A team from Columbia University visited city-based Prasanta Banerji Homeopathy Research Foundation (PBHRF) for a possible research collaboration and exchange of medical expertise in the field of pediatric oncology.

A five-member team from the university's Integrative Therapies Programme for Children with Cancer visited the PBHRF Saturday, and studied the entire therapeutic method, Banerji Protocol, a new method of treatment under which specific medicines are prescribed for specific diseases after being diagnosed by modern methods of homeopathic treatment, unlike classical homeopathy.

"They have come to see our work and how we treat patients. They have spent their entire day at the PBHRF and met over 30 patients of pediatric oncology. We are planning for research collaboration with the pediatric division of Columbia University's Integrative Therapies Programme for Children with Cancer in the days to come," co-founder and deputy managing trustee of PBHRF Pratip Banerji told IANS.

The US team was led by Elena Ladas and Kara Kelly, the university's medical director of the Integrative Therapies Programme for Children with Cancer.

"I hope it would enhance our exposure, disseminating specific methods of Banerji Protocol worldwide," the noted Kolkata-based homeopath said.

"We are really very interested in practising traditional treatment of pediatric oncology with Banerji Protocol. We have studied their methods and would share our findings with our colleagues in the Columbia University, USA," Kara Kelly told IANS.

"We are very open to go for a tie-up as there's no side effect of this particular homeopathic treatment. This can be scientifically used globally," she said.