IIT-H Launches India’s First Lung Bioengineering Centre
The centre will develop non-invasive tools and therapies for lung and heart diseases
Hyderabad: Rising air pollution and the growing burden of respiratory disease have prompted the launch of India’s first bioengineering-led centre dedicated exclusively to lung health at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IIT-H).
The ILH–IITH Bioengineering Centre of Excellence was inaugurated on Wednesday at the Hyderabad campus in collaboration with the Institute for Lung Health, Germany. The centre is aimed at addressing persistent gaps in lung disease diagnosis and treatment by combining engineering research with clinical science.
The institute told Deccan Chronicle that the centre would focus on developing non-invasive diagnostic tools, disease models and advanced therapies for pulmonary and cardiovascular conditions, areas where existing technologies continue to face limitations. “Accurate assessment of lung and heart function is still a major challenge, especially in chronic and pollution-linked illnesses,” one of the researchers said.
The facility is jointly led by Renu John from IIT Hyderabad and Soni Savai Pullamsetti from the ILH, Justus Liebig University, Giessen. It draws on IIT Hyderabad’s work in biomedical engineering, mechanobiology, biomaterials, nanobiotechnology and computational biology, supported by in-house animal research facilities, microfluidics laboratories and 3D-printing platforms.
Speaking at the inauguration, Dr D. Nageshwar Reddy, chairman of AIG Hospitals, said the worsening air quality in Indian cities had made lung health research an urgent national priority. “Pollution is directly affecting respiratory health, and focused research is essential to ensure scientific advances translate into patient care,” he said.
Werner Seeger, ILH director and chair of the German Center for Lung Diseases, said, “The idea is to bring engineering and medicine together to improve how we understand and treat lung and vascular diseases.” He added that the partnership aimed to accelerate discovery and train future researchers in the field.
The centre is expected to function as a hub for translational research, linking laboratory findings to clinical applications, while also supporting talent development through international collaboration. The inauguration programme included plenary sessions and discussions involving clinicians and engineers working in pulmonology, cardiology, paediatric cardiology and thoracic surgery, focusing on engineering-based solutions to lung disease challenges in India and globally.
