IIT Jodhpur inaugurates AyurTech CoE

New Delhi: Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur recently inaugurated AyurTech, the Center of Excellence (CoE) sponsored by the Ministry of Ayush. The CoE AyurTech is part of the Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (AI) based Precision Healthcare at the school of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (AIDE) at IIT Jodhpur.

The aim of this center is to establish an AI-driven integrative framework for population and individual risk stratification and early actionable precision health interventions. More information on the center can be obtained from https://aide.iitj.ac.in/index.php/coe.

The Centre for AyurTech is being proposed as the first-of-its-kind initiative in the precision health and medicine space that would combine Electronics, Digital health and AI and multi-omics technologies for realising ‘Evidence-based Ayurveda’ solutions in a transdisciplinary framework.

Speaking during the inauguration event, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, said, “I am honored to inaugurate the AyurTech Center of Excellence sponsored by the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, at IIT Jodhpur. ‘Ayurveda Vigyaan’ is the future of healthcare system. I congratulate IIT Jodhpur for taking this initiative and hope this will help researchers in developing indigenous technologies. I am sure in the upcoming years this center will translate various research projects into successful outcomes for the betterment of the public at large.”

A built-up space of approximately 3760 sq.ft. for an AyurTech facility for Phenotyping, Molecular Biology, Chemistry and Device development fabrication and characterization area has been provided by IIT Jodhpur. This space for technological immersion will enable capacity building in different domains of Ayurveda, increase employability in transdisciplinary domain, provide innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities and help in trans-disciplinary research programs.

Speaking about AyurTech CoE, Prof. Santanu Chaudhury, Director, IIT Jodhpur, said, “I thank Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha ji for gracing the inauguration event with his esteemed presence. The collaboration of Ayurveda and Technology can bring a new medical field of ‘integrated medicines’ into the mainstream. The philosophy of this center is to work on individual-centric medicine at an affordable cost using artificial intelligence and data science. The Ayurtech CoE will prioritize research on ‘how to make sure people do not get a disease’, than, ‘treating a disease.”

Key research areas that the centre will focus are as follows:

– Digital devices integrated with IoT, AI and computer vision for rapid, objective, and accurate assessments of Ayurveda parameters and tailoring interventions

– Blockchain powered highly secure and privacy preserving smart phone platforms, for large scale Ayurveda parameter screening, health, and intervention monitoring

– Laboratory and Point-of-Care (PoC) deployable sensors/ devices, systems and frameworks will be developed for Ayurveda drug standardization

– Open-source platforms of drug-disease networks using a compendium of molecular signatures of drugs, medicinal plants and Ayurveda based formulations for discoveries, poly-pharmacology and repurposing

– Ontological frameworks based on Natural Language Processing for integration of knowledge base of Ayurveda with contemporary terminologies and description

– Implementation of integrative medicine in different clinical settings