The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) is a renowned research institution specialising in frontier areas of modern biology. The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) was established as a semi-autonomous institution on April 1, 1977. It originated from the Biochemistry Division of the Regional Research Laboratory (now known as the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, IICT) in Hyderabad. Dr. Pushpa Mittra Bhargava assumed the role of the first director of the centre. The Governing Board of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in New Delhi approved the establishment of the centre in recognition of the significance of research in the frontier and inter-disciplinary areas of contemporary biology. The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) was designated a full-fledged national laboratory with its own Executive Committee and Scientific Advisory Council in 1981–1982.