Study revealed that the Nair and Thiyya communities share most of their ancestry from ancient migrants of North-west India The traditional warrior class and feudal lords of Nairs, Thiyyas and Ezhavas from Kerala, and Bunts and Hoysalas from Karnataka have been found to be genetically closer to populations of North-west India putting at rest their… Continue reading Genetic ancestries of South-west coast warrior class traced

CCMB researchers develop a system to detect infections two weeks in advance Researchers from Hyderabad can now predict the possible onset of a pandemic like a fresh Covid wave two weeks in advance. Yes, you read it right! The wastewater surveillance system developed by researchers from the city-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) can now… Continue reading Hyderabad researchers can now forecast pandemic

The Hangul deer (hangul Cervus hanglu hanglu) is categorised as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List and as a Schedule 1 species in the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. For the first time in India, geneticists from the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) have utilised genetic data to estimate the population… Continue reading CCMB researchers estimate critically endangered ‘Hangul deer’ population using genetic data

Hundreds of thousands of stretches of DNA have remained unchanged in humans and other primates for over 65 million years but not other mammals, genetic scientists have found1. These evolutionary records could play an important role in improving human health. Constrained genes are parts of the genome that don’t encode proteins. They carry most of… Continue reading Unique unchanged DNA stretches define humans and other primates

Annapoorna P. K. works to understand the role of epigenetics in neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety and addiction in mice as part of her PhD at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad. The ultimate goal of the work, P. K. says, is to have a better understanding of these disorders… Continue reading I study depression in the lab and advocate for mental health in academia

A recent collaborative study led by Giriraj R Chandak, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, examined height differences among children in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared to high-income countries (HICs). They discovered that besides genetic factors, epigenetic modifications, particularly in the SOCS3 gene, significantly influence height, showing potential implications for childhood interventions to reduce future non-communicable disease risks. Height… Continue reading Why are many children from low and middle-income countries like India stunted?

Secretary of India’s Department of Biotechnology, Dr. Rajesh Gokhale, graced the 36th Foundation Day celebration of Hyderabad’s Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), inaugurated on November 26, 1987. On the occasion of 36th Foundation Day of Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), which was inaugurated on November 26, 1987, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Government… Continue reading Hyderabad-based CCMB marks 36th Foundation Day

Epigenetic factors are external influences, including lifestyle, nutrition and environment that affect the way genes work. In a significant finding, scientists have discovered that environmental factors play a greater role than genetic variants in determining the height of children in low and middle income countries (LMICs) in contrast to those from European nations, where genetic… Continue reading Environmental factors determine height of children in LMICs