Centre for Brain Research

Minimising the burden of neurodegenerative disorders in the elderly

CBR: An Overview

The Centre for Brain Research (CBR) was established as an autonomous, not-for-profit research organisation in 2014 through a philanthropic endowment from the Pratiksha Trust founded by Mr Kris Gopalakrishnan (Co-Founder, Infosys, and Chairman, Axilor Ventures) and Mrs Sudha Gopalakrishnan. The Centre was formally inaugurated in June 2022 by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, who also laid its foundation stone in February 2015. Hosted by the IISc, the goal of CBR is to preserve cognitive functions during aging and to minimise the burden of neurodegenerative diseases through prevention, early diagnosis, and scientifically proven interventions.


Unveiling of the CBR Foundation Stone, 18 February 2015

In February 2023, CBR signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Pratiksha Trust and IISc to accelerate breakthrough discoveries and translational research on brain aging. Under this MoU, the Pratiksha Trust has generously agreed to provide support to CBR in perpetuity for research, innovation, and translation.

The eminent Governing Board of CBR is chaired by the Director of IISc. The Centre is led by Director Professor Y Narahari and strategically advised by an International Advisory Board and a Scientific Advisory Committee comprising distinguished leaders in the field. Professor Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath, the Founding Director, played a pivotal role in envisioning, setting up, and firmly establishing the Centre through its formative years.


Inauguration of CBR, 20 June 2022

Research and Innovation @ CBR
CBR has dedicated itself to the deep intellectual pursuit of minimising the burden of neurodegenerative disorders (such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Vascular Dementia) among a key population – the elderly and their families. It is a lively hub of dedicated molecular and cellular biologists, neuroscientists, clinician-researchers, computational geneticists, data scientists, PhD students, and other young researchers who are engaged in interdisciplinary translational research. CBR has set up world-class scientific infrastructure to facilitate research and innovation activities.

Longitudinal Cohort Studies
CBR is championing first-of-its-kind large-scale prospective community-based aging studies in India to understand cognitive changes due to normal aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders. Detailed multimodal assessments with long-term follow-up are performed on healthy aging adults in rural and urban populations through the Srinivaspura Aging Neuro Senescence and COGnition (CBR-SANSCOG) study and the TATA


Pratiksha Trust-IISc-CBR MoU Signing Ceremony, 15 February 2023

Longitudinal Study of Aging (CBR-TLSA) respectively. The studies generate valuable repositories of clinical, neurocognitive, neuroimaging, biochemical, and genetic data that provide solid insights into various aspects of normal and pathological aging of the brain.

Cellular and Molecular Studies on Brain Aging
CBR conducts cellular and molecular studies to decipher phenomena underlying brain aging and associated diseases. These studies span disciplines such as molecular genetics, biochemistry, stem cell biology, electrophysiology, optogenetics, animal behaviour, and related fields. Findings from these investigations naturally complement those from human-based studies and vice versa.

GenomeIndia
CBR is coordinating GenomeIndia, a unique national mission-mode project funded by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. It brings together geneticists, statisticians, computational scientists, and clinicians from 20 prominent institutions across the country. The study aims to gain a scientific understanding of India’s genetic makeup and diversity through the Whole Genome Sequencing of representative population groups from all over India.

Opportunities @ CBR
Faculty and postdoctoral positions are available for exceptionally bright and motivated individuals with an established record of high-quality research and innovation in the areas of specific interest to CBR.

CBR partners with IISc and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) to support talented PhD students through two different graduate programs.

CBR also offers exciting training opportunities for interns and other young researchers.

Contact
Centre for Brain Research
Indian Institute of Science Campus
CV Raman Avenue
Bengaluru – 560012, India
Phone: +91 80 2293 3588, Fax: +91 80 2360 3323

Email: office.cbr@iisc.ac.in
Twitter: @CBR_IISc
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/school/cbr-iisc/