Systems Biology Research initiative has started two projects in Research Module I (RM-I), one project in Research Module II (RM-II) and two projects in Research Module III (RM-III). Established many national and international collaboration and partnership for the on-going and future research endeavors. Working with different RPs at ICRISAT. The on-going projects will lay the foundations for future large grants and they will provide the initial pilot study results and establish the proof of concept

1. Systems Biology Research Initiative
@ ICRISAT
An update to the Governing Board
Rajeev K Varshney
on behalf of Team- Systems Biology

2. Collaborative
project on Anemia
Project
execution
&
Grant
submission
An exciting journey so far…
2019

3. SYSTEMS BIOLOGY
Research Modules
Gut
microbiome
Integrative
Biology
Soil
microbiome
Two projects- in progress
Three project proposals- submitted
One projects- in progress
One project – will start soon
Two project proposals- developed
Two projects- in progress
Two project proposals- submitted

4. Gut microbiome for
improving human nutrition
Research Module I
Iron Deficiency
Anemia
• Adolescent girls
Severe acute
malnutrition
• Under 5 children
Type 2 Diabetes
• Adults

5. Project 1:
Effect of National IFA (Iron-Folic acid) Supplementation Programme on Gut Modulation and
Iron Status among Adolescents
Project 2:
Efficacy of peanut-pearl millet bar supplementation on gut microbiota health and Iron status
among anemic adolescent girls
Iron deficiency anemia in adolescents girls
Exchange of MoU & Launch of FeFA Girls Project (ICRISAT and ICMR-NIN)- 15 March, 2019

6. Project 1
Effect of national IFA (Iron-Folic Acid) supplementation
programme gut modulation and iron status among adolescents
END-POINT
SAMPLE/DATA
COLLECTION
IFA
SUPPLEMENTAT
ION
BASELINE
SAMPLE/DATA
COLLECTION
COHORT
RECRUITMENT
NEXT
GENERATION
SEQUENCING
Whole Metagenome
Sequencing
Location: Telangana
Site: Welfare Hostel
Status: Anemic
Gender: Female
Age: 16-19 years
Screened: 527 Girls
Anemic: 356 Girls (67%)
Mild: 30%
Moderate: 55%
Severe: 15%
COHORT
Fecal samples
Blood samples
Socio-demography
Dietary history
Anthropometry
Menstrual history
Diarrheal history
Mild
52
Moderate
86
Healthy
72
Mild &
Moderate
Anemia
60 mg Fe
0.5 mg FA
Daily
Healthy girls
(Prophylaxis)
60 mg Fe
0.5 mg FA
Weekly
Scheduled: May 2019
Fecal samples
Blood samples
Anthropometry
Side effects
3MONTHS

7. Project 2
Efficacy of peanut-pearl millet bar
supplementation on gut microbiota
health and Iron status among
anemic adolescent girls
• 60 Healthy girls
• 60 Mild anemic girls
• 60 Moderately anemic girls
Cohort
Recruitment
• 50 gm nutritional bar –
Twice daily
• 25% Pearl millet
• Total Dietary Fiber - 17g
Nutritional
Supplementation
• Baseline Sampling
• End-point Sampling
• Whole Metagenome
Sequencing
Gut Microbiota
Analysis

8. *Project 1:
Understanding the effect of finger millet based dietary
supplementation on anthropometry and gut microbial
derangements in uncomplicated severe and moderate
acute malnutrition in under 5 children- a multi-centric
study
*Project 2:
Functional assessment of active and secretory IgA
targeted and non-targeted bacterial groups in severe
acute malnutrition (SAM)
National Institute of
Nutrition
Hyderabad
Trivandrum Medical
College
Kerala
Society for Health
and Demographic
Surveillance
West Bengal
Agribusiness and
Innovation Platform
ICRISAT
CEGSB
*submitted for extra-mural funding to the “Indian Council of Medical Research”, Govt. of India
Undernutrition in under 5 years children
A multi-centric research initiative

9. *A study to assess the attributes of gut microbiome in type 2
diabetes in Indian population by next generation sequencing
(NGS) and metagenomics
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
Department of Microbiology
 Prof Rama Chaudhry, MD
 Dr. Nishant Verma, MD
Department of Endocrinology & Metabolism
 Prof. R Goswami, MD, DM
*submitted for extra-mural funding to the “Indian Council of Medical Research”, Govt. of India
Diabetes
Cohort
Immune
Parameters
Gut
Microbiota
Inflammatory
Markers
IMPACT
Formulate dietary solutions using
ICRISAT crops for better management
of Type 2 diabetes

10. Facilitation of gut microbiota research
@ ICRISAT Malawi
Project: Associations of Enteric Dysfunction Disorder (EDD) with stunting in Malawian children
Investigator: Wanjiku Gichohi (ICRISAT Malawi)
Data Heads
• Gut Microbiota
• Gut Inflammatory
Markers
• Systemic Inflammation
• Haemoglobin
• Iron Status
• Zinc Status
• Aflatoxin Exposure
• Other Risk Factors

11. Soil microbiome for crop productivity
& environmental sustainability
Research Module II
Soil microbiome
• Chickpea
Soil microbiome
• Pigeonpea
Seed microbiome
• Chickpea
• Pigeonpea
• Peanut

12. A nitrogen-fueled algae bloom in
China's eastern Jiangsu province.
LIU JIN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
A map showing coastal sites where anthropogenic
nutrients, such as nitrogen from fertilizers, have
exacerbated or caused low oxygen levels in the water,
leading to dead zones (red dots). BREITBURG ET AL,
SCIENCE 2018
Why study soil/plant microbiome?

13.  Enormous increase
in food grain
production by 25%
 Substantial
enhancement in crop
productivity
 Excessive use of
agrochemicals for
enhanced production
 Hazardous impact on
soil, plant,
environment and
human
 Enhanced crop
productivity
 Efficient plant
disease management
 Reduced use of
agrochemicals
 Shelf life
 On-field stability
 Active dose
 Coverage area
Present Yes
BENEFITS
SUSTAINABLE
APPROACH
ISSUES
ENVIRONMENTAL
FRIENDLY
Absent No
Biofertilizers/
Biopesticides
Green revolution
Sustainable
solution
Sustainable
solution
Employing soil microbiome for sustainable solution
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2017.00471/full

14. Employing soil microbiome: Yield-associated
microbiota reducing the burden of fertilizer on land
Seeds procured with help from ICRISAT-Chickpea
breeding, Pre-breeding and Genebank
ICRISAT, Hyderabad IARI, New Delhi
CEGSB Microbiology CEGSB IARI-pulse
research team
Genotypes being studied:
• Varieties released before 1960
• Varieties released between 1960-1980
• Varieties released between 1980-2000
• Varieties released after 2000
• Landraces
• Wild accessions
• Parent of mapping population-
• Drought
• Salinity
• Biotic stress
Increasedfertilizeruse • Soil microbiome
community
structure
• Nodule
microbiome
• Yield-associated
soil microbiota
• Culturable soil
microbial
diversity
• PGPR
characterization
• Productivity traits
• Soil analysis
• Soil microbiome
community
structure
• Nodule
microbiome
• Yield-associated
soil microbiota
• Productivity traits
• Soil analysis
• PGPR
characterization
• Culturable soil
microbial
diversity
* Red arrows indicate the correlation and integration of data

15. Integrative Biology
Research Module III
Drought tolerance
• Chickpea
Themosensitive male
sterile line
• Pigeonpea

16. 60 lines WS
56 lines WW & WS
22 lines WW & WS
Integrative Biology- Dissecting drought tolerance in chickpea
High throughput-
precise phenotyping
Genomics
Proteomics
Metabolomics
3000 lines WW
58 lines WW

17. Plant phenotype &
physiology
Floral / anther
morphology
Cell Biology/
Pollen study
Transcriptomics
Proteomics
Metabolomics
Integrative Biology-
Exploring a TGMS line for a
two-line hybrid breeding
system in pigeonpea
Thermo-sensitive male sterile line
Key environmental factors
Critical stages
Candidate genes
Candidate proteins
Candidate metabolites

18. New collaboration & partnership
INDIA
RPs- GG, Asia, ISD, ESA, SMC
CHINA
DENMARK
AUSTRIA

19.  Systems Biology Research initiative has started two projects in
Research Module I (RM-I), one project in Research Module II (RM-II) and
two projects in Research Module III (RM-III)
 Three project proposals (RM-I & RM-III) have already been submitted and two
project proposals (RM-II) are in the pipeline for extramural funding
 Established many national and international collaboration and partnership for the
on-going and future research endeavors. Working with different RPs at ICRISAT
 The on-going projects will lay the foundations for future large grants and they will
provide the initial pilot study results and establish the proof of concept
 The support from GB and the MG is greatly appreciated
Summary

20. Thank you very much!