Early Cancer Detection with AI and Genetic Insights
Cancer is no longer seen as a single genetic error but as a complex, multi-layered disease shaped by DNA mutations, epigenetic changes and even patterns in medical images. New research at CCNSB at IIIT Hyderabad is bringing these layers together to move closer to early detection and truly personalised cancer care. A century ago, scientists believed cancer began with a single mistake in a cell. In 1914, the somatic mutation theory proposed that abnormalities in a cell’s DNA could trigger uncontrolled growth. Over time, this idea expanded. Researchers discovered oncogenes that drive cancer and tumour suppressor genes that normally prevent it. Later theories showed that cancer does not arise from rogue cells alone – the surrounding tissue environment, viruses, carcinogens, and cellular stress also play critical roles. “People have been talking about the origin of tumours since the early 1900s, but over time we realised that cancer cannot be explained by mutations alone. Today, cancer is understood as a multifactorial disease, shaped by genetics, gene regulation, environment and time,” observes Prof. Nita Parekh, Professor of Bioinformatics, IIIT-H.
From Silicon to Society: IIIT-H advances chip design for healthcare and mobility
At a time when India is strengthening its semiconductor ambitions, IIIT-H’s researchers are developing indigenous electronics – from custom chip design and millimetre-wave circuits to privacy-preserving sensing and intelligent healthcare systems – that move seamlessly from the lab to real-world deployment. In an age where governance, healthcare and mobility increasingly rely on data, how that data is sensed, processed and protected matters deeply. Visual dashboards, spatial maps and intelligent systems have become essential tools for decision-making, but behind every such system lies something less visible and far more fundamental: electronics. At IIIT-H, the Integrated Circuits – Inspired by Wireless and Biomedical Systems, IC-WiBES research group led by Prof. Abhishek Srivastava, is rethinking how electronic systems are designed; not as isolated chips, but as end-to-end technologies that move seamlessly from silicon to real-world deployment. The group follows a simple but powerful philosophy: vertical integration from chip design to system-level applications.
IIIT Hyderabad Study Takes A Data-Driven Look At Fairness In Justice Delivery System
The researchers used OLAP to analyse 3,500 Indian criminal cases, covering judgements delivered between 2005 and 2010. Wide variations in sentencing for similar crimes across Indian courts has raised concerns on consistency and fairness in the justice delivery system, with punishments for offences such as murder, rape and kidnapping differing significantly depending on the state, the court and the judge’s discretion, despite the same legal framework applying nationwide. The findings come from a research paper – ‘Data Cube for Exploring Anomalies in Justice Delivery: An Experiment on Indian Judgements’ by IIIT-H researchers Sriharshitha B, Prof Krishna Reddy P and Narendra Babu U, in collaboration with Prof Santhy KVK, NALSAR. The study uses data analytics to uncover anomalies in Indian court judgements. The researchers demonstrate how sentencing for comparable crimes can differ markedly depending on factors such as location and interpretation, underscoring the need for data-driven tools to identify and address such disparities.
iHub-Data at IIIT-H launches six-month AI/ML training program for women graduate engineers
iHub-Data at IIIT Hyderabad has announced the launch of a six-month intensive training program in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), aimed at upskilling early-career women engineers. Designed for women graduates who have completed their engineering degrees in the last few years, the program targets participants from Hyderabad and nearby regions seeking advanced knowledge and research-oriented skills in AI and ML. The program combines strong theoretical grounding with hands-on tutorials and applied learning experiences. Classes will be held every Monday at the IIIT Hyderabad campus, offering participants a collaborative and immersive academic environment. The curriculum spans both classical and contemporary AI/ML techniques, equipping learners with problem-solving skills relevant to industry as well as research applications. Speaking on the initiative, Dr C K Raju, Head of Educational Programs at iHub-Data, noted that the continuing education programs offered by the hub have seen strong outcomes in the past.
CIE: Changing the city’s innovation DNA
CIE@IIITH is now a space for people who wanted to explore their ideas alongside their day jobs. The quality of technology emerging from IIITH is high because the institute has invested in building strong research labs over a long period of time. This depth of research gives credibility and validation to both faculty members and founders working with us. In many cases, founders already have a basic solution or technical prototype. Our role is to help them refine that technology, strengthen it, and make it robust enough to address real product-market fit challenges. Software-based research is generally easier to translate into products because it is more agile and easier to iterate on. Hardware, especially research-led hardware, is much harder. Research is not always conducted with immediate societal or market needs in mind. Often, it is about pushing the boundaries of technology. While this leads to beautiful research outcomes, it does not always translate into market-ready products. Hardware research is particularly challenging because it is less flexible and harder to integrate quickly into existing solution frameworks.
Prof. Ramesh Loganathan keynote speaker at Career Clarity Conclave & Expo – 2026
Resonance Colleges, Hyderabad, organized the Career Clarity Conclave & Expo – 2026, a focused career-guidance and awareness initiative for students and parents on career options after Class 12, today at the JNTU Auditorium, Hyderabad. The day-long conclave featured 5 structured expert sessions with interactive student–parent Q&A. Ramesh Loganathan (Dean, International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad) message to the students was “Choose Computer Science based on aptitude and fundamentals—strong problem-solving will always stay relevant.” The conclave brought together leading voices from premier institutions and industry to provide practical guidance on career pathways, course selection, competitive exam direction, admissions awareness, and emerging opportunities across Engineering, Medicine, Science, Technology, and allied domains. Each session included one keynote speaker and two panel members, enabling students to gain multi-perspective clarity and real-world insights.
IIITH hosted Urban AI Forum as official pre-summit event of India AI Impact Summit 2026
International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad hosted the Urban AI Forum: Rethinking Cities by Leveraging Artificial Intelligence, an official pre-summit event of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, in partnership with Bordeaux Métropole, NASSCOM and iSPIRT on 29 January. The forum on campus brought together policymakers, academics, industry leaders and civil society representatives to explore the transformative role of artificial intelligence in shaping the future of cities. The Urban AI Forum served as a platform for dialogue on how AI-driven technologies can enhance urban governance, sustainability, inclusivity and democratic participation. The event aimed to move the conversation beyond conventional smart city narratives towards a deeper understanding of Urban AI as a critical enabler of data-driven, citizen-centric urban transformation. The programme featured two panel discussions and a thematic presentation highlighting global and local perspectives on AI-enabled urban development.
IIITH’s platform for mapping news and urban livability
A multilingual, spatially mapped news aggregation engine developed at IIITH is evolving into a powerful tool to track governance and the quality of urban life across the country, with Hyderabad as its first live testbed. In the world of e-governance, pictures often speak louder than reports. Maps, charts and visual dashboards help administrators see patterns such as distribution of government initiatives, where crimes are rising, which districts face repeated civic issues, and how different regions compare in real time – all that would otherwise remain buried in spreadsheets. By turning complex data into intuitive visual form, pictorial and spatial representations have become a cornerstone of modern, data-driven governance. It is this belief – good governance begins with good visualisation – that lies at the heart of a new research platform being developed at IIITH. The project began as a spatial mapping of a news aggregation engine: a system designed to collect news from multiple newspapers, translate it across Indian languages, and plot every report on a map to show where issues were emerging across the state.
Prof. P J Narayanan Joins PM Modi’s AI Roundtable on Ethical and Scalable AI
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi interacted with CEOs and Experts working in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), at his residence at Lok Kalyan Marg on 29 January. Prime Minister highlighted that India has a unique proposition of scale, diversity and democracy, due to which the world trusts India’s digital infrastructure. In line with his vision of ‘AI for All’, the Prime Minister stated that we need to create an impact with our technology as well as inspire the world. He also urged the CEOs and experts to make India a fertile destination for all global AI efforts. The high-level roundtable saw participation from CEOs of companies working in AI including Wipro, TCS, HCL Tech, Zoho Corporation, LTI Mindtree, Jio Platforms Ltd, AdaniConnex, Nxtra Data and Netweb Technologies along with experts from International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad, IIT Madras and IIT Bombay. Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Jitin Prasada also participated in the interaction.
Prof. Sandeep K Shukla shares his expectations from education budget 2026
As India prepares for the Union Budget 2026-27, education leaders across schools, universities, research institutions, and the skilling ecosystem are calling for a decisive shift – from incremental funding to outcome-driven investment. With the government’s long-term vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 in focus, stakeholders argue that education must be treated not merely as social expenditure, but as strategic national capacity-building. From improving school learning outcomes and implementing NEP 2020 in full, to building innovation-led universities, accelerating translational research, fostering entrepreneurship, and making digital education more affordable. Prof. Sandeep K Shukla, Director, IIIT Hyderabad says geopolitical uncertainty makes indigenous capability-building unavoidable. “Without strong investment in higher education and R&D, India cannot build semiconductors, secure operating systems or advanced manufacturing,” he says, adding that faculty development must move beyond token programs to sustained, outcome-oriented training.