The National Centre forBiological Sciences (NCBS) has announced the launch of the ‘Rohini Nilekani Centre for Brain and Mind’, a centre dedicated to advancing Indian research and practice pertaining to neuro developmental disorders and mental health.

The centre will focus on the long-term examination of environmental and genetic factors involved in brain development which underlie severe mental illnesses.

Rohini Nilekani, Chairperson - Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, unveiled the plaque to mark the inauguration of ‘the Centre for Brain and Mind’ in the NCBS campus in Bengaluru, on 4 July. 

The centre will support research through its partnership with the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) and NCBS’ therapeutic practices pertaining to five mental disorders:schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and dementia – conditions considered neuro developmental in origin.

The research work of the centre will combine the molecular biological research capabilities and technologies at NCBS with the stem cell capabilities established at theInstitute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem-DBT), an autonomous institution under the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India. inStem has been and will continue to partner with NCBS on research activities, including that of the Accelerator program for Discovery in Brain disorders using Stem cells (ADBS).