Introduction

The ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar is a permanent research centre of Indian Council of Medical Research. The foundation stone of the centre was laid by the then prime minister of India Late Mrs. Indira Gandhi on 29th March 1981.Initially the Center started in a small rental accommodation in 1982 and shifted to the Centre’s own building in year 1990 after completion. The campus of RMRC is located in 20 acres of picturesque landscape in Chandrasekharpur and has its own laboratory –cum- administrative building, animal house, auditorium, guest house & research scholars’ hostel and staff quarters. The concept of Regional Medical Research Centre was evolved during 6th five year plan period in 1980. Under this scheme six RMRCs were set up in different parts of the country. The thrust areas of research and linkages for RMRC, Bhubaneswar have been outlined in the project committee report of ICMR in 1981 under the chairmanship of Prof V Ramalingaswamy and subsequently in the high powered committee report of 1995.

For the past 3 decades, the institute has continued to remain as a national and international focus for collaboration in research where clinical, population, laboratory and social sciences are integrated to address the broad issues of health. The strength of these disciplines, combined in a single institution and tightly linked by a common mission, creates a unique multidisciplinary environment for capacity building and research.

The ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar conducts basic as well as applied research to understand and ultimately develop prevention strategy for diseases of regional importance like lymphatic filariais, malaria, diarrhoeal disorders, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, emerging and reemerging bacterial/viral infections, haemoglobinopathies and allied disorders, hypertension, diabetes and health problems related to tribal populations. For more than 30 years, RMRC research has led to identification of a new molecular variant of G6PD, , development of new molecular tool for diagnosis of V cholera strains, test for simultaneous identification of mosquito species, presence of malaria sporozoite and kind of blood meal taken by the mosquito vector, strategy for improvement of compliance of single dose DEC for elimination of lymphatic filariasis in urban areas, treatment regimens for lymphatic filariasis and therapies for scabies for the improvement of the health of millions of people.

RMRC, Bhubaneswar is one of the 26 Institutes and Centers of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR),under Department of Health Research (DHR) ,Ministry of Health & Family Welfare of Government of India. ICMR is the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world.