Insights into Congenital Heart Disease Research: A Report on an Educational Trip to Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Child Heart Care, Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India

03-07 October 2023, Navi Mumbai

Introduction

A group of postgraduate students from the Department of Life Science at Sri Sathya Sai University for Human Excellence visited Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Child Heart Care Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India from October 3rd to October 7th, 2023. The trip was organized to facilitate the students to do their minor projects on congenital heart defects at the institute.

Day 1

On the first day, the students had an introductory session on congenital heart disease and associated syndromes by Dr. Snehal Kulkarni. Dr. Srinivas then shared his insights on research and had an interactive session with the students to learn about their research interests. In the afternoon, Dr. Radha outlined the schedule for the upcoming four days and assigned topics related to REDCap data and databases for minor projects. Dr. Radha also gave a lecture on Redcap, discussing the aspects of individual minor projects and demonstrating how to obtain parental consent for research purposes.

Day 2

On the second day, the students had a session on bioinformatics by Dr. Abhiram Natu. He elaborated on CHD databases and their utility in understanding genetic variations and highlighted how database information could be correlated with clinical parameters. The students then explored the database and how it correlates with the clinical parameters. In the afternoon, they had a session on RTPCR instrumentation.

Day 3

On the third day, the students had the opportunity to be part of consent taking from parents and transferring the tissue samples to the storage vials. The rest of the day was dedicated to doing a literature review for the given topic related to Congenital Heart Defect Patients.

Day 4

On the fourth day, the students had hands-on lab practicals and calculations. They learned how to prepare a stock solution for DNA isolation and calculated the amount to be weighed for the DNA stock preparation and prepared the same. The session aimed to provide them with practical knowledge and skills in DNA isolation techniques. Later, they visited the hospital sterilization department to sterilize the stock prepared. They had a briefing on the whole setup and the processes involved in sterilization.

Day 5

On the final day of the trip, the students had a session where each of them explained their assigned topic to Dr. Radha and their professor Dr. Rajeshwari. They received guidance and feedback, helping them to refine their understanding of their topics and guiding them about the minor project. The students also learned the essential skill of aliquoting blood samples.

Conclusion

The trip was fruitful, and the students gained valuable knowledge and skills in congenital heart disease research. They also had the opportunity to learn about the latest technologies and methodologies used in the field. The trip was a well-organized and informative experience, and the students are grateful to the faculty and staff of Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Child Heart Care Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India for their hospitality and support.