The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (,

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...

: ''Kośikīya evam āṇavik jīvavijñāna kendra'') or CCMB is an Indian fundamental

life science Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, organisation, metabolism, growth, adaptation, respon ...

research establishment located in

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

that operates under the aegis of the

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR; IAST: ''vaigyanik tathā audyogik anusandhāna pariṣada'') is a research and development (R&D) organisation in India to promote scientific, industrial and economic growth. Headquarter ...

. CCMB is a designated "Centre of Excellence" by the Global Molecular and Cell Biology Network,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. The center collaborates with the

University of Nebraska Medical Center The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is a Public university, public Academic health science centre, academic health science center in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1869 and chartered as a private medical college in 1881, UNMC became p ...

for translational research on

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of ...

. In addition, the centre receives funding for specific collaborative projects from establishments outside India, such as the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...

and the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

in the United States, the

Imperial Cancer Research Fund Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is the world's largest independent cancer research organisation. It is registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man, and was formed on 4 February 2002 by the merger of The Cancer Research Campaign and ...

and

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in the United Kingdom, the India-Japan Science Council and the University of Ryukyus in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique and the

Pasteur Institute The Pasteur Institute (, ) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax and rabies. Th ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and the

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

Foundation in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

History

CCMB was set up initially as a semi-autonomous Centre on 1 April 1977 with the Biochemistry Division of the then Regional Research Laboratory (presently,

Indian Institute of Chemical Technology The CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology is a national-level research center located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). IICT conducts research in basic and applied chemistry, bio ...

, IICT) in

Habsiguda Habsiguda is a neighbourhood in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is located at the eastern end of the city between Tarnaka and Uppal. It forms Ward No. 7 of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. History of Habsiguda The origin of the n ...

, Hyderabad forming its nucleus and Dr P M Bhargava heading the new Centre. Earlier, the Governing Board of the

(CSIR)

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, the apex body which constituted 44 research institutions (now 38) in the country, approved the proposal in 1976 to establish such a Centre in view of the importance of research in the frontier and multi-disciplinary areas of modern biology. During 1981–82, the CCMB was accorded the status of a full-fledged national laboratory with its own Executive Committee and Scientific Advisory Council. With major expansion plans, it was decided to relocate the centre to a spacious campus.

Former directors

The list of former directors.

Research

The ongoing research programmes at the CCMB are in three major categories – high quality basic research in the frontier areas of modern biology, research relevant to societal needs, and application-oriented research towards commercialization. These include the areas of evolution & development, gene regulation in

prokaryote A prokaryote (; less commonly spelled procaryote) is a unicellular organism, single-celled organism whose cell (biology), cell lacks a cell nucleus, nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. The word ''prokaryote'' comes from the Ancient Gree ...

s and

eukaryote The eukaryotes ( ) constitute the Domain (biology), domain of Eukaryota or Eukarya, organisms whose Cell (biology), cells have a membrane-bound cell nucleus, nucleus. All animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, seaweeds, and many unicellular organisms ...

s, host-parasite interactions,

membrane biology Membrane biology is the study of the biological and physiochemical characteristics of membranes, with applications in the study of cellular physiology. Membrane bioelectrical impulses are described by the Hodgkin cycle. Biophysics Membrane bi ...

protein structure Protein structure is the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in an amino acid-chain molecule. Proteins are polymers specifically polypeptides formed from sequences of amino acids, which are the monomers of the polymer. A single amino acid ...

stem cell biology In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can change into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell ...

neurobiology Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, ...

, bioinformatics,

functional genomics Functional genomics is a field of molecular biology that attempts to describe gene (and protein) functions and interactions. Functional genomics make use of the vast data generated by genomic and transcriptomic projects (such as genome sequen ...

, ecology and ecosystems.

Annexe I – LaCONES

The Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species is an annexe with the aim to conserve the Indian wildlife by using modern biological techniques and assisted reproductive technologies. It has worked extensively with various departments of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

to curb wildlife crime. They have helped identify the source of animal meat in cases of doubt, sources of smuggled animals, and study stress among wild animals via non-invasive measures. They have helped the Directorate of Aerospace Safety to identify the reason on bird hits, and help them in canopy engineering of their airports. They host the National Wildlife Genetic Resource Bank with currently 250 genetic samples of animals, collected from zoos across the country. They can contain up to 17,000 samples. In the past few years, they have worked with the

Nehru Zoological Park Nehru Zoological Park (also known as Zoo Park) is a zoo located near Mir Alam Tank in Bahadurpura, Telangana, India. It is one of the most visited destinations in Hyderabad. History Nehru Zoological Park's construction was started on 26 Oct ...

, Hyderabad to protect the mouse deer from extinction. In August 2018, they started with the phased release of these animals into their original habitats of Amrabad Tiger Reserve.

Annexe II – Medical Biotechnology Complex

CCMB carries out molecular diagnostic tests for 30 genetic disorders and wildlife forensics its medical biotechnology complex, also known as Innovation Hub (iHUB). It also hosts th
Atal Incubation Centre-CCMB (AIC-CCMB)
to support early stage life science startups. This initiative is supported by

NITI Aayog The NITI Aayog (; abbreviation for National Institution for Transforming India) serves as the apex public policy think tank of the Government of the Republic of India, and the nodal agency tasked with catalyzing economic development, and foste ...

and

Atal Innovation Mission Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), is a Government of India’s initiative under NITI Aayog to promote a innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. It was setup in 2016. The initiative focuses on creation of a problem-solving and innovative m ...

. They have been supporting startups working in drug discovery,

drug repurposing A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestion, ...

, vaccine development, diagnostics, nutrition and nanomaterial development. They now host a

Meity The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITy) is an executive agency of the Union Government of the Republic of India. It was carved out of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology on 19 July 2016 as a standalon ...

Startup Hub to incubate startups that look into big data in life sciences/healthcare sector.

PhD program in CCMB

To join CCMB's PhD program one needs to apply for their application test followed by interviews. Most students join in with their own fellowships from CSIR, UGC, DBT, ICMR, or DST. There are two rounds of intake each year, one in January (interviews are held in December), and the other in July (interviews are held in June). Most alumni from CCMB's PhD program have continued in academia or joined the life science industry in India and abroad. They are present in premier research and educational institutes of India including

IISc The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The institute was established in 1909 wi ...

, IISERs,

NISER The National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER) is an List of autonomous higher education institutes in India, autonomous research institute in Jatani, Odisha, India, aided by Department of Atomic Energy. The institute is ...

and

IITs The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) are a network of engineering and technology institutions in India. Established in 1950, they are under the purview of the Ministry of Education of the Indian Government and are governed by the Instit ...

and many central and state universities.

Collaborations

The centre actively collaborates with life scientists in India and abroad. The list of national collaborations run with premier research institutes as well as universities. This list of present and past collaborations include
Tata Institute of Fundamental ResearchinStemICAR-Indian Institute of Rice ResearchUniversity of HyderabadCSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative BiologyICAR-National Research Centre on Meat
among multiple others. The centre has collaborated with the

for translational research on

In addition, the centre receives funding for specific collaborative projects from establishments outside India, such as the

and

in United States, the

and

in United Kingdom, the India-Japan Science Council and the University of Ryukyus in

, Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique and the

and the

Foundation in

Technological achievements

The first DNA Fingerprinting picture reported in Indian judiciary

Developed the DNA Fingerprinting Technology in India; and made India the third country in the world to have its own fingerprinting technology * Developed the universal primer technology that can identify the species of source animal from any animal product * Discovered the heart disease mutation, carried by 6

crore Crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes the quantity ten million (107) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. In many international contexts, the decimal quantity is formatted as 10,000,000, but when used in the context of the India ...

people among Indians * Developed the first genetically engineered,

gene knockout Gene knockouts (also known as gene deletion or gene inactivation) are a widely used genetic engineering technique that involves the gene targeting, targeted removal or inactivation of a specific gene within an organism's genome. This can be done t ...

mouse A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus'' ...

in India * Demonstrated the first

artificial insemination Artificial insemination is the deliberate introduction of sperm into a female's cervix or uterine cavity for the purpose of achieving a pregnancy through in vivo fertilization by means other than sexual intercourse. It is a fertility treatment ...

in spotted

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

* Developed a systematic screening and validation programme for anti-cancer drugs in India * Discovered the uniqueness of Indian population through genomic studies * Discovered the origin of the

Andaman Andaman may refer to: * Andaman Islands, an island group in the Bay of Bengal * Andaman Island, Penang, an artificial island in George Town, Penang * Andaman Sea, a sea of the eastern Indian Ocean * ''Andaman'' (1998 film), an Indian Kannada-lang ...

tribes * Commercially delivered,

recombinant DNA Recombinant DNA (rDNA) molecules are DNA molecules formed by laboratory methods of genetic recombination (such as molecular cloning) that bring together genetic material from multiple sources, creating sequences that would not otherwise be fo ...

technology based diagnostic kit for detection of pathogens causing ophthalmic infections * Discovered high yielding and Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB) disease resistant Improved Samba Mahsuri

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

* Discovered native bacteria, Indibacter alkaliphilus used to generate enzymes and bio-molecules in the industrial biotechnology sector * Discovered the functionality of

microsatellite A microsatellite is a tract of repetitive DNA in which certain Sequence motif, DNA motifs (ranging in length from one to six or more base pairs) are repeated, typically 5–50 times. Microsatellites occur at thousands of locations within an organ ...

s (simple sequence repeats) among non-coding DNA * Discovered the gene CPA1, which causes chronic

pancreatitis Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormone A hormone (from the Ancient Greek, Greek participle , "se ...

, in collaboration with Asian Institute of GastroenterologyScientists from CCMB and AIG Discovered Gene Causing Chronic Pancreatitis
/ref>

Societal Relevance of CCMB

* CCMB's students have formed an instrumental workforce in Indian academia. * CCMB's present and past scientists have also been important in founding and leading many research and educational institutes in India. This includes establishment of th
Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics
(CDFD) in Hyderabad after the success of DNA fingerprinting technology as an accepted form of evidence in Indian judicial system. Other institutes includ
InStemIISER-PuneIISER-Tirupati
an
LV Prasad Eye Institute
* CCMB incubated India's first biotechnology company,

Shantha Biotechnics Shantha Biotechnics Limited is an Indian biotechnology company headquartered in Hyderabad, India. It is the first Indian company to develop, manufacture and market Recombinant DNA, recombinant human healthcare products in India. The company is a ...

Ltd in the 1990s, and helped them develop their recombinant vaccine against Hepatitis-B, affordable for Indian masses. * The elite varieties of rice development project aims to help farmers in multiple states of India. The current Improved Samba Mahsuri rice in the market is suited for areas affected by bacterial blight infection. * CCMB has solved multiple high-profile criminal cases of murders, assassinations and rape using the DNA fingerprinting technology. This includes cases of

Rajiv Gandhi Rajiv Gandhi (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991) was an Indian statesman and pilot who served as the prime minister of India from 1984 to 1989. He took office after the Assassination of Indira Gandhi, assassination of his mother, then–prime ...

, Beant Singh, Naina Sehwal, Priyadarshini Mattoo,

Swami Shraddhanand Munshi Ram, better known as Swami Shraddhanand (22 February 1856 – 23 December 1926) was an Indian independence activist and Arya Samaj sannyasi who propagated the teachings of Dayananda Saraswati. This included the establishment of educatio ...

a's wife and Swami Premananda. * The DNA fingerprinting technology also helped in identification of the victims of

Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines (abbreviation: SIA or SQ) is the flag carrier of Singapore with its Airline hub, hub located at Changi Airport. Considered to be one of the world's best carriers, the airline is ranked as a 5-star airline as well as ranked ...

plane crash in 2000. * The genetic disorder testing facilities offer services at nominal rates, and benefits patients from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

as well as the neighbouring countries. * CCMB trains people in industries as well as for industries through its skill development programs. * CCMB trains forest and judiciary officials in understanding the

DNA fingerprinting DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting and genetic fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is cal ...

technology and the universal primer technology, and how to effectively use them for justice. * The state of the art instrumentation facilities at CCMB is open for users outside the institute at reasonable costs. * It is attempting to develop affordable techniques for lab-grown meat. * It has been instrumental in the fight of COVID-19 in India. It is one of the testing centres for patient samples in

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

. It also aims to contribute in the basic understanding of the

SARS-CoV2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had the provisional name 2019 novel coro ...

biology to help develop vaccines and drugs.

Awards and honours

In recognition for its contribution to modern biology, CCMB has been chosen as a Centre of Excellence by

Global Network for Molecular and Cell Biology (MCBN), and has been designated as a South Centre for Excellence for Research and Training by the Third World Academy of Sciences TWAS, Italy. Many prestigious international and national awards have come to CCMB including the CSIR Technology Award (four times) and

FICCI The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group based in India. History Established in 1927, on the advice of Mahatma Gandhi by Indian businessman G.D. Birla a ...

Award for outstanding achievements in Science & Technology. CCMB scientists have 1

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

, 4

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, 3

Infosys Prize The Infosys Prize is an annual award granted to scientists, researchers, engineers and social scientists of Indian origin (not necessarily born in India) by the Infosys Science Foundation and ranks among the highest monetary awards for researc ...

, 11

Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Sir Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar (21 February 1894 – 1 January 1955) was an Indian colloid chemist, academic and scientific administrator. The first director-general of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Bhatnagar is revered ...

awardees along with 14 JC Bose, 3

Third World Academy of Sciences The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting more than 1,400 scientists in some 100 countries. Its principal aim is t ...

, 24

Indian Academy of Sciences The Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore was founded by Indian Physicist and List of Nobel laureates, Nobel Laureate Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, C. V. Raman, and was registered as a society on 27 April 1934. Inaugurated on 31 July 1934, it ...

, 20

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

, and 21

Indian National Science Academy The Indian National Science Academy (INSA) is a national academy in New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three b ...

fellows. 10 CCMB scientists have become Directors of educational or research institutes and 6 Vice-Chancellors or Deans in universities or educational institutes of India.

Reaching CCMB

The main campus of CCMB is located on the inner ring road of Hyderabad, connecting the areas

Secunderabad Secunderabad () is a twin cities, twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South ...

and Uppal. CCMB can be reached very conveniently by the city road transport buses and the new

Hyderabad metro The Hyderabad Metro is a rapid transit system, serving the city of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is the Urban rail transit in India#List of systems, third longest operational metro network in India after Delhi Metro and Namma Metro (Bengalur ...

Notes and references

{{authority control Molecular biology institutes Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Research institutes in Hyderabad, India 1977 establishments in Andhra Pradesh Biosafety level 4 laboratories

History

Former directors

Research

Annexe I – LaCONES

Annexe II – Medical Biotechnology Complex

PhD program in CCMB

Collaborations

Technological achievements

Societal Relevance of CCMB

Awards and honours

Reaching CCMB

See also

Notes and references