For the first time in the country, the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS), Bengaluru has taken up a research study on dengue to help identify biomarkers which can predict the disease.

Considering the seriousness of the disease and the struggle which both patients and hospitals go through to identify the severity of the disease, the university has taken up this study in association with Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru, St John's Medical College, Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, M S Ramaiah Institute of Medical Sciences and Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences, Bengaluru and also with the help of clinical virology experts in NIMHANS.

Explaining this, Dr G S Venkatesh, director of advanced research at the university said, "This research is set to find biomarkers (predictors) that could help isolate patients that are more likely to develop complications of the disease." The university has allocated INR 3 crore for the study. 

"The samples of the patients will be preserved in a bio bank of blood cells for an infinite period and later, the same can be used for further study," mentioned Dr Venkatesh. According to university authorities, this study will reduce the treatment cost of the disease and also help clinicians identify those dengue cases which are more likely to get into complications such as dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome.