| Center for DNA Fingerprinting & Diagnostics | |
|---|---|
Former CDFD campus, Gandipet (abandoned) |
|
| Established | 1990 |
| Type | Autonomous |
| Director | J. Gowrishankar |
| Location | Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Campus | Urban, Nampally |
| Website | http://www.cdfd.org.in/ |
The Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) is an autonomous organization funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. CDFD receives funding from other agencies like the Wellcome Trust on specific collaborative projects. In addition, DNA fingerprinting and diagnostics services provided by the centre support some of the activities. The Centre is recognized by the University of Hyderabad and Manipal University, for pursuing doctoral studies in Life Sciences.
Research at CDFD has focused largely on molecular epidemiology of bacterial pathogens, structural genetics, bacterial genetics, cancer genetics, molecular genetics, fungal pathogenesis, bioinformatics, computational biology, etc.
CDFD is Sun Microsystems Center of Excellence in Medical Bio-informatics,[1] supported by a strong bioinformatics facility, and is the India node of the European Molecular Biology Network (EMBnet). CDFD is located in the fast-growing metropolitan city of Hyderabad, sometimes nicknamed "Cyberabad" for its initiative and pioneering role in developing the state during the past few years in the area of information technology.
CDFD was conceptualized as a modern institution encompassing both basic and applied research in diverse areas of modern biology - a dream project of its founder director, Professor Seyed E. Hasnain (now Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad), who pursued this aim aggressively during his tenure from 1999 to 2005. The centre is equipped with instrumentation and computing infrastructure to facilitate working in frontier areas of research in Life Sciences. There are fifteen groups working on diverse research areas and the centre continues to attract leaders in related disciplines.
CDFD started its operations at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research organisation, and was housed in an interim building in Nacharam from early 1999 to December 2008. The labs were since moved to yet another interim building in Nampally. The administration office of the institute was set up for a brief period in 1999-2000 in Tarnaka area within a rented residential building and then was shifted twice within Nacharam before it moved to a sprawling new building in Gandipet locality at the outskirts of Hyderabad. But, due to some of the governmental objections pertaining to the proximity of the new campus to Osman Sagar lake, any of the wet-lab work was not allowed. As a result, the building raised at Gandipet was completely vacated by CDFD in early 2009. A new laboratory complex was refurbished at Nampally, Hyderabad. The interim complex consists of two separate blocks situated about one kilometer apart within Nampally and houses a temporary hostel building also. The diagnostic screening at CDFD is operated from the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS). CDFD is considering making permanent campus at Gachibowli, Hyderabad. An MoU with the University of Hyderabad was recently signed,[2] whereby the university will provide 25 acres (100,000 m2) of land on their campus. The institute is headed by Jayaraman Gowrishankar as its director, and Shekhar C. Mande serves as appellate authority of this institute.
The Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) is set to get its own campus at Uppal in the city.
The new building of CDFD, which is an autonomous body under the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, would come up on a 20-acre piece of land on the premises of Survey of India (SoI).
An understanding has been reached with SoI for the transfer of land to CDFD. In return, SoI will get the CDFD's building and land at Gandipet and is likely to make use of it as an academic centre. [3]
However, Survey of India would continue to exist at Uppal as only 20 acres out of 200 acres is being alienated for CDFD.
"We are now in the process of selecting an architect and chose appropriate design for the facility," CDFD director J Gowrishankar told The Times of India. Gowrishankar said the understanding was reached with SoI for land a couple of weeks ago. The funds for the new facility will come from the department of biotechnology.
CDFD's new facility at Uppal would mean one more national scientific institution in the Tarnaka-Habsiguda-Uppal area. CCMB (Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology), IICT ( Indian Institute for Chemical Technology) and NIN ( National Institute of Nutrition) are some of the institutions located in the area.
After being carved out from CCMB, CDFD has functioned from a building at Nacharam. In 2002, a new building for CDFD was constructed at Gandipet on a 10-acre piece of land. However, the centre was prohibited from carrying out its functions from there as it falls under the catchment area of Gandipet reservoir. The CDFD, however, took up the legally recourse, but to no avail.
The contention of the A P Pollution Control Board (APPCB) was that as per G O 111, no polluting industry should be allowed within the 10-km range of a water body. In case of CDFD, its building came within the range of Gandipet and Himayatsagar reservoirs, both are drinking water sources for the city.
Since the issue was dragging on for the long, CDFD was left with no option but to move out of premises. While its laboratory functions from a building at M J Market, the administrative office is housed in another building nearby.
It may be mentioned here that CDFD is an institution of national repute, which has among other things, a laboratory for DNA fingerprinting services. Cases are referred to the centre from all over the country.