IISc to set up brain research centre in Bangalore

The premier Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and a charitable trust of Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan are collaborating to set up a centre for brain research here at a cost of Rs.225 crore.

"The research centre will study the various aspects of the human brain's functioning to find cures for neuro-degenerative conditions and diseases, which are accelerated by old age," Pratiksha Trust said in a statement here Thursday.

An international scientific advisory board, headed by Nobel laureate Torsten Wiesel as chairman, will guide the research centre.

"Human brain is one of the nature's biggest mysteries, which is yet to be understood by man. By funding the centre, we are creating a globally recogonised, world-class facility for cutting-edge research on the brain," Gopalakrishna said on the occasion.

Columbia University professor Stanley Fahn, University of Chicago don Sangram Sisodia, Washington University don John Morris and University of Geneva don Giovanni Frisoni are members of the advisory board.

The board will also help the centre in its operations, set research goals and guide it in its formative years.

"Among its goals are to understand the relative functions of the brain and leverage it to create better computing models," said Gopalakrishnan, the IT bellwether's vice-chairman.

The trust will also fund setting up three chairs/ professorships each in the IISc's computer science department and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Chennai to forge an alliance between medical research and computing.

"We are hopeful the centre will provide impetus to alliances between medical research and computing, attracts funds and inspires similar partnerships," Gopalakrishnan added.

Lauding the initiative, IISc director P. Balaram said the centre would provide a wonderful opportunity to bridge gap between science and engineering and biomedical research.

"The initiative will be a trend-setter in private participation in research, which has relevance to human health," he noted.

The city-based trust also supports education, research, innovation and entrepreneurship targetted towards the poor and focuses on creating systemic changes in society.