Indian Institute of Chemical Biology IICB

About Indian Institute of Chemical Biology IICB

The Indian Institute of Medical Research, the name by which the institute was known till 1956. The avowed objective of the institute was the advancement of the state of human knowledge related to the basic aspect of the causation and prevention of diseases of special concern for our country especially tropical diseases and also nutritional biochemistry and physiology. In 1956 the institute came under the umbrella of the CSIR. Today , by its mandate IICB is engaged in research on diseases and certain biological problems of global interest.

The Institute was established in 1935 as the first non official centre in India for biomedical research and was included within the aegis of CSIR in 1956. IICB today is engaged in research on diseases of national importance and biological problems of global interest, employing sophisticated state-of-the-art technology in keeping with the rapid and unprecedented momentum that life science research has gained globally over the last 50 years. The scientific staff has expertise in a variety of areas including chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, neurobiology and immunology which promotes productive interdisciplinary interaction.IICB is one of the major laboratories in India which initiated, right from its inception, multidisciplinary concerted efforts for conducting basic research on infectious diseases, specifically leishmaniasis and cholera, along with the development of technologies for the diagnosis, immunoprophylaxis, and chemotherapy of the diseases. A neurobiology group is involved in research on the development of the vertebrate brain and also the genesis of human movement disorders. Bioactive substances from natural sources and chemically synthesized new molecules are being explored as potential drugs. Other areas being actively pursued are gastric hyperacidity and ulcer, muscular dystrophy and related disorders, macromolecular structure function analysis, development of targeted drug delivery systems, sperm biology and protein chemistry and enzymology.
The institute has developed an oral vaccine for cholera, herbal products for controlling gastric ulcer, empirical treatment for vitiligo, diagnostic kits for malignancy and hormonal disorders, fungal enzymes of industrial importance, radiopharmaceuticals for evaluation of the functional status of renal and hepatobiliary systems and a device for early detection of Parkinson's disease. Although the strength of IICB has always been basic biomedical research, during the last decade emphasis is being given on goal oriented research directed towards commercial exploitability. Efforts are now on to convert the knowledge gained over the years through high quality basic research into wealth.

Many maternally inherited and incurable neuromyopathies are caused by mutations in mitochondrial (mt) transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. Kinetoplastid protozoa, including Leishmania, have evolved specialized systems for importing nucleus-encoded tRNAs into mitochondria. We found that the Leishmania RNA import complex (RIC) could enter human cells by a caveolin-1-dependent pathway, where it induced import of endogenous cytosolic tRNAs, including tRNA(Lys), and restored mitochondrial function in a cybrid harboring a mutant mt tRNA(Lys) (MT-TK) gene. The use of protein complexes to modulate mitochondrial function may help in the management of such genetic disorders [Mahata B, Mukherjee S, Mishra S, Bandyopadhyay A & Adhya S, 2006, SCIENCE Oct 20; 314(5798): 471-474].

The Institute is continuously building synergy with the industries and successfully converting knowledge into wealth. This year also, the scientists have managed to sustain the same level of interaction with the industry and earn a considerable amount of resources both human and financial.

Indian Institute of Chemical Biology
(Council of Scientific & Industrial Research)

4, Raja S.C. Mullick Road,
Kolkata-700 032,
West Bengal,
India

Phone : +91 33 2473 0492

Fax : +91 33 2473 5197, +91 33 2472 3967

e-Mail : [email protected]

Telegram : LIVINGCELL

http://www.iicb.res.in