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The Government of India has undertaken stem cell research through various Departments/ Institutions.
Department of Health Research-Indian Council of Medical Research (DHR-ICMR) is supporting biomedical research and stem cell is one of the priority areas promoted through centers for advance research/excellence, task force activities in identified thematic areas, viz. Basic stem cell biology, Cancer stem cell, Translational research and Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), open-ended investigator-initiated ad-hoc projects and fellowships for the past twenty years. Many laboratories have been strengthened through the above programmes.
Under Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has implemented projects on embryonic, adult and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). Projects have been supported in areas of the basic biology of stem cells; early and late translational research; developing gene-editing technology for potential therapeutic applications; creation of animal models for various human diseases and training programmes on various components of stem cells and regenerative medicine. Studies have also been implemented to develop improved methods and techniques for isolating and culturing stem cells from different origins and also to generate induced pluripotent stem cells from various somatic/adult tissues.
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), through its constituent laboratories namely CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), New Delhi and CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR-IICB), Kolkata has undertaken a Sickle Cell Anemia Mission during FY 2017-2020.
Financial assistance for stem cell research activities is being provided by the Government. Details of funds released to the States of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu during last three years are as follows:-
(Rs. in Crores)
| State/UT | Funds Allocated by ICMR | Funds Allocated by DBT |
| Maharashtra | 0.233 (2019) | 0.659(2018-19) |
| Tamil Nadu | 0.748(2019) | 0.429(2018-19) |
| Maharashtra | -(2020) | 0.981(2019-20) |
| Tamil Nadu | 0.245(2020) | 5.606(2019-20) |
| Maharashtra | 0.150(2021) | 0.864(2020-21) |
| Tamil Nadu | – (2021) | 6.881(2020-21) |
Further, the budget released by CSIR during the FY 2017-18 to 2019-20 under Sickle Cell Anemia Mission is as under:
(Rs. in lakh)
| Lab | FY 2017-18 | FY 2018-19 | FY 2019-20 |
| CSIR-IGIB | 451.772 | 467.552 | 417.49 |
| CSIR-IICB | 199.988 | 119.988 | 114.99 |
The government has supported the ethical and scientific conduct of stem cell research through guidelines for stem cell research. These guidelines are available since 2007 and were revised in 2013 and again in 2017 based on the advancement in the field and released as National Guidelines for Stem Cell Research (NGSCR). This document provides guidance to all stakeholders including scientists, clinicians and industry and can be accessed online.
