DR C.R. Pillai is about 60 years old and has never suffered from malaria. He says, “My wife got it, but I didn’t.” Which is surprising, considering the emeritus medical scientist at the National Institute of Malarial Research (NIMR) has been surrounded by thousands of samples of malarial parasites for over 38 years now. For Pillai, everyday routine at the Malarial Parasite Bank at NIMR consists of squinting through a lens to label the organisms, feeding them regularly and monitoring their status.
His wife Dr C. Usha Pillai-who passed away in 2005—was his constant companion. “We spent a lot of our time here,” says Pillai. Pointing to a neighbouring table with a microscope, he says, “She always sat here. We never took holidays. We even worked on weekends, but we liked being here.”
The lab, on the whole, looks benign, with a few tiled tables, chairs, microscopes and test tubes, but it is the storage canisters and the temperature-controlled vaults that hold the answer to a possible vaccine for malaria. Parasites from all over the country are cryopreserved at minus 196 degree Celsius in this lab, which houses 832 isolates of human malarial parasites. Fifty-three major research organisations from across the country use the bank for research.
“Stored in liquid nitrogen with cryopreservatives, parasites can live for a hundred years in a frozen state. They can then be revived and cultivated in the laboratory. There is also in-vitro cultivation of malarial parasites such as Plasmodium falciparum, where a thin layer of infected and non-infected erythrocytes (blood cells) is cultured in a medium at 37 degree Celsius in a carbon dioxide atmosphere,” says Pillai. The words flow fast; the passion for parasites is evident in his tone as he explains how they have been a part of his life.
The bank was established in 1992, but Pillai’s relationship with parasites goes back to the 1970s. A Keralite, he completed his MSc in Kollam before pursuing his PhD in medical microbiology from Delhi University. “There was a resurgence of malaria in the country in 1974-75, when I was working at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases. The bank was established later with the support of the then director of NIMR, Dr V.P. Sharma and Dr. N.K. Ganguly. This is a unique set-up of its kind in India.”
Spending a lifetime looking after parasites as if they are your own is not easy. “The medium has to be changed daily and they have to be monitored for healthy propagation,” says Pillai. Imagine catering to high-maintenance, disease-causing organisms. But Pillai’s line of thought explains his dedication. He says, “They have been around for a million years or more. They have to be given respect.” His wife would have agreed.