Immunology Research in India | 08 Nov 2025

Source: TH 

Why in News? 

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded for discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance. This recognition once again places immunology at the heart of modern biomedical science and public health - an area increasingly relevant for India’s healthcare and research landscape. 

What is Immunology? 

• About:  
  • Immunology is the branch of biomedical science that studies the body’s immune system - its organs, cells, and molecules that protect against infection, disease, and foreign substances. 
  • It explores how the immune system identifies and neutralizes pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites. 
  • It also examines how this system sometimes malfunctions, leading to autoimmune diseases, allergies, cancers, or organ transplant rejections. 
  • Modern immunology forms the backbone of vaccine development, immunotherapies, and pandemic preparedness, directly impacting public health and global disease control. 
• Need for Immunology Research: 
  • Healthcare burden: India faces a dual burden of infectious diseases (communicable) and rising non-communicable diseases (NCDs).  
    • Immunology links both domains: e.g., vaccines against infectious diseases, and immune-based therapies for cancers and autoimmune disorders. 
  • Vaccine and research capability: The pandemic highlighted how immunology underpins rapid vaccine development, public health responses, and hence economic and social resilience. 
  • Innovation opportunity: With large population size, genetic diversity and unique disease patterns, India has the potential to contribute to global immunology research (e.g., population-specific vaccines, cheaper immunotherapies) if the infrastructure and human-capital are in place. 
  • Global health leadership: As global health becomes more important, countries that lead in immunology will shape future medical practice, supply chains, biotech and public health policy. India should not remain a consumer but become a producer of knowledge and technology. 

What are the Key Issues Impacting Immunological Research in India? 

• Limited Immunology Education: Immunology and molecular biology receive limited emphasis in medical and undergraduate curricula. Only select institutes such as AIIMS, IISc, and NIBMG provide in-depth courses, creating a shortage of trained immunologists. 
• Funding Gaps: Funding gaps persist as research grants are typically short-term (3-5 years), limiting long-term, high-risk immunology projects, with the ecosystem prioritizing quick results over in-depth scientific exploration. 
• Fragmented Research Ecosystem: Collaboration between basic scientists, clinicians, and industry remains weak. Discoveries in institutions like IITs or IISERs often fail to progress to clinical validation due to the absence of structured translational frameworks. 
• High Treatment Costs: Advanced immunotherapies, including CAR-T cell therapy, remain unaffordable for most Indians (₹30–40 lakh per dose). 
• Brain Drain and Infrastructure Constraints: Inadequate high-end labs, limited BSL-3 facilities, and few stable academic positions drive skilled researchers abroad. 
• Regulatory Hurdles: Lengthy and overlapping approval processes involving ICMR, DBT, and CDSCO delay immunology research and clinical trials. Lack of a unified biomedical regulatory authority increases compliance burdens and deters innovation. 
• Weak Public Health Integration: While vaccination under Ayushman Bharat and NTEP is extensive, immune surveillance and regional immunogenomic data remain underused for predicting outbreaks or tailoring vaccines.  

Way Forward 

• Curriculum and Human Capital Development: Immunology must be strengthened in medical and life science education through revised National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines.  
  • Laboratory-based learning should be incorporated using modern techniques such as Flow Cytometry and ELISA to provide hands-on skills.  
  • Regional Immunology Teaching Laboratories in major universities across India can serve as national training hubs to develop a strong scientific workforce. 
• Research and Infrastructure Investment: 15-20% of life science research funding from agencies like DBT, ICMR, and DST should be allocated specifically to immunology, focusing on areas such as tuberculosis immunity, dengue, autoimmune disorders, and cancer resistance mechanisms. 
  • The establishment of Regional Immunology Research Centres and Biobanks will facilitate large-scale immunogenetic studies, advancing research in these critical areas. 
• Translational Science and Innovation: Public-private partnerships should be encouraged through initiatives like BIRAC’s Translational Immunology Grant to develop low-cost vaccines and biosimilars. 
• Policy and Global Integration: Immunological strategies should be embedded in the National Health Policy and Pandemic Preparedness Plan. Enhanced collaboration with WHO and global institutions will ensure India’s leadership in immunology research and application. 

Conclusion 

India stands at a pivotal moment, where advancing immunology can address both its unique healthcare needs and contribute to global medical progress. By strengthening its research infrastructure and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration, India has the potential to become a leader in immunological innovation, ensuring that the benefits of these breakthroughs are felt both domestically and worldwide.