The Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine

The Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem)

Parent institution	Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council (BRIC)
Established	2009;16 years ago (2009)
Director	Maneesha S. Inamdar
Budget	₹60.59 crore (US$7.2 million) (2022-2023) [1]
Endowment	Infosys Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Trust and Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw [2]
Location	Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Website	https://instem.res.in/

The Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem) is an Indian research organisation focused on stem cell science and regenerative medicine. inStem, located in Bangalore, Karnataka, was established in 2009 and functions as an autonomous institution under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India.

The institute aims to develop cellular therapies for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and Neurodegenerative diseases conditions through understanding of stem cell biology, human disease models, and regenerative medicine technologies.

History

The inStem initiative stemmed from the absence of a dedicated stem cell research center in India. As part of a government initiative to promote high-end biotechnology and health research in India, the institute was established. inStem is funded through the Department of Biotechnology and collaborates with numerous national and international institutions. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Research Focus

inStem's research efforts encompass a broad range of disciplines of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Some of the major areas of research interest include:

• Stem Cell Biology: Elucidating the basic characteristics of stem cells, such as pluripotency, differentiation, and self-renewal. ^[6]

• Disease Modeling: Utilizing stem cells to generate disease models to investigate conditions like cancer, Alzheimer's, and heart disease. ^[7]

• Regenerative Medicine: Designing stem cell-based therapies for tissue repair and regeneration. ^[8]

• Gene Editing and Therapy: Exploring CRISPR-Cas9 and other gene-editing technologies for therapeutic purposes. ^{[9] [10] [11] [12]}

• Bioinformatics and Stem Cell Data Analysis: Applying computational methods to analyze high-throughput datasets in stem cell biology. ^[13]

Facilities and Collaborations

inStem has sophisticated cell culture laboratories, molecular biology laboratories, microscopy facilities, and bioinformatics facilities. The institute also interfaces with different universities, hospitals, and research organizations across the globe to further its research objectives. ^{[14] [15]}

It forms part of the Bangalore Life Sciences Cluster, a collaborative research facility shared with the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP). ^{[16] [17]}

Notable persons

• K. Vijayraghavan
• Satyajit Mayor

References

1. "Report on the Audit of the standalone Financial Statements 2023-2024" (PDF). instem.res.in. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
2. "Our Funders". inStem. Department of Biotecnology (DBT). Retrieved 15 July 2025.
3. Sharma, A (2009). "Stem cell research and policy in India: current scenario and future perspective". Journal of Stem Cells. 4 (2): 133–40. PMID   20232598.
4. "inStem: The new stem cell institute at Bangalore". IndiaBioscience. 1 October 2009.
5. "Center for Cardiovascular Biology and Disease, inStem, Bangalore". spudlab.stanford.edu. SPUDICH LABORATORY. Stanford Medicine.
6. Lander, B; Thorsteinsdóttir, H; Singer, PA; Daar, AS (3 July 2008). "Harnessing stem cells for health needs in India". Cell Stem Cell. 3 (1): 11–5. doi:10.1016/j.stem.2008.06.015. PMID   18593554.
7. "TIGS and inStem join hands to work on rare genetic diseases". TIGS. tigs.res.in. Tata Institute for Genetics and Society. 16 March 2022.
8. "Haemophilia Treatment: India conducts first human gene therapy trial for haemophilia, ET Health". ETHealthworld.com. The Economic Times. 25 April 2025.
9. Devaraju, N; Rajendiran, V; Ravi, NS; Mohankumar, KM (2022). Genome Engineering of Hematopoietic Stem Cells Using CRISPR/Cas9 System. Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.). Vol. 2429. pp. 307–331. doi:10.1007/978-1-0716-1979-7_20. ISBN   978-1-0716-1978-0. PMID   35507170.
10. Jayaraj, Nandita (12 February 2016). "Editing Embryos – Six Steps to an Informed Opinion – The Wire Science". The Wire.
11. Koodamvetty, A; Thangavel, S (April 2025). "Advancing Precision Medicine: Recent Innovations in Gene Editing Technologies". Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany). 12 (14): e2410237. Bibcode:2025AdvSc..1210237K. doi:10.1002/advs.202410237. PMC   11984848 . PMID   40025867.
12. "India pioneers gene therapy breakthrough for Haemophilia at Bengaluru's BRIC-inStem". Times of Oman . 5 May 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
13. "After funding for brain research, Infosys's Kris Gopalakrishnan now turns eye on stem cell research". The Times of India. 20 January 2016.
14. "InStem ties up with Cambridge University". The Hindu . 14 September 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
15. "Azim Premji Foundation, NCBS, inStem ink partnership on enhanced testing for COVID". Business Standard. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
16. "Young researchers at city's life science cluster get funding boost". Bangalore Mirror. 5 May 2016.
17. "Covid-19: Bengaluru labs get nod to develop multiple techs". The Times of India. 14 April 2020.