The Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) is a leading research institution in Armenia conducting fundamental, translational, and applied research in molecular biology, genomics, bioinformatics, and biomedicine. Its research encompasses the molecular and cellular mechanisms of human diseases, population genomics, cancer biology, biomarker discovery, computational biology, and the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
Cancer research and precision oncology are among the Institute’s growing strategic areas. IMB NAS RA operates a modern NGS Sequencing Core Facility, providing sequencing, quality control, and bioinformatics services and supporting both institutional and collaborative research projects. The Institute is implementing large-scale genomic initiatives, including the Armenian Genome Project and the Armenian Atlas of Cancer Genomes, aimed at characterizing population-specific genomic variation and the molecular landscape of cancers in the Armenian population.
The Institute has also initiated NGS-based comprehensive tumor profiling of cancer patients, integrating genomic data with bioinformatics interpretation to support precision oncology and personalized treatment selection. Current research activities include cancer genomics, identification of diagnostic and predictive biomarkers, molecular target discovery, transcriptomics, single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing, and the development of computational approaches for analysis and interpretation of complex biomedical datasets.
A major focus is the integration of bioinformatics, machine learning, multi-omics, and computational precision oncology to identify clinically relevant molecular alterations, stratify patients, discover therapeutic targets, and facilitate translation of genomic information into clinical decision-making. IMB is also developing capabilities related to advanced cancer therapies, including CAR-T and CAR-M-based therapeutic approaches.
The Institute combines molecular and cellular biology with genomics, sequencing technologies, computational biology, immunology and translational research and actively seeks participation in Horizon Europe and other international collaborative projects. For EU partnerships, IMB is particularly interested in consortia addressing cancer genomics, precision oncology, multi-omics, biomarker discovery and validation, AI and machine learning in oncology, computational drug and target discovery, cancer disparities and population-specific genomics, translational research, and innovative diagnostic and therapeutic technologies.
With access to an understudied population, growing genomic and clinical research infrastructure, and expertise spanning experimental and computational biology, IMB NAS RA can contribute both unique biomedical datasets and complementary research capabilities to European cancer research consortia.