The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras), in collaboration with the Indian Railways Finance Corporation (IRFC), has established the country’s first Single Cell Omics Translational (SCOT) Research Laboratory. The facility was inaugurated on campus (17 November 2025), marking a significant advancement in India’s precision healthcare and translational research landscape.
Set up with an IRFC CSR grant of ₹10.83 crore, the state-of-the-art lab will operate under the Department of Medical Sciences and Technology (DMST) at IIT Madras. It is designed to accelerate breakthrough research in single-cell biology, biomarker discovery, drug screening, and early diagnostics across a wide range of diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular, infectious, metabolic, inflammatory and other non-communicable conditions.
The launch event was attended by Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras; Ms. Usha Venugopal, Member (Finance), Ministry of Railways; Mr. Manoj Kumar Dubey, Chairman and Managing Director, IRFC; Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras; Prof. Boby George, Head, DMST; Prof. Krishna Kumar, DMST; and Prof. Anubama Rajan, project coordinator, among others.
Emphasising the significance of the initiative, Prof. V. Kamakoti said, “Our collaboration with IRFC marks an important milestone in accelerating India’s journey in drug discovery and precision medicine. IIT Madras has been at the forefront of integrating engineering and medical sciences and this 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.”
Ms. Usha Venugopal noted the broader national impact, stating, “The inauguration of the SCOT Research Lab is a welcome step toward 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.”
The initiative aims to establish a cutting-edge platform for decoding diseases at an unprecedented cellular level, enabling personalized treatment strategies and next-generation therapeutics.
Prof. Anubama Rajan highlighted the lab’s potential, saying, “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 facility strengthens India’s ability to drive drug discovery, early diagnostics, and precision healthcare, while training the next generation of clinicians and scientists.”
IRFC CMD Manoj Kumar Dubey added, “IRFC is proud to partner with IIT Madras in establishing the pioneering Single Cell Omics Translational Research Laboratory. Our CSR contribution of ₹10 crore reflects IRFC’s commitment to fostering cutting-edge research and strengthening India’s healthcare innovation ecosystem. This initiative will empower researchers, students, and clinicians to drive breakthroughs in diagnostics, drug development, and precision medicine. We believe this collaboration will meaningfully contribute to the nation’s scientific advancement.”
Expected Outcomes
The SCOT Lab is expected to support discovery of novel biomarkers for early detection and treatment response, develop personalized therapeutic pathways using single-cell profiling, and advance platforms for early diagnosis, drug and vaccine discovery. It will also serve as a national training hub for clinicians, scientists, engineers, and students, strengthening expertise in single-cell transcriptomics, functional genomics, computational biology, and translational medicine.
