CSIR leads research for breast cancer, sickle cell anaemia, Parkinson's in 2024: Centre

New Delhi, Dec 27 (IANS) The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has made significant scientific and research gains in 2024, especially for breast cancer, sickle cell anaemia, and Parkinson's disease in the year 2024, said the Ministry of Science and Technology on Friday.

The CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) and Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), Thiruvananthapuram developed a non-invasive blood test for early breast cancer detection.

The low-cost method led to the analysis of MicroRNA (miRNA) signatures in hundreds of cancer samples, identifying 439 miRNAs linked to invasive breast cancer, with 107 as potential biomarkers for different types and stages of the disease, the ministry said.

The CSIR-CCMB also launched the first-of-its-kind initiative for the development of the Indian Breast Cancer Genomic Atlas (IBCGA) for India-specific cancer resources. The Atlas is being developed by mapping nearly 1,000 breast cancer tumor genomes across the country.

The initiative aims to identify molecular features specific to Indian breast cancer cases, which could enhance clinical management and treatment options.

Researchers at the CSIR-CCMB, Hyderabad developed a rapid test identifying sickle cell anaemia -- a group of inherited blood disorders.

The test is an accurate, rapid, and affordable molecular test for screening sickle cell. It uses indigenously developed reagents and is designed to better detect the prevalence of this genetic disease, which affects a significant portion of both the tribal and mainland populations, said the ministry.

Further, the CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology (CSIR-IMTech) discovered a molecule that could lead to the developing of a cure for Parkinson's - - a neurodegenerative disease.

The study, till now only carried out on mice, has shown promising results for one molecule. The researchers have filed an international patent for four molecules that have the potential to provide a cure for the disease.

Headquartered in New Delhi, CSIR is an autonomous body that was established in 1942 under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology. It is among the largest publicly funded research and development organisations in the world.

It has about 37 national laboratories that undertake research spanning myriad fields from oceanography, geophysics, chemicals, drugs, genomics, biotechnology, and nanotechnology to mining, aeronautics, instrumentation, environmental engineering, and information technology.

Besides healthcare, CSIR also initiated research in developing India’s first indigenously built Fuel Cell Vessel; a national mission on sustainable packaging solutions; and developing a multi-millet bun in collaboration with McDonald, among others.

--IANS