Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) is an autonomous institution of Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. The institute was established on February 11, 1989, under the administrative and financial control of Department of Science and Technology, Government of Orissa. It was brought under the fold of the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India in August 2002.

ILS is a premier research institute in the area of life sciences and has highly competent faculty scientists actively engaged in advanced research covering infectious disease biology, cancer biology, cell biology, gene function and regulation, structural biology, immunology and auto-immune diseases, plant immunity, plant biotechnology, microbial biotechnology, environmental biotechnology and translational research. It has state of the art infrastructural facilities, including sophisticated instruments, library, online journals, animal facility, green house, high bandwidth internet and computational facilities for cutting-edge multidisciplinary research in frontier areas of life science research.

Vision:

To function as a nodal centre of higher education and application oriented basic research in the area of life sciences using cutting edge technologies addressing the issues of human diseases and human needs for the benefits of mankind and society.

Mission:

To build human resource through research of highest standard and to conduct research on the subjects related to human diseases and food problems so as to find ways to insulate the people from suffering from hunger and diseases.

Objectives:

• To conduct and promote basis and applied researches in the frontier areas of Life Sciences.
• To foster interaction amongst Scientists of various disciplines and to encourage them to carryout research in areas that interface between physical and biological sciences.
• To carry out inter-disciplinary research in collaboration with other Research Institutions, various Science Departments of Universities, Medical Colleges and Agriculture Colleges.
• To provide expert advice to various agencies for the application of the new findings.
• To organize Symposia, Workshops, Conferences and Summer Schools in frontier areas of Life Sciences for the advancement of knowledge.
• To collaborate with teaching Institutions for raising the level of teaching and research in Life Sciences.
• To conduct post-graduate course in biotechnology with specialization in medical biotechnology
• To provide advanced training to post – M.Sc. students leading to Ph.D. degree.
• To conduct refresher programmes.
• To accept grants, scholarships, donations, subscriptions and endowments and administer the same in fulfillment of the objectives of the Institute.

Activities of ILS:

1. Research activities (area-wise) 

1. Parasite: Understanding molecular events of malaria parasite development, immunobiology of sepsis and Filariasis.
2. Bacteria: Mechanism of cell division in bacteria, Biofilm and its role in antibiotic resistance and bacterial pathogenesis, Microbial genomics of extremophiles.
3. Virus: Molecular virology and pathogenesis of Chikungunya and Chandipura virus, Understanding the virus and host mitochondria interaction events in HCV, DENV and HBV.
4. Immunology: T Cell Biology and immune responses, Immunogenomics and System Biology.
5. Cancer – Role of Tumour micro environment in prostate and pancreatic carcinomas, Chemoradio-resistance in Oral Squoamous Cell Carcinomas, Molecular characterization of oncogenes in leukemia, Epigenetics and Chromatin remodelling in Breast carcinomas, Developing novel nanotechnology delivery system for cancer therapeutics.
6. Plant: Development of novel plant promoters to produce therapeutically beneficial proteins using transgenic plants, Proteomics and abiotic stress tolerance and grain filling, Molecular biology of abiotic stress.
7. Cell biology: Chromatin modification and epigenetics in haematopoiesis, mechanisms by which autophagy accomplishes anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory functions. Genome instability of diseases and DNA polymerase.
8. Structural biology: Chromatin and infectious disease structural biology.
9. Clinical proteomics: Proteomic analysis of pathogen based disease and cancer.
10. Human Genetics: Identification of genes responsible for the inherited genetic disorders and complex traits.
11. Computational biology: Candidate gene prediction and novel drug designing, Structure function relationships.
12. Developmental Biology: Development of organs such as blood vessels and pronephros  using zebrafish

2. Ph.D. Programme

The Institute is recognized by Utkal University and Manipal University for the award of Ph.D. degree. Students with national level fellowship are eligible for this programme. ILS recruits students for its Ph.D. programme twice a year and the advertisement is published in its web page as well as various national newspapers.

3. Summer Training

Among the activities of the Institute is to train bachelor/masters level students in various areas of research with cutting edge technology. For this purpose, as part of the annual curriculum, ILS conducts summer training programme. We encourage selected students from the IASc-INSA-NASI Summer Research Fellowship programme.

4. Pre-Ph.D. Course

The Institute is the nodal centre of Utkal University to conduct Pre-Ph.D. coursework for Biotechnology and Life Sciences. This is an annual event where all the faculties of the Institute participate in teaching the coursework.

5. Science Outreach Programme

Science outreach is one of the major activities wherein the our scientific expertise is publicised to a wider community through programmes and activities such as talks, lab visits, hands on training and workshops, in-school presentations, and documentary demonstrations. Outreach involves (I) how a research-oriented national laboratory contributes to society, (II) makes us understand to take up scientific issues important for society. ILS has a dedicated science outreach building.

Enquiries: ILS is open for queries regarding various scientific activities as mandated in its objectives. Queries regarding scientific and administrative activities can be addressed to: director[at]ils[dot]res[dot]in ; Ph: 0674 – 2301900.

Grievance redressal: Email: director [at] ils [dot] res [dot] in, Ph: 0674-2301900

RTI: Mr. S. S. Mohanty,  In charge-PIO, Email: satya[at]ils[dot]res[dot]in, Ph: 0674-2304342

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