Organisation profile

The School of Life Sciences (SOLS) established in the year 2006 is well known for its research, teaching and diagnostic activities under the aegis of the Manipal University. It is identified as TIFAC-CORE (Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council Centres of Relevance & Excellence) under vision 2020 in the area of Pharmacogenomics. Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, has identified SOLS for program support under “Translational Research”. SOLS is actively promoting advanced research in India and abroad. The Centre is thriving on the excellent research faculty, facility and resources; aiming to become the nation's number one research and learning centre.

School of Life Sciences performs state of the art research and developmental activities in the area of human health along with undergraduate and postgraduate programs in the fields of Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Medical Biotechnology, Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, and other areas of life sciences. With the faculty strength in various fields of sciences such as cell and molecular biology, microbiology, mycology, plant biotechnology, genetics and epigenetics, pharmacogenomics, bioinformatics and related areas of health sciences, current areas of research include molecular and cellular biology of cancer, signalling, pharmacogenomics and molecular and experimental pharmacology, microbial biotechnology, in addition to various human genetic diseases. The Institute is equipped with state of the art facilities under one roof. As the mission statement of the School of Life Sciences states, conducting cutting edge research is the main objective and towards this end, it encourages every faculty, PhD scholar and student to actively participate in research activities. Research and developmental activities are also driven by research and PhD scholars across various departments of SOLS.

The School of Life Sciences executes B.Sc. program in Biotechnology, four M.Sc. programs in Medical Biotechnology, Molecular Biology & Human Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Life Sciences by research, and a robust Ph.D program. A certificate program in Bioinformatics is also offered twice a year. The general aim of the programs is to provide the atmosphere and opportunities for students and researchers to become biotechnologists, geneticists and bioinformaticians equipped with state of the art knowledge, competence and commitment who will be self-directed individuals and responsible citizens. 

The school conducts international conferences and workshops for promoting new enthusiasm amongst young scientists. The mission statement of SOLS is to engage in cutting edge research, training, education and offer help to the community in the field of human health. The school prepares students for productive careers in this versatile, dynamic, evolving discipline. SOLS is nationally and internationally known for three major activity areas such as education, research and diagnostics. Scientific research is the major thrust area of SOLS. The School has international collaboration and student exchange programs with partnering universities from Australia, Brazil, Germany, Netherlands, South Africa, USA, Canada and UK.

Major Research Areas of the School:

 Ongoing research activities of SOLS are: (1) Targeting of transcription factors as suppressor elements in cancer, (2) epigenetics, genetics and cancer, (3) genomics of human variations of cancers, (4) growth factors and signal transduction, (5) neuronal human iPSCsa and stem cells, (6) chemo-response modifications in human leukaemia, (7) pharmacogenomics of human diseases (bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, cancer, cardiac diseases, vitamin deficiency) (8) Human and population variation analysis, (9) clinical Proteomics, (10) cell and molecular biology of medicinal plants, (11) development and translation of genetic testing to clinical environment, (12) genetic studies of human diseases including infertility, septal disorders and congenital cataract, (13) molecular radiobiology and experimental oncology, (14) heavy metal and nanotoxicology, (15) low level laser therapy (LLLT), fluorescence and photoacoustic spectroscopy, (16) bioinformatics and database construction, (17) host-pathogen interactions, (18) vascular biology, and (19) mycology research.  Research and developmental activities are supported by national and international governmental and non-governmental agencies, industries and Manipal University.

To facilitate education, research and diagnostics, the institution works as eight interactive groups such as: (1) Department of Ageing Research, (2) Department of Biophysics, (3) Department of Bioinformatics, (4) Department of Biotechnology, (5) Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, (6) Department of Plant Biology, (7) Department of Public Health Genomics, and (8) Department of Radiobiology and Toxicology.