The Institute for Lung Health (ILH), a research institute of Justus Liebig University Giessen (JLU), Germany, has taken a leading role in establishing the ILH–IITH Bioengineering Centre of Excellence for Lung Health in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH), India. The Centre was inaugurated on 7 January 2026 at the IITH campus by Prof. B. S. Murty, Director of IIT Hyderabad, Prof. Werner Seeger, Director of the ILH, Justus Liebig University Giessen, and Dr. D. Nageshwar Reddy, Chairman of AIG Hospitals, Hyderabad, and represents India’s first dedicated bioengineering centre focused on lung health.
Conceived and driven as an Indo–German flagship initiative, the new Centre integrates bioengineering, clinical medicine, and translational research to address major challenges in the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases. The collaboration builds on ILH’s internationally recognised leadership in lung and vascular biology and translational lung research, combined with the globally recognised engineering excellence of the Indian Institutes of Technology, exemplified by IIT Hyderabad’s strengths in biomedical engineering and advanced infrastructure.
The Centre is jointly directed by Prof. Soni Savai Pullamsetti and Prof. Rajkumar Savai (Institute for Lung Health, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany), together with Prof. Renu John and Prof. Falguni Pati (IITH, India). Under strong scientific leadership from Germany and India, the Centre is envisioned as a long-term platform for structured Indo–German cooperation in lung health research, innovation, and advanced training. Core research areas include non-invasive diagnostics, bioengineered disease models, mechanobiology, and personalised therapeutic strategies, with a clear focus on clinical relevance, scalability, and societal impact.
Emphasising the scientific and translational vision of the initiative, Prof. Werner Seeger, Director of ILH and Chairman of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), stated:
“This Centre marks a new era in lung health research, where engineering and medicine converge to deepen biological understanding and advanced treatment of lung and vascular diseases. By bringing together ILH’s clinical and translational expertise with IIT Hyderabad’s bioengineering strengths, we aim to accelerate discovery, enable translation, and train the next generation of lung health engineers.”
Highlighting the Centre’s role in structured international research and capacity building, Prof. Soni Savai Pullamsetti, Director of the ILH–IITH Bioengineering Centre of Excellence, added:
“The Centre provides a sustainable framework for translating fundamental discoveries in lung and vascular biology into engineering-driven solutions with direct clinical relevance. By embedding German translational research expertise within a strong bioengineering ecosystem at IIT Hyderabad, we are creating long-term value through joint research programmes, structured training of young scientists, and the development of scalable technologies for global lung health.”
Underscoring the Centre’s growing impact in global research collaboration and innovation for lung cancer, Prof. Rajkumar Savai, Co-Director of the ILH–IITH Bioengineering Centre of Excellence, remarked:
“The Centre places lung cancer research at the intersection of bioengineering and biomedicine to transform oncology care. Through international collaboration, it integrates translational science with advanced engineering approaches such as AI-driven analytics, systems biology, next-generation imaging, biomaterials, and computational tools. This convergence aims to advance early detection and enable precision therapies”.
The initiative has attracted significant national/regional attention in India and has been widely acknowledged by major print, digital, and broadcast media outlets (see links below).
With this initiative, ILH and Justus Liebig University Giessen further strengthen their global leadership in lung health research and reaffirm their commitment to international partnerships aimed at addressing the growing global burden of respiratory diseases through collaborative, interdisciplinary, and internationally connected research.
