Overview
The Department of Statistics was established when the Institute was founded in 1956 to help fulfill the increasing demands for biostatisticians to undertake leadership roles in professions as researchers and educators in academia and medical research. The department's scientists and employees collaborate with one another and offer knowledge in the statistical techniques that serve as the basis for current biomedical research's use of evidence. Biostatisticians at the Institute work on intellectually promising projects aimed at enhancing human health, such as identifying the genetic causes of disease, recommending the right treatments for patients, or researching ways of reducing healthcare costs without sacrificing patient care. Staff members pursue their own research agendas and take part in curriculum creation in addition to being active researchers who consult and collaborate on research projects and activities within the Institute. Linear, nonlinear, and longitudinal modelling, clinical trial and experimental design, systematic review and meta-analysis, survival analysis, categorical data analysis, causal inference, modelling of the TB and HIV diseases, data mining and machine learning algorithms, GIS-based spatial modelling, Bayesian methodology, and artificial intelligence are all areas of expertise in the department. The department's goal is to advance the profession through training in methodological and applied research methods for students, collaborative interdisciplinary methodological research in the fields of public health and medicine, and support for academic, research, and professional committees.
Head of the Department:
Dr. Ponnuraja C, M.Sc., Ph.D., Scientist 'F'
Email id :
ponnuraja[dot]c[at]icmr[dot]gov[dot]in
| Sr. No. | Name of the Staff | Designation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Ponnuraja C | Scientist F |
| 2 | Mrs. Mahalakshmi R | Scientist D |
| 3 | Dr. Adhin Bhaskar | Scientist C |
| 4 | Dr. Tamizhselvan M | Technical Officer-C |
| 5 | Dr. Vasantha M | Technical Officer-C |
| 6 | Mr. Vijayakumar B | Technical Officer-B |
| 7 | Dr. Muthu Vijayalakshmi M | Technical Officer-A |
| 8 | Ms. Mythily V | Technical Officer-A |
| 9 | Mr. Palaniyandi P | Technical Officer-A |
| 10 | Ms. Jagriti Gupta | Technical Assistant |
| 11 | Mr. Ratnakar Singh | Technical Assistant |
| 12 | Mr. Yadla Sai Madhu | Technical Assistant |
| 13 | Mr. Nithyanandam G | Lab Assistant |
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Isolation and Characterisation of the first temperate phage capable of lysogenising M. tuberculosis
In an effort to develop luciferase reporter phage (LRP) constructs with high sensitivity of detection, attempts were made successfully for isolating a temperate mycobacteriophage capable of infecting and lysogenising M. tuberculosis.
Well stained acid fast bacilli (AFB) were demonstrated in smears prepared from pot stained sputum and smear results were comparable with conventional ZN method.
The efficiency of the construct was found to be higher than the existing LRPs with cultures as anticipated. The attempt marked the beginning of diverse attempts to improve the LRP diagnostic assay.
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LRPs for the rapid detection of dormant tubercle bacilli
The luciferase reporter phages (LRP) show great promise for diagnostic mycobacteriology.
Since the tuberculosis (TB) cases among HIV infected population result from the reactivation of latent bacilli, development of LRPs capable of detecting dormant bacteria would be useful.
In a milestone study, 3 LRP constructs were developed using promoters of genes functioning during dormancy. These LRP constructs exhibited detectable luciferase activity in dormant as well as in actively growing M. tuberculosis .
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Phagebiotics cocktail as substitute for antibiotic supplements in liquid culture of M. tuberculosis
Organisms of the normal flora that survive the action of the decontaminating agent during sputum processing can cause heavy contamination of the culture, especially liquid culture.
Antibiotic supplements are used in liquid cultures to control such growth despite reports that these agents have deleterious effect on the tubercle bacilli.
This study demonstrated a novel hypothesis that a cocktail of phages that infect and lyse these organisms could be used in liquid cultures instead of the antibiotic supplements with better decontaminating efficiency and M. tuberculosis retrieving capacity.
Further study established the feasibility of using phage lysin supplement to phagebiotics in decontaminating processed sputum samples in liquid culture of M. tuberculosis . The study opened up new possibility of developing a novel biofriendly method of sputum processing.
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Phagebiotics cocktail as substitute for antibiotic supplements in liquid culture of M. tuberculosis
Organisms of the normal flora that survive the action of the decontaminating agent during sputum processing can cause heavy contamination of the culture, especially liquid culture.
Antibiotic supplements are used in liquid cultures to control such growth despite reports that these agents have deleterious effect on the tubercle bacilli.
This study demonstrated a novel hypothesis that a cocktail of phages that infect and lyse these organisms could be used in liquid cultures instead of the antibiotic supplements with better decontaminating efficiency and M. tuberculosis retrieving capacity.
Further study established the feasibility of using phage lysin supplement to phagebiotics in decontaminating processed sputum samples in liquid culture of M. tuberculosis . The study opened up new possibility of developing a novel biofriendly method of sputum processing.
Gallery
