India’s evolution in biology research

Among the scientific pursuits, it can arguably be claimed that biology is among the youngest of disciplines of human inquiry of nature. Increasingly over a period of time, like some other disciplines, it is also becoming resource intensive. In post-independence India too, it can be argued that biological research received attention somewhat later than other disciplines. For example, the first five national laboratories established by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), did not have the presence of biology as a discipline. However, research at molecular, organismal and population level was being carried out in a small number of universities that had been established prior to independence.

The work on biology at the population level has already been initiated in India prior to independence. Indian researchers and institutions were indeed considered pioneers around the world in the large survey work. The surveys undertaken in Bengal in the post-famine period in the 1940s and the Bengal Anthropometric survey were leading examples of such work. Not only they formed the seeds of some of the prominent institutions including the Indian Statistical Institute, but also led to some outstanding work on multivariate statistics. Large surveys and their analysis represent a fine example of the interdisciplinary nature of biological sciences that remain relevant even today. Similarly, work on evolutionary and conservation biology at Lucknow also gained international attention in the days immediately prior to independence and later.

Work at the organismal level using modern molecular genetic tools started in India with the initiation of Molecular Biology at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. By then the use of model systems to study biological phenomena by molecular genetic tools was gaining ground around the world. Several model systems such as E. coli, fruit fly (Drosophila) and C. elegans, had been established, to significantly enhance our knowledge of complex biological problems. Although the TIFR group began the work initially with E. coli, it made several seminal contributions to the Drosophila model in later years. The fascinating question of how the organisms perceive their environment and respond was addressed first in Mumbai, and later in Bengaluru when a part of the group shifted there. Primarily due to such efforts, the research using different model systems in India is now firmly rooted.

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Biology at the molecular level was being addressed in the 1950s and 1960s by multiple research groups. The most outstanding contributions in the early days came in the form of the discovery of exotoxins in Kolkata, and the atomic structural model of collagen in Madras. The discovery of cholera toxin and thereby understanding the mechanisms of clinical manifestation of cholera catalysed research work worldwide on many other toxins and their roles in understanding infectious diseases.

The structure of collagen was a glorious piece of creative contribution to biological research in the early stages of molecular biology. Closely following the discoveries of alpha-helices by Linus Pauling, and that of the structure of DNA by Watson, Crick, Franklin and Wilkins, the structure of collagen indeed represented a fine example of Indian contributions to modern biology. Closely following the structure of collagen, the same research group also studied three-dimensional architectures of proteins, thereby proposing conformational space available to the polypeptide backbone of proteins, making this a common textbook knowledge for the coming times. This work also marked the initiation of molecular biophysics as a field of enquiry. There are few instances where new disciplines of modern scientific exploration have been initiated in India, and the work of the Madras group undoubtedly is one of the finest moments of post-independence science in India.

Biological research by the 1970s and 1980s had begun to be resource intensive. Many of the modern experiments required expensive instruments, most of which would have to be imported, and much of the research also depended on fine chemicals. With the difficulties of obtaining such resources, new institutes were established, such as the Centre for Biochemical Technology in Delhi (now Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology), and the National Facility of Animal Tissue and Cell Culture (now the National Centre for Cell Science, Pune). The primary mandate of these institutes was to make available the resources to researchers in universities and other academic organisations. The formation of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the Ministry of Science and Technology had already been welcomed by researchers, and with its support had started setting up high-end facilities. By the mid-1980s, to further enhance the support for biological research, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) was also created under the Ministry of Science and Technology. Together DST and DBT started supporting biological research across academia significantly and set the stage for further expansion of biological research.

Around the same time, many new research organisations under CSIR and DBT also came into being. The problem, however, remained that limited resources could only support a few centres generously, whereas facilities could not have been created in many places. With such a challenge, a few national facilities were established and access was given to all around the country to use these facilities. The establishment of the NMR facility at TIFR, Mumbai almost 25 years ago is an example. A more recent example is the establishment of four Cryo-Electron Microscopy facilities in four regions of the country by SERB, which are expected to boost work in this area.

As a result of a firm research base that made a significant impact in the early decades after independence, and later with significant investments in facilities, the stage is set for the next wave of long-lasting contributions by Indian biologists. The choice of problems, the ability to form interdisciplinary teams to address such problems, easy access to common facilities, and timely support from funding agencies will help many young and enthusiastic investigators to realise their aspirations. It will now be a challenge for the policymakers and management not to dampen such enthusiasm and promote excellence all around.

(The author is an eminent biologist & a former director general of CSIR)