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In 1966, a biochemicals unit was established at Vallabh Bhai Patel Chest Institute as a grant-in-aid unit by CSIR for manufacture of rare biochemicals under the charge of Dr A. P. Joshi.
In 1977, the unit transitioned into Center for Biochemicals to produce biochemicals, diagnostic reagents, and immunotherapy antigens to the biomedical scientist community. The initial budget of the institute was channeled via CSIR-IICB, Kolkata. It was almost 10 years later in 1986 that the institute was delinked from IICB.
Mall Road campus of the institute in 1990.
In 1990, the first campus of the institute was ready for widening the scope and outreach of the scientific research that had been happening at the institute since the last 25 years of the inception of the institute. The institute continued producing restriction enzymes, oligonucleotides, and respiratory allergens under the leadership of the Dr. S. V. Gangal, first director of the institute. The institute initiated research and development activities for large scale production of biochemicals which were further transferred to industry within the country.
By 1994, the research themes of the institute included bio-organics and genetic engineering in addition to allergy, immunology, diagnostics and high technology reagents focusing on both basic and applied research.
In 1997, the leadership of the institute was passed onto Prof. Samir K. Brahmachari, who became the second director of CBT. During his tenure the institute gradually entered into the era of functional genomics and molecular medicine. In anticipation of the human genome project completion, sequencing of the human genome (identification of mutations associated with disease) from Indian population was initiated as the technology to sequence and informatics capacity was built. Some of the key focus areas included molecular medicine, genotyping for selection of drugs, and study of genetic mechanisms of diseases including respiratory diseases (asthma), neurological (ataxia, and epilepsy) and neuropsychiatric diseases (schizophrenia), and hemoglobinopathies (sickle cell disease). Most of these are the mainstay of the institute even today.
The present mission of the institute was adopted in 1995 as CFB evolved into Center for Biochemical Technology (CBT) with an increased capacity for conducting research in the field of biotechnology.
'To translate concepts developed in basic biological research to commercially viable technologies for health care'
In 2002, the name of the institute was changed from Centre for Biochemical Technology to Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB), which is how the world knows us today. Most of the research equipment present in our museum had been instrumental to the genomics research of the institute for many years to come.
Tuberculosis research that is one of the major focus areas of the institute even today was initiated during this time. Microarray (genechip) technology along with oligo synthesis, and automated sequencing enabled large projects like Indian Genome Variation Project, which mapped some 1000 genes to identify variants in the Indian population.
"In future, we hope to attract more young and talented researchers, adopt an integrative approach towards biology, not fragmented by the conventional divisions of sub-disciplines like cell biology, microbiology, molecular biology etc and propel ourselves towards becoming a globally recognized Institute in biological research." - Prof Samir K Brahmachari (2002)
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