completion of their training, the women are given the necessary start-up capital to begin small, home-based businesses.

Disaster Relief

Bihar Flood Relief (2008): Rs. 2 crores has been earmarked by the Ashram for flood-relief work. Several teams of volunteers, doctors and nurses are working in the region.

Kashmir Earthquake (Oct. 2005): The Ashram distributed food and other aid including blankets to victims. The Ashram is working to fulfill its pledge to rebuild three villages.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita (Aug/Sept. 2005)

Amma’s Ashram donated one million dollars in aid and assistance to those affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in USA. Trained medical experts from Amma’s devotees traveled to Louisiana to help. Food, clothing, and school supplies were distributed to the evacuees.

Flood in Mumbai (Jul. 2005)

The Ashram sent a medical team to Mumbai which spent three weeks visiting slum areas, distributing medicines and treating over 32,000 victims for infectious diseases.

Gujarat Earthquake (Jan.2001): A 12-member medical team from AIMS super-specialty Hospital was immediately dispatched with volunteers to the earthquake-affected region. The Ashram rebuilt three villages - Modsar, Mokhana and Dagara, constructing 1200 earthquake-proof houses, medical clinics, water tanks, schools, community halls, temples and mosques.

Tsunami Relief Projects

More than Rs. 200 crores have been spent by Amma’s Ashram for relief and rehabilitation of those affected by the Asian Tsunami in December 2004, including India and Sri Lanka. The Ashram has constructed more than 4500 houses in the Tsunami-affected areas in both India and Sri Lanka. The Mata Amritanandamayi Math is the first NGO in India to have completed the construction of Tsunami-relief houses according to government specifications in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Amrita Kuteeram Free Housing Scheme

In 1996, the Math launched Amrita Kuteeram, a housing project to construct 25,000 houses for the homeless and

27

slum dwellers in India. The second phase of this project targets the building of 1,00,000 homes. As of now, more than 35,000 houses have been built across the length and breadth of the country.

Amrita Nidhi Monthly Pension scheme for destitute women

In 1998, AMMA launched a pension scheme for the benefit of 50,000 destitute women. The pension is distributed by the Math through its branch centres at various parts of the country.

Amrita Niketan (Orphanage)

Located at Parippalli, Kollam, Kerala, this institution is

dedicated to caring for five hundred children from the most

disadvantaged sections of society, mainly from tribal areas.

These children receive an excellent education at AMMA’s

Sanskrit Higher Secondary School, Paripalli.

Anbu Ilam Care Home for Senior Citizens, Sivakasi

Amrita Anbu Illam is the Math’s care home for the elderly,

located in the beautiful countryside of Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu.

Mass Wedding Ceremony for the Poor

This project helps impoverished couples who cannot afford

a proper wedding. The Math provides everything for the

wedding including clothes, gold jewellery for the bride

and the traditional wedding feast. Since 2003, over 600

marriages have been conducted for impoverished couples.

AYUDH (Amrita Yuva Dharma Dhara)

The Math’s initiative for youth - AYUDH - organizes satsangs

and social service activities. Yoga, meditation and self-

discipline camps are part of the activities. AYUDH members

also participate in cleaning the public premises and render

assistance in various welfare programmes.

Green Friends

Established for the preservation and protection of the

environment, Green Friends aims at afforestation and tree

plantation on a mass scale.

Free Meal Scheme

The Math feeds over two million poor and under-privileged

people every year through its branches.

Mother’s Kitchen

In the United States of America, AMMA’s devotees run

Mother’s Kitchen in 39 cities, providing over 40,000 meals

for the homeless each year.

Amrita Aranya Jeevanam

This project provides vocational training and a means for

livelihood in addition to providing an educational facility and

health-care for the tribals.

Health Care

• Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Kochi,

Kerala is a 1300-bed, super-specialty hospital providing

international-standard medical care at affordable/

subsidized rates. This has become one of the best

hospitals in Asia with many firsts to its credit in terms

of infrastructure, facilities and patient care. It offers free

and subsidized services to the poor and needy.

• AmritaKripaCharitableHospitals:KollamandKalpetta.

• AmritaKripasagarHospital,Mumbai:providesfreecare

and spiritual solace for terminal cancer patients.

• AmritaAyurvedicClinic,Kollam,Kerala.

• AmritaAIDSCareCentre,Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala.

• FreemedicalcampsareconductedatAshramcentres

throughout India.

Educational

• Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham - University having

15 constituent schools spread over 5 campuses in

Amritapuri, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Kochi and Mysore

• Amrita Vidyalayam Schools – more than 50 schools

across the country.

• MAM Industrial TrainingCenter for theYouth,Kollam,

Kerala

• Amrita Speech and Hearing Improvement School

(ASHIS) for Children, Thrissur, Kerala.

• AmritaSchoolofVisualMediaStudies,Trivandrum

Spiritual

• The Ashram is headquartered at Amritapuri, Kollam

with 23 Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM) Centres in

India.

• MAMCentreshaveaglobalpresence in27countries

across the world.

• Amrita Kutumbams are focused groups that help

householders to practice Amma’s teachings in their life

and to instill moral values in their children.

• Matruvani-monthlyspriritualmagazinepublishedin8

Indian and 7 foreign languages.

• 20BrahmasthanamTemples throughout India, and in

Mauritius.

28

2010, New York : AMMA was conferred honorary doctorate in humane letters by State

University of New York, Buffalo, USA.

2006, New York : AMMA was presented with the Interfaith Center of New York’s 4th

Annual James Parks Morton Interfaith Award after speaking on the topic

“Understanding and collaboration between Religions”.

2005, Cannes : A film on AMMA titled “Darshan – The Embrace” by renowned filmmaker Jan

Kounen was screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

2004, Barcelona : AMMA delivered the Keynote Address at the Closing Plenary Session of the

World Parliament of Religions.

2002, Geneva : AMMA delivered the Keynote Address at the Global Peace Initiative of Women

Religious and Spiritual Leaders at the UN, after receiving the prestigious UN

Gandhi-King Peace Award.

2000, New York : AMMA also delivered the Keynote Address at the Millennium Peace Summit,

UN General Assembly.

1995, New York : AMMA spoke at the Interfaith Celebration, during the 50th Anniversary of the

UN.

1993, Chicago : AMMA was one of the main speakers at the World Parliament of Religions,

100th anniversary.

Satguru Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi has

given Darshan to over 30 million people

across the world and has been invited to

address global fora