7th International Leh Symposium 2024
Theme: Molecular Mechanisms and Therapeutics of Hypoxic Lung
Venue: Mahabodhi International Meditation Center, Saboo, Leh, Ladakh, INDIA
August 04 – 09, 2024

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM

Day 1: Sunday, August 4, 2024
TimeActivity

16:00 - 17:00
16:00 - 17:00
17:00-17:15

Registration
HHS-General Body Meeting
Welcome address by Qadar Pasha, Founder & Director, Institute ofHypoxia Research & Hypobaric Hypoxia Society (HHS)

Inaugural Session 1 (Online)
Chairs: Qadar Pasha and Brian GrahamTimeSpeaker

Title of Talk

17:15-18:00

Sir Peter J Ratcliffe
Nobel Laureate
University of Oxford, UK

18:00-18:20

Damian Bailey
Radical’ insights into oxygen-sensing by the human brain:
University of South Wales, UK Pushing the bioenergetic limits!
Discussion
Andrew Murray
Human Metabolic Adaptation to High-Altitude Hypoxia
University of Cambridge, UKDiscussion
Soni S. Pulamsetti
Hypoxia-Mediated Translational Dynamics: New Discoveries
Max Planck, Germanyand Perspectives
Discussion
Josef Prchal & Jihyun Song
Alternatively spliced NFKB1 causes elevated hemoglobin
University of Utah, USAlevels in Andean Aymaras
Discussion
Tim Lahm
Crosstalk between hypoxia and estrogen signaling in theNational Jewish Health,pulmonary vasculature and right ventricle
Denver, Colorado, USADiscussion
DINNER AND INTERACTIONS AMONG DELEGATES

18:20-18:25
18:25-18:45
18:45-18:50
18:50-19:10
19:10-19:15
19:15-19:35
19:35-19:40
19:40-20:00

20:00-20:05
20:05

Oxygen sensing mechanism that regulates gene expression inresponse to decreases in cellular oxygenation1

Day 2: Monday, August 05, 2024
Time
08:00

EventWelcome Note

Session – 2
Human Response to High Altitude
Chair: Forhad A Zaman, Tashi Motup, G L SharmaTimeSpeaker

Title of Talk

08:30-08:50

Corinna Schön
UMass Chan Medical School –Baystate, Switzerland
Discussion
Niraj Rai/ Sonam Spalzin
Birbal Sahni Institute ofPalaeosciences, Lucknow,India
Discussion
Spalchen Gonbo
SNM Hospital, Leh, India
Discussion
Tashi Motup
SNM Hospital, Leh, India
Discussion
Peter Hackett

Beyond the peaks: Fatalities in the Swiss Mountains and theVital Role of Psychological Support for Rescuers“

08:50-08:55
08:55-09:15

09:15-09:20
09:20-09:40
09:40-09:45
09:45-10:05
10:05-10:10
10:10-10:30
10:30

Genetic architecture and adaptation of Ladakh highlanders oftrans-Himalayas

Anemia at high altitude - Real or a calculation error?

Gall Bladder Stone disease Ladakh. Incidence, disease trendand future prospects
Vision on HA physiological responses and the way forward

Tea / Coffee

Session – 3
Cardiovascular Health and High Altitude
Chair: Mahesh K, Tashi Thinlas, Kumaravelu RTimeSpeaker

10:50-11:10

12:25-12:30
12:55-13:05

Ajay Bahl
Postgraduate Institute ofMedical Education andResearch, Chandigarh, India
Discussion
Rakesh C. Kukreja
University of Virginia, USADiscussion
Lotos Rabgais
SNM Hospital, Leh, India
Discussion
Kumaravelu Jagavelu
CSIR-Central Drug ResearchInstitute, Lucknow, India
Discussion
GROUP PHOTOGRAPH

13:05-14:00

LUNCH

11:10-11:15
11:15-11:35
11:35-11:40
11:40-12:00
12:00-12:05
12:05-12:25

Title of Talk
Profile of cardiomyopathies from Jammu and Kashmir andLadakh

Hypoxic preconditioning of the heart

TBA

Dual role of Damage associated molecular pattern HMGB3 in
myocardial ischemia

2Session – 4
Immunological response under hypoxic condition
Chair: Kashif Hanif and Prashant Bobhate
TimeSpeaker

Title of Talk

14:00-14:20

Brian Graham
University of California,San Francisco, USA
Discussion
Nirupama Trehanpati
Institute of Liver and BiliarySciences, Delhi, India
Discussion
Rajkumar Savai
Max Planck Institute for Heartand Lung Research, Germany
Discussion
Rahul Kumar
University of California, SanFrancisco, USA
Discussion
Tea/Coffee

Immune Cascade In Inflammatory Pulmonary Vascular Disease
Including Schistosoma And Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension

14:20-14:25
14:25-14:45

14:45-14:50
14:50-15:10

15:10-15:15
15:15-15:35

15:35-15:40
15:40

Altered Cellular Energetics of immune cells in the hypoxic nicheof Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Inflammatory Lung Microenvironment in Lung Cancer-AssociatedPulmonary Hypertension

Role of the immune response in hypoxic pulmonary
hypertension

Session – 5
Posters Session
Chair: Brian Graham, Raj Kumar Savai, Arpana Vibhuti
16:30-18:30

Posters Presentation

18:30-19:30

CULTURAL PROGRAM

20:00

DINNER AND EXPLORATION OF SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATIONS

3

Day 3: Tuesday, August 06, 2024
08:00-09:00

Yoga and Meditation
Dhamma Laddha Vipassana session by revered Guruji
Session – 6Time
09:30-10:30

10:30
11:00-11:20

11:20-11:25
11:25-11:45

11:45-11:50

Panel discussion - Evidence-based traditional medicine for wellness.
Chair: Akshay Anand, Raghvendra Rao, Corinna Schön
Speaker
Title of Talk
Akshay Anand
PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
Neelam Dahiya
PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
Pramod Avti
PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
Neerja Bharti
PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
Krishan Kumar
PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
Pooja Ojha
All India Institute of Medical
Sciences, Jodhpur, India
Monika Pathania
All India Institute of Medical
Sciences, Rishikesh, India
Hemant Bhargav
NIMHANS, Bengaluru, India
Ganashree
All India Institute of Medical
Sciences, Patna, IndiaManjulata
All India Institute of MedicalSciences, Patna, India

Evidence-based Traditional medicine for Wellness

Tea/Coffee
Raghavendra Rao
Central Council for Research inYoga & Naturopathy (CCRYN),
New Delhi, India
Discussion
Varun Malhotra
AIIMS Bhopal

Role of yoga in high altitude acclimatization: findings from a pilot
study

Examining the Influence of Yoga on Pulse Rate, Oxygen
Saturation, and Hypoxic Effects: Analysis of PsychophysiologicalParameters and Anaerobic Metabolism Shift

Discussion

Session – 7
Environmental Influences in Pulmonary Pathophysiology
Chair: Sunil Munshi, Padma DeskitTimeSpeaker

11:50-12:10

Parvaiz A. Koul
Sher-i-Kashmir Inst. of Med.
Sciences, Srinagar, India
Discussion
Aastha Mishra
CSIR-IGIB, Delhi, India

12:10-12:15
12:15-12:35

Title of Talk
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Kashmir, amoderately high altitude area

Molecular mechanisms underlying High Altitude Pulmonary
Edema4

12:35-12:40
12:40-13:00

12:00-13:05
13:05-14:00

Discussion
Stanzen Rabyang
Sonam Norboo Memorial, Leh,India
Discussion
LUNCH

Consequences of pulmonary hypertension in native highland
population

Session – 8Management and therapeutic interventions for Pulmonary Disorders
Chair: Anurag Agrawal, Rabyang Tenzin, TN Sathyaprabha
TimeSpeaker

14:00-14:20

Prashant Bobhate
Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani
Hospital, Mumbai, India
Discussion
Shine Kumar
Amrita University, Kochi, India
Discussion
Kashif Hanif
CDRI, Lucknow
Discussion
Sonam Spalgais
Vallabhai Patel Chest
Institute, Delhi, India
Discussion
Tea/Coffee

14:20-14:25
14:25-14:45
14:45-14:50
14:50-15:10
15:10-15:15
15:15-15:35

15:35-15:40
15:40

Title of Talk
Heart rate variability: prognostic marker in Pediatric PAH

Pregnancy and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension - N terminal
pro Brain Natriuretic Peptide Trends and Outcomes
Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulation Protects Against
Pulmonary Hypertension
Non-occupational Anthracofibrosis/Anthracosilicosis inLadakh

Session – 9
Neurological Response at High Altitude
Chair: Parvaiz A. Koul, Aastha Mishra, Shine Kumar
TimeSpeaker

16:00-16:20

Sunil Munshi
QueensMedicalCentre.
Nottingham, UK
Discussion
Akshay Anand
PGIMER, Chandigarh, India
Discussion
Vishnu Swarup
AIIMS Delhi, India
Discussion
Buddha Basnyat
Patan Academy of HealthSciences, Kathmandu, Nepal16:20-16:25
16:25-16:45
16:45-16:50
16:50-17:10
17:10-17:15
17:15-17:30

18:00-20:00
20:00

Title of Talk
Stroke at High Altitude

Can Sudarshan Kriya Yoga and advance meditation
techniques facilitate acclimatization at high altitude?
Options for neuroprotection from hypoxic brain injury after
cardiac arrest?
Interactions on neurological health status at HA and the way
forwardCULTURAL PROGRAMDINNER AND EXPLORATION OF SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATIONS

5

Day 4: Wednesday, August 07, 2024
Session – 10High altitude Pathophysiological response
Chair: Manasi Bhattacharjee, Anjali Agrawal
TimeSpeaker

Title of Talk

08:30-08:50

Linda E Keyes
Highland Hospital in Oakland,
CA, USADiscussion
Arpana Vibhuti
SRM University, Delhi-NCR
Sonepat, India
Discussion
Sudipta Ghosh
North-Eastern Hill University,
Shillong, India
Discussion
Padma Deskit
SNM Hospital, Leh, India
Discussion
Tea/Coffee

Does Blood Pressure Matter for Travelers to High Altitude?

08:50-08:55
08:55-09:15
09:15-09:20

09:20-09:40

09:40-09:45
09:45-10:05
10:05-10:10
10:10

Telomere Dynamics in hypobaric hypoxia pathophysiology

High Prevalence of Hypertension among the Indigenous
Populations of North-East India: An Evolutionary Perspective

High altitude maladies: Experiences and observations of a local
surgeonSession – 11
Medical Technologies in Mapping Diseases
Chair: Ajay Bahl and Linda E KeyesTimeSpeakers

11:00-11:20

Anjali Agrawal
Senior Consultant and Delhi
Head, Teleradiology Solutions,India
Discussion

Diagnostic imaging at high altitude--overcoming
stratospheric challenges with plausible solutions

Mahesh Kappanayil
Amrita Inst. of Med. Sciencesand Res. Centre, Kochi, India
Discussion

Role of magnetic resonance imaging in understanding thepathobiology of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Vishal Bansal
Vallabhai Patel Chest Institute,Delhi, India
Discussion

Interventions to Improve Hypoxia Tolerance

Anurag Agrawal
Ashoka University, Sonipat
district, Haryana, India
Discussion
LUNCH

From Bots to Robots: How AI is changing Health and what itmeans for high altitude medicine

11:20-11:25
11:25-11:45

11:45-11:50
11:50-12:10

12:10-12:15
12:15-12:35

12:35-12:45
13:00-14:00

Titles of Talks

Session – 12
Young Investigator Talks

6

Chair: Rahul Kumar, Rakesh KukrejaTime
14:00-14:20
14:20-14:25
14:25-14:45

14:45-14:50
14:50-15:10

15:10-15:15
15:15-15:35

15:35-15:40
15:40-16:00
16:00-16:05
16:05

Speaker

Title of Talk

Taylor Shay Harman
Syracuse University, USA
Discussion
Shaarika Munshi
Imperial College London,London, UK.
Discussion
Hiroaki Arima
Nagasaki University, Japan
Discussion
Rikeshwer Prasad Dewangan
Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi,
India
Discussion
Manzoor Ali
CSIR-IGIB, Delhi, India
Discussion
Tea/Coffee

Andean versus Tibetan adaptive modes: evidence at rest andduring exercise
Variation in hypoxemia adaptation in patients withpulmonary arteriovenous malformations- clinicalquantification and predictors of exercise capacity
Gender difference and polycythemia associated withpolymorphism in rs13419896 and rs2790859 among Tibetan
highlanders living in Mustang, Nepal
Targeting Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF): An Aspects ofMedicinal Chemistry and Drug Development

Profiling of circulating cell-free DNA and its releasemechanisms in High-Altitude Physiology & Pathophysiology

Session – 13Time
16:30-17:30

Panel discussion - Clinical Hypoxia at High altitude
Chair: Forhad A Zaman
Speaker
Title of Talk
Dr Manasi Bhattacharjee
AIIMS Guwahati, India
Dr Diganta Borah
AIIMS Guwahati, India
Dr Kalyan Sharma
AIIMS Guwahati, India
Dr Ankur Khandelwal
AIIMS Guwahati, India
Dr Rashmi Agarwal(Moderator)
AIIMS Guwahati, India

Clinical Hypoxia at High altitude

Session – 14Time
17:30-17:50

17:50-18:10
19:00

Awards and Valediction
Chair: Santosh Pasha, Rahul Kumar, Aastha Mishra
Activity
Announcement and Presentation of Awards
Dr. Qadar Pasha Young Investigator Award(A certificate and a cash award of INR 20K)
Best Poster Awards
Valediction: Vote of thankMeeting Organizers
DINNER AND EXPLORATION OF SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATIONS

7

Day 5: Thursday, August 8, 2024
Roundtable discussions over breakfast: Targets achieved during the symposium
Roundtable discussions over breakfast: targets achieved during the symposium: A prospective
collaborations
Local Hospital Visit /ofInteractions
with HA physicians
Bon voyage with an enriched experience, &We meet at the 8th International Leh Symposium 20268