Advancing Biomedical Research
ICMR has expanded the India Hypertension Control Initiative (IHCI) across the country. Launched in November 2017, it covers 104 districts in 21 States and has enrolled more than 23 lakh patients in 15,420 health facilities. For this, ICMR Won the 2022 UN Inter-Agency Task Force and the WHO special program on Primary Health Care Award during the United Nation General Assembly on 21 st September 2022.
ICMR launched Mission DELHI for the early diagnosis and treatment of heart attack patients by trained motorcycle first respondent paramedics, covering 7-8 lakh people.
ICMR released a white paper on the use of e-Nicotine products, which led to the ban of ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery System) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)
ICMR led the India State-Level Disease Burden Initiative as part of The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017 (GBD 2017).
The initiative documented the changing profile of NCDs and assessed the diseases causing the most premature deaths and disability in each state.
It also focused on identification of the risk factors responsible for this burden and analysis of their time trends.
ICMR conducted INDIAB1, an epidemiological study on diabetes which provides authentic data on diabetes, prediabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity from various states of India.
The study covered 30 states/UTs and a total of 113,106 individuals and revealed a diabetes prevalence of 9.6%.
ICMR has set up more than 250 registries under the National Cancer Registry Programme (NCRP) to generate reliable data on the magnitude and patterns of cancer.
ICMR has established 9 centres offering high-end advanced diagnostic and research services for cancer patients (free of cost) under DHR-ICMR Advanced Molecular Oncology Diagnostic Services (DIAMOnDS). This will be scaled up to 29 centres in the coming years.
ICMR established a Mobile Stroke Unit to help save the lives of stroke patients, administer clot buster medicine after CT, and enable specialist decisions through a digital platform. It was launched in Tezpur, Assam in pilot mode and has tended to >250 patients till now.
ICMR launched the Indian Stroke Clinical Network (INSTRuCT) which was the 4th such government-supported network in the world and the 1st in developing countries. It has 31 centres and plans to expand to 100. Two national trials and one international trial are ongoing under this network.
ICMR established MERA India (Malaria Elimination Research Alliance) to bring multiple stakeholders (national and international) under one umbrella to achieve the aim of disease elimination.
ICMR launched the Comprehensive Case Management Programme (CCMP), a model project to strengthen malaria control interventions. The Programme demonstrated an 85% decline in average monthly malaria cases in four districts of Odisha namely Angul, Dhenkanal, Kandhamal and Dolangir.
The Odisha Government took up this model in the DAMAN (Durgama Anchalre Malaria Nirakaran) project currently operating in 22 districts.
ICMR established the Centre for Excellence at the National Institute of Malaria Research (ICMR- NIMR) in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology (DST) to study Climate change and its impact on malaria transmission.
ICMR validated the efficacy of the triple drug regimen for the treatment of Lymphatic Filariasis. It is being rolled out through Mass Drug Administration (MDA) in five districts of the country, namely Nagpur (Maharashtra), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Simdega (Jharkhand), Arwal (Bihar) and Yadgir (Karnataka).
ICMR demonstrated diethylcarbamazine (DEC) fortified salt as a supplementary intervention to MDA towards elimination of diurnally subperiodic cases of lymphatic filariasis prevalent in the Nancowry group of Islands of Andaman & Nicobar.
ICMR conducted a study in Vaishali district of Bihar (reporting more than 660 cases per 10,000 population) and demonstrated that if existing strategies are applied intensively it is possible to eliminate VL from an endemic block.
The strategies brought down cases to 0.38 per 10,000 population in the district and the Vaishali model was successfully replicated in Saran and Siwan, two highly endemic districts.
ICMR aided TB elimination efforts through its India TB Research Consortium (ITRC) which launched TB vaccine trials in June 2019
ICMR conducted the National TB Prevalence survey to assess the true burden of TB. The survey covered a population of over 5 lakh, in 625 clusters across 19 states. 25 mobile vans equipped with X-ray and Molecular Diagnostics were deployed. The survey found that the prevalence of all forms of tuberculosis among all age groups in India is 312 cases per lakh. Link: National TB Prevalence Survey in India 2019 - 2021 : Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (tbcindia.gov.in).
ICMR validated the TrueNAT TB test, which is indigenous, cost effective, highly sensitive, and was recommended by WHO following a successful multi-country trial. The TrueNAT test is also deployed for diagnosing diseases like Nipah, Leptospirosis, and COVID-19.
ICMR researchers developed and evaluated an intravasal, non-hormonal injectable male contraceptive called Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance (RISUG). They found that RISUG was safe and effective.
ICMR researchers evaluated ImplanonR, a subdermal female contraceptive implant, as a spacing method in Indian women. They found that ImplanonR was safe and effective.
ICMR released revised Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) estimates in 2020. These estimates were based on recent datasets to derive acceptable reference body weight values for different age groups throughout the human lifespan. Link:Short Summary Booklet.
ICMR released a report on "What India Eats" in 2020, containing region wise information on dietary consumption to help develop region specific strategies for tackling malnutrition. Link:What India Eats Report Shorter Version 25-9-20.cdr (millets.res.in).
ICMR released Indian Food Composition Tables in 2017, which provide nutritional information on 151 discrete food components for 528 key foods consumed in India. Link:Indian-food-Composition-Tables.pdf (researchgate.net).
ICMR conducted a comprehensive urban nutrition survey in 2015-16 with the objective of assessing diet, nutritional status, and the prevalence of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia among urban populations in 16 states. Link:National Title.cdr (nin.res.in)
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