India Launches First Open-Source Repository for Major Psychiatric Disorders, CALM-Brain

The repository currently focuses on five major conditions: addiction, bipolar disorder, dementia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia, but its design allows for broader expansion.

Researchers at the Rohini Nilekani Centre for Brain and Mind (CBM), a partnership between the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) and the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) – TIFR, have launched CALM-Brain, India’s first open-source digital repository for major psychiatric disorders.

Built on data from Indian patients, the repository collects clinical, neuroimaging, behavioral, genetic, and other datasets covering five disorders: addiction, bipolar disorder, dementia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and schizophrenia. The database also links to a stem cell biorepository, enabling advanced biological research into the origins of severe mental illnesses.

The initiative aims to accelerate research into disease onset, progression, and underlying biological mechanisms. By analyzing data from over 2,000 participants across 900 families, including both affected and unaffected members, scientists hope to identify neurocognitive biomarkers that could support early diagnosis and targeted interventions.

“Given how complex the brain is and how our behavioral responses are modulated by prior experience and various physicochemical factors, only fundamental research can provide mechanistic insights into psychiatric disorders,” said L.S. Shashidhara, Director, NCBS. He noted that large family datasets would facilitate the development of more effective preventive and therapeutic strategies.

Prof. Y.C. Janardhan Reddy, CBM coordinator at NIMHANS, added that the repository’s primary goal is to identify biological markers of severe psychiatric illnesses that transcend traditional diagnostic categories. The project will also study fundamental disease mechanisms and medication responses.

The repository was launched on March 25, 2026, by Rohini Nilekani, Chairperson of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. “A data repository like CALM-Brain can only come together through the collaborative effort of multiple people and institutions. This is a moment to recognize and celebrate the power of diverse stakeholders coming together,” she said.

Initiated in 2016 under the Accelerator program for Discovery in Brain disorders using Stem cells (ADBS project) and funded by the Department of Biotechnology and Pratiksha Trust, CALM-Brain represents a landmark step toward data-driven, precision mental healthcare research in India.

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