Tropical Chronic Pancreatitis is a disease well known for its higher incidence in Kerala. Many studies involving various aspects except gene analysis had been conducted in the past three decades but failed to establish the causative factor(s). A preliminary study has already been conducted and indicated that the present genetic study is expected to reveal the molecular myth behind this disease and its interaction with the environmental factors. Funding has been obtained from the State and Central funding agencies and we have reported new mutations in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and calcium sensing receptor (CASR) genes.

Molecular profiling of head and neck cancer has been initiated in collaboration with Head and Neck Surgery Institute, AIMS and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad. Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type among the cancers in India especially in Kerala. The study has different compartments from the ongoing chemoprevention trial on OSCC (with NIH, USA and DBT, India funding) and gene expressions in premalignant cancer patients (with CSIR funding) and people at risk (smokers and betal quid chewers).