The Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) is a premier institute. How has it contributed to the society?

ILS was established in 1989 as an autonomous institute by the state government. It was brought under the fold of the Centre’s department of biotechnology in 2002. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee dedicated the institute to the nation on July 15, 2003, with a declaration to develop it as a national centre for excellence. We undertake research in the areas of infectious disease, biology, gene function and regulation and other associated fields.

Chancellor S.C. Jamir, the state government and the Centre are urging scientists to initiate steps for transfer of technology from laboratory to the land. Has your institute been successful in this regard? 

Technology transfer should have happened with far greater efficiency than what we see in the field today. Unless technology reaches the people —its target — it has little value. We are constantly interacting with various government agencies in this regard. We provide cutting-edge technology and solutions to various cancer institutes on how to combat the menace. We also have a science outreach programme to popularise the stream. We plan to approach the government for tie-ups with various government schools and begin a programme to generate awareness about science among them. 

You provide solutions to cancer institutes…

Around 14.5 lakh new cases of cancer are reported in India and 7.36 lakh patients die every year. By 2020, around 17.36 lakh cases of cancer will be reported and 6.8 lakh deaths every year. Odisha is a major victim and many cases of cancer such as leukaemia, prostrate cancer and breast cancer are being reported from various parts of the state. It is because of changes in lifestyle and food habits. We have tied up with institutes such as SCB Medical College and Hospital, Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Research Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Panda Cancer Hospital for cancer tissues so that we can do detailed analytical studies at the molecular level. We try to identify genes responsible for the inherited genetic disorders and complex traits. We support them in their endeavour to eradicate the disease.

How do you support them?

The ILS is more of a research organisation. What we are looking at is the therapeutic, diagnostic and pathogenic aspects to deal with the disease. Our stress is on combinational therapy and all individual therapy. Efforts are on to develop various kinds of diagnostic tools for early detection of cancer to know which cell gets over expressed, how the cancer cells outbreak and which genes are regulated up and down. Only through studying these tissues can we manipulate (the disease).

When can we expect you to come with a new drug to combat the disease?

We are conducting research to produce a noble drug for it. We have made a lot of improvements in the research. We have targeted the molecule and these are being tested on animals such as mice and rats. We already have an animal centre for this. The experimental animal facility is maintained with an objective to breed, maintain and supply quality laboratory animals (inbred and mutant mice, rats and hamsters) for research and development. We are hopeful that we will shortly come out with a new drug to combat the menace. We are also working on the drug delivery. We put emphasis on nanotechnology, using which we will be able to treat the particular area affected by the disease. We have already tied up with a private firm to make the technology commercially viable. 

The Odisha government is fighting the menace of chikungunya, dengue and malaria. A number of children died in Malkanagiri because of fever. What is the scientific community doing to prevent such outbreaks?  

As scientists, we are concerned about chikungunya. We have identified the molecule and are in the process of making drugs. We are in touch with a private entrepreneur to commercialise it. On the other hand, we have already developed a rapid diagnostic kit to diagnose malaria at an early stage. Besides, we are in the process of creating an immune profile system of 52 indigenous tribal groups in Odisha.

Recently all the luminaries in the field of science gathered here and talked about making Bhubaneswar a science cluster. What exactly are you talking about? 

Bhubaneswar is emerging as a major education hub in eastern India. We have many institutes of repute such as NISER, AIIMS and the Institute of Physics where a number of PhD scholars and scientists are working. These have good laboratories and if we join hands, we can share each other’s laboratories and research work. Suppose, I need an instrument to take up some research, which costs around Rs 10 crore, but the instrument is available at AIIMS, our scholars can approach them and conduct the research. 

Have funds been a constraint in research here?

Yes, we require more. The institute gets about Rs 35 to 40 crore per year. With this money, it’s a bit difficult to organise research activities. At present, more than 100 research scholars work at ILS in various spheres of life science.