IIT Madras, IRFC to set up India's first SCOT lab with Rs 10.84 crore grant to advance precision healthcare

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has partnered with Indian Railways Finance Corporation (IRFC) to establish ‘Single Cell Omics Translational (SCOT) Research Laboratory.’ The new facility will bridge the gap between engineering and medicine for public health advancement.

The IRFC has sanctioned a funding of Rs 10.83 crore CSR grant to IIT Madras for the establishment of the SCOT research laboratory. The lab will enhance healthcare, drug discovery and medical skill development through cutting-edge single-cell research.

“Equipped with state-of-the-art instrumentation, the SCOT Lab will facilitate early diagnosis, disease prognosis, biomarker discovery and drug screening across a spectrum of diseases — including cancer, cardiovascular, infectious, inflammatory, metabolic, and other non-communicable diseases,” an official statement reads.

Highlighting the need for such facilities in healthcare, V Kamakoti, director, IIT Madras, 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.”

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The SCOT laboratory will enable researchers to identify novel biomarkers for early disease detection and treatment response, which will help to develop personalised therapeutic strategies through single-cell profiling for various diseases.

The research facility will also serve as a national training hub for clinicians, scientists, and engineers to build experts in single-cell transcriptomics, functional genomics, and translational medicine.

“The laboratory will serve as a national training hub for clinicians, scientists, and engineers, building India’s next generation of experts in single-cell transcriptomics, functional genomics, and translational medicine. It will also train medical and engineering students in advanced cell-based analytics and computational biology,” the official statement said.

Usha Venugopal, member (finance), Ministry of Railways, said: “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.”

Recently, the engineering institute has also joined hands with Hyundai Motor India to launch Hyundai Hope for Cancer Initiative with infusion of Rs 56 crore for the cause.