Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology

What Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology does

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) is a CSIR national laboratory established on April 1, 1977, and headquartered in Hyderabad, India. It conducts frontier research in cellular and molecular biology spanning cell biology, genetics, genomics, developmental biology, plant molecular biology, conservation biology, infection biology, immunology, epigenetics, and bioinformatics. The institute operates three campuses: the main Habsiguda campus (1987), LaCONES Annexe-I at Attapur for endangered species conservation (2000), and the Medical Biotechnology Complex Annexe-II at Uppal for technology development and start-up incubation (2015). It is led by Director Dr. Vinay K. Nandicoori under the governance of CSIR, India's Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

CCMB's core offerings span three pillars: human genetic diagnostics (cytogenetics, molecular diagnostics, next-generation sequencing, optical genome mapping, and genetic counselling), wildlife forensics (DNA-based species identification, paternity testing, sex identification, and pathogen detection priced ₹877–14,160 per test inclusive of GST), and life sciences start-up incubation (Atal Incubation Centre-CCMB supporting 20+ ventures, Common Research and Technology Development Hub). Underlying technology includes state-of-the-art microscopy (confocal, multi-photon, super-resolution, Raman), next-generation sequencing, BSL-2/3 laboratories, an animal house maintaining 31 mouse strains (~6,000 animals), and patented tools such as the Universal Primer technology for wildlife species identification (granted in US, India, Japan, EU, China, Australia, South Africa), salt-inducible vector systems, transgenic Drosophila cancer screening models, and breast cancer biomarkers. The institute is a UNESCO Centre of Excellence and TWAS South Centre of Excellence.

CCMB's business model is primarily government-funded through CSIR allocations and competitive grants, supplemented by fee-for-service diagnostic and forensic testing, technology licensing from its multi-jurisdiction patent portfolio, training program fees (PhD, skill development, dissertation, summer training), and incubator/CRTDH relationships with start-ups. Customers include academic researchers, healthcare providers, law enforcement and wildlife agencies, government departments (Department of Biotechnology, Goa Forest Department, state forest departments), and life sciences start-ups. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the institute operates without venture capital or private equity exposure, fully owned by the Government of India through CSIR.

Name

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology

Legal name

CSIR - Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology

Website

https://ccmb.res.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) is a CSIR national laboratory in Hyderabad, India, conducting frontier cellular and molecular biology research and offering genetic diagnostics, wildlife DNA forensics, advanced research facilities, and life sciences start-up incubation to government, academic, and healthcare customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hyderabad

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: CCMB operates as a CSIR laboratory receiving government funding for research activities, infrastructure development, and national missions.
2. Genetic Testing and Diagnostic Services: Fee-for-service genetic testing including cytogenetics, molecular diagnostics, prenatal testing, and optical genome mapping provided to patients and healthcare providers.
3. Wildlife Forensics and Diagnostic Services: Charges for species identification (₹5,900 per sample inclusive of GST), paternity testing (₹14,160), sex identification in birds (₹1,770), and PCR-based pathogen diagnosis for wildlife enforcement agencies.
4. Technology Licensing and Transfer: Revenue from patented technologies, commercial partnerships, and technology transfer agreements with industry.
5. Training and Education Programs: Fees from skill development training programs, dissertation programs, project-based student training, and summer training programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CCMB is a CSIR national laboratory conducting frontier research in modern biology and offering centralized research facilities, genetic diagnostic services, wildlife DNA forensics, and biotechnology incubation. It provides fee-based services including cytogenetics, molecular diagnostics, optical genome mapping, wildlife species identification, paternity testing, and pathogen detection, alongside academic programs (PhD, skill development, dissertation, summer training) for life sciences students.

Product overview

CCMB operates as a multi-service research institution offering genetic diagnostic services (Cytogenetics, Molecular Diagnostics, Optical Genome Mapping), wildlife DNA forensics, and life sciences startup incubation. The core service offerings include Genetic Testing and Counselling for human genetic disorders, Wildlife Diagnostics for species identification and conservation forensics, and the Atal Incubation Centre supporting biotech startups. These are supported by centralized research facilities (Advanced Microscopy, DNA Sequencing, Next Generation Sequencing, Animal House, BSL-2/3 labs) and academic programs (PhD, training programs, dissertation programs). The institution also provides specialized services like wildlife gene banking for genetic preservation. The portfolio is organized around three pillars: diagnostic services for human health, conservation technology services for wildlife, and innovation/incubation infrastructure for biotech entrepreneurship.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Genetic Testing and Counselling Cytogenetic and molecular diagnostic services for genetic disorders including karyotyping, molecular testing, Next Generation Sequencing (Exome/Genome Sequencing), Optical Genome Mapping, and genetic counselling (pre-test and post-test) for patients and healthcare providers.
• Wildlife Diagnostics DNA-based wildlife forensics services for species identification, paternity testing, individual identification, sex identification, and disease diagnosis (PCR-based for RNA/DNA viruses, Bd diagnosis) to support wildlife crime investigation and conservation for law enforcement agencies and wildlife departments.
• Atal Incubation Centre - CCMB Startup incubation facility supporting life sciences ventures, housed within CCMB's Medical Biotechnology Complex at Uppal, providing mentoring, technical guidance, and infrastructure for entrepreneur development.
• Wildlife Gene Bank Wildlife genetic material preservation service involving genome sequencing and cryogenic storage to preserve genetic material of wildlife species for conservation.
• Advanced Microscopy and Imaging Facility Central research facility offering confocal and multi-photon microscopes, fluorescence correlation spectroscope, atomic force microscope, super-resolution microscopes, Raman microscopes, light sheet microscopes, live cell imaging, TIRF microscopes, and deconvolution software for advanced biological imaging.
• Automated DNA Sequencing DNA sequencing facility with automated capillary array sequencers (Applied Biosystems Model 3730/3730xl) capable of processing 96/48 samples simultaneously for sequencing and genotyping applications.
• PhD Program Doctoral research program in modern biology covering Cell Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Developmental Biology, Plant Molecular Biology, Conservation Biology, Ecology, Protein Structure, Infection Biology, Immunology, Epigenetics, Chromatin Biology, and Bioinformatics, administered through AcSIR.
• Skill Development Training Programs Skilling programs under CSIR-Integrated Skill Initiative targeting students and employees from academia, industry, hospitals, and pathology laboratories with 20% theory and 80% practical sessions.
• Project-Based Student Training Programme Six-month laboratory training program with possible extension, covering scientific ethics, laboratory practice, and career opportunities in life sciences.
• Dissertation Research Training Program Research training program for M.Sc/M.Pharm/M.Tech/B.Pharm/B.Tech/B.Sc students in life sciences to undertake research towards partial degree fulfillment.
• Summer Training Program 60-day training program (May-July) for students from all branches of life sciences at Indian universities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 24% of snakebite survivors develop long-term morbidities, with 12.75% mortality rate, highlighting need for improved treatment protocols
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Goa Forest DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2026Goa's forest department announced partnership with CCMB to establish a wildlife gene bank for preserving genetic material of the state's wildlife through genome sequencing and cryogenic storage. Government has granted in-principle approval and shared draft MoU. CCMB will also train Goa's forest staff in sample collection and handling.
• Rayalaseema UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026Co-organized entrepreneurship awareness program under Gran Turismo 2.0 initiative. CCMB's representative indicated the institute would provide mentoring, technical guidance, and incubation support to students from government universities.
• Department of Biotechnology, Government of IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020CCMB researchers participating in the GenomeIndia Project launched by Department of Biotechnology in 2020. Project collected around 20,000 genetic samples from 83 population groups across India to catalog genetic diversity for healthcare applications.
• LVPEI (L V Prasad Eye Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint study on antimicrobial resistance in bacteria causing eye infections. Researchers from CCMB and LVPEI conducted genomic analysis identifying resistance mechanisms and emphasized need for revised treatment practices and regional antimicrobial stewardship.
• Friends of Snakes Society (FOS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDecade-long collaborative study analyzing 55,467 snake rescue cases in Hyderabad from 2013-2022, recording annual increase of 8-10% in rescues. Study identified 232 snake encounter hotspots and provided first empirical evidence of snakes adapting to urban environments.
• LaCONES (Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCMB's LaCONES (established 2000) conducted genomic study of Chilika Lake in Odisha using metagenomic sequencing to analyze cyanobacterial communities. Reconstructed 83 cyanobacterial Metagenome-Assembled Genomes and identified 22 core taxa.
• CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCMB is a constituent laboratory of CSIR, which comprises 44 research institutions across India. CCMB operates under CSIR governance with Director General Dr. N Kalaiselvi providing oversight.
• Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural HistoryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner40-year study of lion-tailed macaques in Anamalai Hills conducted jointly. Found populations increasing in human-dominated landscapes while remaining stable in protected forests.
• University of MysoreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner40-year study of lion-tailed macaques in Anamalai Hills conducted jointly with University of Mysore.
• UNESCO Global Network of Molecular and Cell BiologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCMB chosen as Centre of Excellence by UNESCO's Global Network of Molecular and Cell Biology, an international network spanning 45+ nations for advancement of molecular and cell biology research.
• ICICI Knowledge ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of ICICI Knowledge Park launched jointly by Industrial Credit & Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) Ltd. and Government of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad.
• APBioNetminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of APBioNet, an international website for the advancement of bioinformatics.
• AcSIR (Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCMB PhD program administered through AcSIR (Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research), enabling students to register for doctoral degrees while conducting research at CCMB.
• Atal Incubation Centre - CCMB (AIC-CCMB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtal Incubation Centre supporting 20+ life sciences start-ups at Medical Biotechnology Complex, part of Atal Innovation Mission.
• Common Research and Technology Development Hub (CRTDH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRTDH at Medical Biotechnology Complex supports technology development by CCMB scientists and start-up companies in life sciences sectors.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Wildlife Institute of India (WII): WII is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change focused on wildlife research, conservation biology, and training forest officers. WII complements CCMB's LaCONES by providing ecology and conservation training, while CCMB contributes molecular forensics expertise to joint wildlife programs.

Direct peers

• Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB): RGCB is a Department of Biotechnology institute in Kerala conducting research in cancer biology, infectious diseases, and translational medicine. RGCB and CCMB both operate as autonomous government research institutes with PhD programs, molecular diagnostics, and applied biotechnology research.
• Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB): IGIB is a CSIR laboratory in Delhi conducting research in genomics, molecular medicine, and bioinformatics, with a strong focus on genetic diagnostics and translational research. Both IGIB and CCMB operate as CSIR national laboratories with overlapping mandates in genomics and disease diagnostics.
• Indian Institute of Science (IISc): IISc is India's premier public research university and a CSIR-adjacent institution offering advanced graduate programs and conducting frontier research in biological sciences, materials, and engineering. Both IISc and CCMB operate as elite government-funded research institutions with PhD programs, centralized facilities, and industry incubation, making them the closest peer among Indian research bodies.
• Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER): IISER is a network of seven government institutions offering integrated BS-MS and PhD programs with strong research focus in biological, chemical, and physical sciences. IISERs and CCMB operate similar integrated research-education models in life sciences, with comparable faculty structures and central facilities.
• Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT): IICT is a CSIR laboratory in Hyderabad whose Biochemistry Division originally formed the nucleus of CCMB in 1977. IICT shares CSIR parentage, Hyderabad location, and applied biotechnology focus, with overlapping expertise in enzymes, plant cell wall biology, and process development.
• National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS): NCBS, a TIFR centre in Bangalore, conducts fundamental research in biology, including cell biology, genetics, neuroscience, and computational biology. As a peer institution with comparable scale, PhD programs, and active research groups in molecular and cell biology, NCBS is a direct peer to CCMB in India's life sciences research ecosystem.
• Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD): CDFD is an autonomous Centre under the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, providing DNA diagnostics services and conducting research in molecular biology, genomics, and forensics. CDFD's DNA fingerprinting diagnostics and wildlife forensics overlap closely with CCMB's Genetic Diagnostic Centre and LaCONES services.
• National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS): NCCS is a Department of Biotechnology autonomous Centre in Pune focused on cell biology, stem cell research, and repository services for cell lines and hybridomas. NCCS shares CCMB's focus on cell and molecular biology and serves as a national resource facility for the Indian research community.

Others

• CSIR-CCMB Atal Incubation Centre (AIC-CCMB): AIC-CCMB is a government-supported incubation centre within CCMB's Medical Biotechnology Complex supporting 20+ life sciences start-ups. As part of the Atal Innovation Mission, AIC-CCMB connects CCMB research to commercial ventures, functioning as an ecosystem partner that monetizes CCMB's IP through incubated startups.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology