HEALING, PERSONALIZED

K&H Personalized Medicine Clinic Is infusing the insight of cutting-edge genomics and medical research into the language of everyday clinical practice to turn treatment more personalized than ever. 

MEET THE LEADER 

Dr Kalyan Ram Uppaluri is the Co-Founder and Managing Director at K&H Personalized Medicine Clinic. 

Physician, academician, researcher and pioneering Personalized Medicine, Dr. Uppaluri wears many illustrious hats at once. A tech savvy physician who was awarded the Outstanding Physician award at Campbell University and believes that future drug discovery will be in silico, Dr Uppaluri has several milestones to his credit. He has developed a proprietary pipeline for NGS analysis, started “MVEDA” which is a Virtual Value Chain Orchestrator in drug discovery and is the owner of “ABGA Bio Pharmacy”, an outfit that is developing a meaningful database for the Indian population. 

K & H Personalized Medicine Clinic is a bespoke, first-of-its-kind Personalized Medicine Clinic in Heart of Hyderabad. The organization combines genomic medicine with the latest advances in the field of modern medicine to develop a personalized plan for each of its patients, treating the latter to a world class experience in a relaxed setting. 

“The philosophy of K & H Personalized Medicine Clinic is that every person is unique, so should be the medical care. K & H  addresses the need for a better healthcare system which is more precise and personalized for patients, as well as provides information on disposition toward illnesses for the patients based on their DNA constitution”, says Dr. Uppaluri, setting the tone for the session by synopsizing the essence of his venture. 
 

FILLING IN THE BLANK 

We begin the session by probing into the big need-gap in the healthcare space that Dr Uppaluri’s venture is addressing. The idea leader helpfully launches into a detailed explanation…
 
“The current healthcare system, when it comes to administering medications, follows the trial-and-error approach. The medication, which has treated the greatest number of patients, is suggested. This suggested medication might or might not work for the patient or might have side effects. If medication does not work or if patient develops side effects, another alternative with second greatest number of patients treated is suggested. This trial-and-error method of treatment is arduous for the patient and physician as well.”

“At K & H Personalized Medicine Clinic, we analyze the genomic constitution of the patient; This lends us valuable insight regarding the efficacy of the medication for the patient and what are the levels of side effects. This helps the physicians to provide a precise and personalized treatment for the patient.”

“Also, the genomic analysis we perform provides information regarding the disposition of patient toward certain illnesses. This awareness would be extremely beneficial for patient to take proactive measure against the onset of these illnesses. We provide the nutrition and exercises suitable to the patient based on his DNA information.”
 

CONNECTING HI-END RESEARCH WITH EVERDAY MEDICAL PRACTISE 

Dr Uppaluri’s continues to shed light on his disruptive intervention in the space. “This process of clinical practice was elusive till now, as the language of molecular biologists and bioinformaticians is quite different from that which is generally prevalent in clinical practice. Owing to this disparity in language and lack of common communication means and channels, this advanced science could not be incorporated into patient treatment. ” 

“K & H bridges this gap by leveraging the immense experience and expertise of our physicians trained in genomics at Stanford University (the global hub of genomics) and Harvard University (the frontrunner in genomics research), as well as a well-developed cross-functional IT team which is adept in understanding both the domains and well-versed in creating AI based software, trained by our expert physicians. This new advent in healthcare will forever change the way the healthcare is delivered, helping patients understand their health in more detail and receiving precise treatment, so elusive till now.”

HIS DRIVING VISION AND PASSION 

If there is a common thread connecting all thought leaders and outstanding achievers, it is their all- consuming commitment towards their life’s big obsession. So what is Dr Uppaluri’s own  driving passion? “Provide personalized medicine for every individual, by reshaping the conventional healthcare system”, comes the prompt and confident reply. He continues, “The overarching purpose drives us day-in and day-out to develop ourselves and bring our healthcare strategy and technology to the doorstep of every individual and help them transform their life for a better tomorrow.”

THE EARLY YEARS  

We are keen to decode the formative years and trace the transformational arc Dr Uppaluri has traversed over his eventful journey in the space. He gets into recall mode before sharing… 

“I grew up in the City of Pearls Hyderabad, soaking in the local culture and vibe. I did my medical training at the prestigious Gandhi Medical College. I subsequently moved to the United States, where I specialized in Internal Medicine at the McLaren Hospital in Michigan. I also earned a degree in Medical Genomics from an Ivy league institute, Stanford University, and  pursued cancer research at Wayne State University in Michigan. I worked as an academic physician at the Campbell University in North Carolina, where I trained young doctors in the field of medicine.”

Despite the success he tasted in the United States, Dr Uppaluri’s love for the homeland never changed. He has now brought back the combined power of his varied experiences in the field of medicine to his home city. Along with Dr. Hima Challa – who is both his wife and professional partner - Dr Uppaluri created the concept of K&H Personalized Medicine Clinic. Dr. Hima Challa is the co-founder and the owner of K&H Personalized Medicine Clinic and Research Institute. A graduate of Medical Genomics from Harvard Medical School, her strong educational background and knack for creativity is an asset for the company. 
 

THE TURNING POINT 

Was there a tipping point or Eureka moment that acted as a breakthrough and changed his life’s journey? Dr Uppaluri shares, “You could say that the big turning point in our journey is taking the decision to pursue clinical genomics as career option. Me and my wife are both Internal Medicine faculty, and we saw redundancies in current health care system delivery which is purely prescription based. Factors like root cause identification, nutrition, lifestyle changes, individual uniqueness and cultural beliefs are not taken into consideration. This has enormous impact on our journey.”

SETBACKS AND LEARNINGS 

No saga of triumph comes without its heartbreaks or adversaries. So what are the setbacks Dr. Uppalur has had to face and ace? What have been the experiences undergone, and the learnings gained thereof? The idea champion reveals… 

“Putting together a great team of molecular biologists, bio-informaticians and cross-functional IT teams was our first challenge. Fortunately, after one year of trial and error, we were able to build a core outfit of passionate scientists who shared our vision.

Convincing Physicians about this new cutting-edge technology to implement is another ongoing challenge. We have at least 20% of practising physicians open to adapt and learn about this science. 

We don’t believe in the concept of ‘This Science is still Novice.’ Our belief is ‘Science is always Novice’, and that there is scope for improvement in every field.”
 

LEGACY 

All leaders leave behind a footprint. How would Dr Uppaluri like to be remembered for? What would he, in short, want his legacy to be? The man’s response is candid and compact at once, “We want to be recognized as pioneers in the delivery of Personalized care.”
 

MESSAGE FOR VOH

As we prepare to sign the session off, we request Dr. Uppaluri to share a message for our readers. He obliges generously, saying “Every person is unique; so should be the medical care!!”.

*This story is published by VOH team*