IIT-Madras, IRFC set up India's first Single Cell Omics Translational research lab

New Delhi, Nov 17 (PTI) Indian Institute of Technology, Madras and Indian Railways Finance Corporation (IRFC) have set up country's first Single Cell Omics Translational (SCOT) research laboratory, officials said on Monday.

Equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation, the SCOT lab will facilitate early diagnosis, disease prognosis, biomarker discovery and drug screening across a spectrum of diseases — including cancer, cardiovascular, infectious, inflammatory, metabolic, and other non-communicable diseases, they said.

IRFC is providing a CSR grant of Rs 10.83 crore to establish this lab, which will be located in the Department of Medical Sciences and Technology (DMST) at IIT Madras. The facility is designed to accelerate research in single-cell biology, drug discovery, biomarker identification, and translational healthcare innovation.

"Our collaboration with IRFC marks an important milestone in accelerating India’s journey in drug discovery and precision medicine. The state-of-the-art SCOT Research Laboratory will greatly enhance our ability to develop solutions for India’s capabilities in early diagnostics, targeted therapeutics and next-generation healthcare innovation," IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti said.

Looking forward to high-impact outcomes from the lab, Usha Venugopal, Member (Finance), Ministry of Railways, said the inauguration of the SCOT Research Lab is a welcome step towards building stronger capabilities in medical research.

"The support extended through IRFC’s CSR funding will aid studies that have the potential to improve early diagnosis and develop better therapies. This collaboration shows how institutions can work together for larger national goals. I am hopeful that the facility will contribute to knowledge, innovation, and better health outcomes in the years ahead," Venugopal said.

Anubama Rajan, Department of Medical Sciences and Technology, IIT Madras, said India needs research platforms that can connect molecular insights directly to clinical impact.

"With the SCOT Research Laboratory established in partnership with IRFC, we now have the capability to study diseases at single-cell resolution, accelerate drug discovery, and develop early-detection and precision-medicine strategies tailored to our patients. "This partnership also creates a national training hub, bringing together clinicians, scientists, and engineers to build the next generation of India’s translational research ecosystem. This facility strengthens India’s ability to drive drug discovery, early diagnostics, and precision healthcare, while training the next generation of clinicians and scientists," Rajan said. PTI GJS GJS KVK KVK