The Tuberculosis Research Centre (TRC), formerly known as the Tuberculosis Chemotherapy Centre, is a permanent research institute of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Originally established to to determine the feasilibility, efficacy and safety of domiciliary chemotherapy for sputum positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients, many of the clinical trials conducted by the centre laid the groundwork for the development of the currently globally accepted Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course (DOTS).
In addition to clinical trials, the centre’s activities include laboratory and operational research in TB. TRC also trains students for the PhD programmes of the University of Madras and the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, and organises conferences and workshops to share experiences and disseminate information on TB research and control. The Centre’s website provides information about its research activities, and hosts abstracts of the publications of the Centre since 1958, as well as all the documents of the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme of the Government of India.