The St. John's Research Institute (SJRI) is a part of the St John's National Academy of Health Sciences, which is run by the CBCI Society for Medical Education. From its inception, St. John's has set before it an ideal of excellence in academic courses as well as service to society as a result of which it has truly become holistic both in its outlook and in its approach to the problems of community health.
Know More
Explore our recent developments, achievements, and stories from across our institution.
View All
04 March 2026
Read More
21 February 2026
Read More
24 October 2025
Read More
29 August 2025
Read MoreFind key dates for academic terms, examinations, holidays, events, and important deadlines—all in one place
View All
St. John’s Research Institute was awarded the grant under NBM-BIRAC (National Biopharma Mission - Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council) to conduct training on Clinical Trials across multiple locations in India, to ensure maximum reach and impact.We conducted the 6 days trainings under the grant, at MRU, Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh, Assam.The course has interactive lectures, hands-on sessions on data management and statistics and case-based discussions. Topics:RCT Designs & AnalysisLarge simple trialsFactorialNon-InferiorityCluster Randomized,Adaptive TrialsStepped Wedge DesignInterrupted Time SeriesDecentralized Clinical TrialsReal World and Pragmatic TrialStudy specific protocolStatistics:Sample size for different RCT designsParametric & non-parametric testsSurvival analysis Techniques:RandomizationBlindingAllocation concealmentOperations and Regulatory:Awareness of Clinical Trials Rules & RegulationsManaging and reporting AEs/SAEsGood Documentation PracticeOverview of Data Management Participants received a certificate upon successful completion of the course.
NURTURE 2025, held at St. John's Research Institute, Bengaluru from 21st July to 1st August 2025, was a transformative two-week residential course that brought together 85 early-career nutrition researchers, doctoral students, and public health professionals from India and Sri Lanka, with the central theme: Translating Research to Transform Society. Organized by the Division of Nutrition at St. John’s Research Institute in collaboration with the Nutrition Society of India and ICMR–National Institute of Nutrition, the course offered a powerful blend of lectures, practical workshops, and mentorship from over 40 distinguished national and international faculty Participants explored a broad spectrum of topics including public health nutrition, advances in nutritional science, precision nutrition, implementation science, food systems, maternal and child health, and data-driven approaches using AI and mHealth. Hands-on training in advanced techniques such as body composition assessment techniques, indirect calorimetry, dietary assessment, molecular nutrition techniques, and JAMOVI-based data analysis enriched their practical skills. T The highlight of the course was the keynote address by Dr. Vinod K. Paul (NITI Aayog) who urged the participants to start thinking and planning research studies towards solving major public health nutrition issues particularly in early infancy. Each of the faculty, experts in their fields inspired and motivated the participants to start working towards improving public health nutrition in India and globally. A big thank you to each and every faculty of NURTURE 2025 to making it a grand success. A highlight was the final day panel discussion, where 10 participant groups presented research and implementation proposals to an expert jury. Group 7 was awarded Best Presentation for their impactful study on fortified rice kernel stability in nutrition-sensitive safety net programs. The course concluded with a valedictory session, reflecting the participants’ renewed commitment to evidence-based action in public health nutrition. With a regional NURTURE capsule planned at Assam Agricultural University in October 2025, this initiative continues to grow as a vibrant platform to foster innovation, build capacity, and drive real-world impact in nutrition science.
The MOU Signing Ceremony between St John's National Academy of Health Sciences and CSIR Fourth Paradigm Institute (CSIR-4PI) was held on 20th August 2025 at the St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences Campus. Both Institutes officially entered into a strategic collaboration aimed at advancing research and innovation in healthcare by utilizing data science, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), augmented intelligence, and the design and development of decision support systems.The partnership, formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), will focus on joint research in areas such as digital pathology, cancer research and later in broader areas of healthcare.Rev. Fr. Jesudoss Rajamanickam, Director, St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences, and Dr. Tony D. S. Raj, Dean, St. John’s Research Institute, signed the MOU on behalf of St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences and Dr. Imtiyaz A Parvez, Chief Scientist and Head, TMD and Business Development, signed the MOU on behalf of CSIR-Fourth Paradigm Institute.
PORTENT: A Center for Point of Care Technologies for Nutrition, Infection, and Cancer. About PORTENTA center for Point-of-Care Technologies for Nutrition, Infection, and Cancer, PORTENT catalyzes the development of rapid, low-cost diagnostics that can be deployed in real-world, resource-limited environments. It fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, global partnerships, and real-world testing to ensure innovations are impactful and scalable.How does PORTENT empower point-of-care technology development?Access to timely, affordable, and accurate diagnostics is a major gap in addressing malnutrition, infectious diseases, and cancer—especially in low-resource settings. The PORTENT program at Cornell University exists to bridge this gap by bringing point-of-care (PoC) solutions closer to the people who need them most.How does PORTENT drive innovation in point-of-care diagnostics?PORTENT supports the full innovation pipeline—from technology development to clinical validation and lab-to-market acceleration. It connects researchers with a global clinical network (spanning the U.S., India, Uganda, and Ecuador), offers seed funding through Innovation Awards, and provides training and mentorship for navigating regulatory and commercialization pathways.Building Bridges in Health Innovation: PORTENT’s Global Team Visits IndiaHeadquartered at Cornell University in New York, USA, PORTENT’s reach spans four continents. Its previous annual review meeting was held in New York. This year, it will be proudly hosted at St. John’s Research Institute, Bangalore, India.The global PORTENT team will visit India to engage deeply with the Indian healthcare innovation ecosystem. This visit will also create unique opportunities for Indian startups and innovators to interact with global experts, exchange ideas, and foster cross-collaboration in point-of-care technology development.
Gunisetty S, Nayak K, Chandra Rai R, Chawla Y, Reddy ES, Aggarwal C, Maheshwari D, Panda H, Ansari NA, Singh P, Kaur M, Dixit K, Sharma P, Bhatnagar P, Priyamvada L, Bhaumik SK, Ahamed SF, Vivek R, Ray P, Shet A, Coshic P, Lodha R, Kabra SK, Afroze D, Yousuf A, Ahmed R, Murali-Krishna K, Chandele A
01 Jul 2019Ramaiah A, Nayak S, Rakshit S, Manson AL, Abeel T, Shanmugam S, Sahoo PN, John AJUK, Sundaramurthi JC, Narayanan S, D'Souza G, von Hoegen P, Ottenhoff THM, Swaminathan S, Earl AM, Vyakarnam A
13 Feb 2019Siddaiah A, Ahmed MN, Kumar AMV, D'Souza G, Wilkinson E, Maung TM, Rodrigues R
05 Feb 2019
SJRI - IAEA Collaborating Centre
IAEA: In May 2010, IAEA formalises its relationship with the St. John´s Research Institute (SJRI) in Bangalore, India, designating it one of the IAEA´s select collaborating centres worldwide.The SJRI has been working with the IAEA´s Nutrition and Health-Related Environmental Studies Section since 1988, and is well networked in India as well as internationally."The SJRI is not only special because of its excellent track record, but because it´s the first Institution we have chosen to be a collaborating centre in Nutrition," says Lena Davidsson, Head of the IAEA´s Nutritional and Health-related Environmental Studies Section.The Institute´s research focuses on nutrition, cancer, as well as infectious and lifestyle-related diseases."This is an exceptionally good example of a centre where stable isotope technique is being used for nutrition-related research in a developing country," says Davidson.The longstanding relationship between the IAEA and the SJRI has provided a number of benefits to both parties. For example, the SJRI analyses samples for Asian and African Member States, provides lecturers for the Agency´s courses on stable isotope technique, and trains research fellows from Member States worldwide.BackgroundThe IAEA has introduced the concept of collaborating centres to assist in implementing specific areas of its programme of research, development and training in nuclear technologies, while capitalizing upon and helping to expand the capabilities of Member States´ scientific and technical institutions.Designation as a centre does not imply preeminence in the specific scientific field; rather it is a public recognition of the collaboration with the IAEA in a specific field of work.See Story Resources for more information. http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/2010/buildingrelations.htmlRecognition RenewedInternational Atomic Energy Agency of the United Nations has renewed and re-designated St. John’s Research Institute as their First and Only Nutrition Collaborating Centre in the World. The Institute was first recognised in the year 2010 which has since been renewed from 2015 to 2019.Dr. Anura Kurpad, who heads the Division of Nutrition, was responsible for this recognition for St. John’s.More information is available at: http://www-naweb.iaea.org/na/news-na/na-st-johns-research-institute.html
St. John's Research Institute leads India-Australia Collaboration on Immunotherapy
St. John’s Research Institute (SJRI) in collaboration with QIMR Berghofer in Brisbane, Australia, has secured funding under the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF). The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, will be funding SJRI in India, for this collaboration aimed to pioneer virus-specific T-cell (VST) therapy research. The Indian arm of this research will be led by Professor Alok Srivastava, Head of the Haematology Research Unit, St. John’s Research Institute (SJRI) with Professor Annapurna Vyakarnam, Adjunct Professor, Scientific Lead of the Human Immunology Laboratory, Division of Infectious Diseases, SJRI, along with their transplant colleagues from the St. John’s Medical College Hospital. Professor Srivastava is a Distinguished clinician scientist and global expert in translational haematology and cell and gene therapies. He has successfully led the world’s first lentiviral vector gene therapy for haemophilia clinical trial in India. Professor Annapurna Vyakarnam is a Professor of Microbial Immunology, Kings College London and a Distinguished Scientist in Human Immunology with an affiliation as Adjunct Professor at SJRI. She has set up a state of the art human immunology laboratory at SJRI focussed on training next generation immunologists working to understand T-cell immunity and biology across disease spectrums. Professor Srivastava and Professor Vyakarnam will work together to adapt virus-specific T-cell (VST) therapy protocols specifically for the Indian patient population. The SJRI team will work in close coordination with Professor Rajiv Khanna, a Distinguished Scientist at QIMR Berghofer and Head of the Tumour Immunology Laboratory. Professor Khanna’s internationally recognized work in human immune regulation provides the foundation for the translation of complex science into effective clinical therapies. This partnership will drive clinical advancement by expanding cellular immunotherapy applications for Indian patients and enhancing treatment access for Australians of South Asian descent. Furthermore, the collaboration aims to stimulate economic growth by accelerating industry investment in India’s biotechnology and immunotherapy sectors.This research represents a powerful synergy between Australian biotechnology innovation and Indian clinical and basic science expertise, aiming to improve outcomes for transplant recipients. Learn more about St. John’s Research Institute: https://sjri.res.in/home
Dr. Anura Kurpad honoured as the Distinguished Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition (DFASN).
Congratulations Dr. Anura Kurpad on being honoured as the 2026 Distinguished Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition (DFASN) for your commendable contribution to Nutrition Research and Public Health. St. John’s is proud of your achievement.
ICMR
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) designates the St John's Medical College Hospital, Bangalore led by Prof Suman Rao (Dept of Neonatology) and Dr Prem K. Mony (Division of Epidemiology & Population Health) as an ICMR Collaborating Centre of Excellence [ICMR-CCoE] in recognition of the commendable achievements in biomedical research.
The Indian Cardiovascular Research and Advocacy Group-2 (ICRAG-2). ICMR-Centers for Advanced Research (CAR).
Division of Clinical Research and Training, St. John’s Research Institute has been recognised by The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as Centre for Advanced Research (CAR) for the period 2024 to 2029 under the leadership of Dr. Denis Xavier as Principal Investigator. The study title is “Impact, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of a synergistic, multipronged, customized, low-cost intervention package (IP) to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) among diverse populations across India.St John’s leads a consortium of 7 leading Institutions across India in this project. The group is called the Indian Cardiovascular Research and Advocacy group (ICRAG-2).We will undertake multiple projects (Systematic review, cross-sectional study, qualitative study and a cluster randomized trial) across India over 5 years at about 25 sites.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
The divisions of Nutrition, Department of Physiology, Paediatric Surgery, Biostatistics, and Molecular Energy and Genetics at St. John's Research Institute and Medical College earned recognition from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for their invaluable contribution to Maternal and Child Health Studies for the period 2025-2030.
Collaborating Centre of Excellence (CCoE).
The Division of Clinical Research and Training (DCRT) and the Department of Pharmacology earned recognition as a key Collaborating Centre of Excellence (CCoE).
ICMR Collaborating Centre of Excellence
The Department of Neonatology and the Division of Epidemiology earned recognition as a key ICMR Collaborating Centre of Excellence for the timeline 2023-2028.
At St John's Research Institute, we offer a collaborative and intellectually stimulating environment for individuals passionate about making a difference in health and science. Whether you're a researcher, clinician, student, or professional, working with us means being part of a mission-driven team focused on advancing knowledge, improving healthcare outcomes, and addressing pressing public health challenges. Join us to contribute to meaningful research that impacts lives both locally and globally.
Explore Opportunities
Thank you for visiting our website. If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're here to help.
Geography of St. John's
Directions From Bus Stand
Directions From Train Station
Directions From Airport
Your form has been submitted successfully
