Madras varsity to posses research centre in computational biophysics

Updated on: Monday, December 20, 2010

HRD Ministry has identified the Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) in Crystallography and Biophysics of Madras University to start a Centre of Excellence for Advanced Training and Research in Computational Biophysics.

In a letter to Prof. D.Velmurugan, head, CAS in Crystallography & Biophysics, MHRD director Pratima Dikshit has said the Ministry has short-listed the proposed centre for computational biophysics under its plan to establish centres of excellence in frontier areas of science and technology.

Prof. Velmurugan said the new centre will initiate programmes in systems biology, computational neuroscience and physiology and computational aspects of integrative biology. Besides, the new centre will intensify research in allied fields such as bioinformatics, theoretical physics and nuclear physics with departments in the university and collaborate with many of the medical and biological institutions such as the Adyar Cancer Institute and M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, he said.

The centre will continue several of the computational research, carried out at the centre for crystallography, including protein folding and structure prediction, molecular dynamics studies on proteins and nucleic acids, homology modelling, structure based drug design, sequence analyses and database studies and high throughput X-ray crystallography.

Apart from offering opportunities and guidance for Ph.D and post doctoral research, the centre will offer diploma and certificate (short-term) courses on different aspects of computation, physics, biology, bio-informatics and bio-physics.
A proposal for Rs 7.11 crore have been sent for the centre.

As the scheme envisaged that Rs 150 crore will be distributed among 35 centres identified, the MHRD has sought details of activities to be undertaken at the centre.

Madras varsity to posses research centre in computational biophysics

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