AIG Hospitals Launches Centre For Next-Gen Gi Therapies

The new facility aims to usher in a transformative approach to digestive healthcare by focusing on restoring the body’s natural microbial balance rather than merely managing symptoms.

The centre was conceptualised under Dr D. Nageshwar Reddy, chairman, AIG Hospitals, and was formally inaugurated by Prof. Emad El-Omar, a globally renowned expert in gut microbiome research, who will also serve as the centre’s special scientific adviser.

Scientists note that the human gut hosts trillions of beneficial bacteria that function like a hidden organ, supporting digestion, immunity and overall health. In chronic gastrointestinal diseases, this delicate balance is disrupted, leading to inflammation and disease progression.

Microbiome-based therapies seek to correct this imbalance by promoting beneficial microbes and reducing harmful ones, enabling personalised and long-lasting treatment with fewer side effects.

Designed as an integrated research ecosystem, the centre brings together clinicians, wet-lab scientists and computational researchers to work collaboratively. Its primary focus will be on chronic and increasingly prevalent conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), fatty liver disease, obesity and metabolic disorders, pancreatitis and other complex gastrointestinal ailments.

The facility is equipped with advanced infrastructure, including next-generation sequencing platforms, ultra-low temperature biorepository freezers, specialised molecular laboratories and bioinformatics capabilities to support large-scale data analysis and microbial profiling.

Speaking at the launch, Dr Reddy said the gut microbiome offers an unprecedented opportunity to understand disease mechanisms and develop precise, durable therapies. He stressed the need for India-specific microbiome data, citing the country’s unique genetic diversity, dietary patterns and disease burden.

Prof. El-Omar said the centre’s strong translational focus could significantly accelerate the development of microbiome-based therapeutics, positioning India as a key contributor to global biomedical research.