It was one more eventful year - scientific institutions in their formative phase are expected to be so. Every well wisher and advisor will have concerns, rightly so, about the direction nascent developing institutions should take and ILS is no exception. There are many models of building successful scientific institutions in this country. Regardless of the merits and demerits of each of the models and examples, we have clarity on few issues - that there has to be focus on specific areas of research activity chosen by us, that new ideas from faculty and students need meticulous nurturing, that we develop a sense of pride for their association with the Institute and that we make each of the faculty, students and staff perform to their best ability.

 Progress in infectious disease biology was marked by identification of innate receptors on human macrophages for metazoan pathogen products. The finding that these receptors are the same as those recognized by bacterial endotoxins such as LPS has opened up avenues for regulating endotoxemia and sepsis in vivo. Investigations on class 1 integrons and SXT elements in environmental V. cholerae offered insights into emergence and spread of pathogenic V. cholerae O139 serogroup in human communities by horizontal gene transfer. Isolation and characterization of thermophilic bacteria from hot streams was undertaken with the objective to study gene regulation and function. Hitherto un-described species of bacteria were recognized and documented. Identification of a red pigment prodigiosin from one of the isolates of Serratia marcescens has bioprospecting potential since prodigiosin is cytotoxic to tumours and other pathogens. The year witnessed significant progress in characterization of age associated expression of Cathepsin L and Inorganic pyrophosphatase genes in animal models of aging. Deciphering molecular mechanisms for understanding disease progression in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and their application for development of targeted therapies was addressed. Unusual BCR-ABL transcripts with intron spanning primers, double bands with e13a2 primers were identified while analyzing samples from 39 cases of CML. A proteomic approach to identify molecules expressed in rice plants resulted in recognition of 45 proteins that were either up or down regulated under salt stress. As part of our continuing efforts to understand stress biology, a recombinant heat stable Catalase of Rice was expressed that was biologically active. A patent for the same has been filed and we hope to take this to its logical end. On the translational front, work on DNA shuffling as a strategy for MMV and FMV promoter sequences was continued with an objective for construction of plant expression vectors with enhanced promoter activity. PLGA Nanoparticles have been used for encapsulation of chemotherapeutic drugs that induce apoptosis of retinoblastoma cell lines in vitro.

The ILS family grew larger this year. Four new faculty moved in - Molecular Virology, Immunobiology of infectious pathogens and Gene regulation is the areas that will get strengthened as a consequence of their entry. After elaborate paper work and meetings, construction of new research laboratory buildings, animal house, research scholars' home as well as guest house has begun. We hope to move into these facilities by early 2009. The scientific publications of ILS, the only measurable indicator of performance of research institutions, got better in quantity as well as quality during the year. A quantum improvement in this aspect in the next few years should come as no surprise to anyone. The funding from DBT nearly doubled this year and generation of extramural grants by faculty was equivalent of one fifth of the core grant. ILS is clearly emerging as a hub for bright students for pursuing doctoral studies. The geographical isolation of ILS from other biology related institutions in the country was bridged by visits of a large stream of scientists (both from India and abroad) to the institute for delivering seminars and for interaction with students. The five acre campus of ILS which has no place for pessimism can only get better in the coming years.

B. Ravindran
Director