About Us | instem.res.in

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The Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (inStem), is an autonomous institute of the Department of Biotechnology, India located at and nurtured by NCBS, Bangalore. The mandate of inStem is to serve as the umbrella organization for three initiatives: inStem itself, located at NCBS, Bangalore represents the core intramural program for interdisciplinary basic and translational research in frontier areas of stem cell and regeneration biology, the Center for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) located at CMC Vellore, a centre for translational and clinical research in stem cells and regenerative medicine, and an Extramural Program in Stem Cell Research (EPiSTEM), a funding initiative for support of stem cell research nationwide.

Mission: Collaborative Research, Education and Innovation

The mission of inStem is to create a highly cooperative environment that enables scientists and clinicians to work in collaborative teams or clusters. Through such interactions, inStem will create a critical mass to tackle challenging problems that are beyond the scope of the traditional single principal investigator-driven laboratory. inStem will strive to create a think-tank environment that encourages innovative experimentation by bringing together experimental biologists and clinicians, chemists, physicists, engineers and computational scientists in a common culture.

inStem research programs will be conceived as collaborative team-based approaches to address outstanding questions in stem cell biology. One current initiative is the development of an interdisciplinary international collaboration on cardiac hypertrophy and regeneration spanning a spectrum of investigations from single molecule biophysical platforms through cellular and molecular studies to cardiac physiology in genetically engineered mouse models, and approaching systems, translational and human studies.Advanced technology groups at the newly established Center for Cellular and Molecular Platform Technologies (C-CAMP) will work closely with teams at the inStem. C-CAMP will also manage inStem’s interfaces with industry.

inStem will engender a vibrant educational and training program for postdocs, graduate students and project trainees. A key focus will be on the creation of a supportive environment for outstanding young investigators, just post-PhD, through a Fellows Program. In addition to didactic and practical courses for PhD level training which will be developed jointly with CSCR and NCBS, inStem will hold workshops and conferences on frontier areas in stem cell research and applications.

inStem will develop and manage a web-based outreach program to provide the public with access to information on current stem cell research world-wide.

The inStem logo enclosed in an organic cell like form, is inspired from an anthropomorphic portrayal of a parent and children from an ‘Alpona’ − a drawing on rice paste executed by the women painters of Bengal.
The logo represents the idea of stem cells being the main trunk from which specialized cells develop and branch out. The figures enclosed within the form− suggest regeneration and life, becoming appropriate to an institute where research is nurtured and growth encouraged.