| Year |
Milestone |
| 1899 |
Plague research laboratory set up under Dr. W M Haffkine |
| 1905 |
Department of Clinical Pathology added. Laboratory’s services expanded and renamed “Bombay Bacteriological Laboratory” |
| 1914–19 |
During World War I, the laboratory served as an enteric depot and housed cases of enteric fever and trained medical personnel |
| 1922 |
Department of Anti-Rabic Vaccine started, known as Department of Viral Vaccine |
| 1924 |
Two new departments—Pharmacology and Biochemistry added |
| 1925 |
The laboratory renamed to “Haffkine Institute” |
| 1938 |
Department of Clinical Pathology reorganized into Clinical Pathology and Diagnostic Reagents |
| 1940 |
Two more departments—Chemotherapy and Antitoxins & Sera added |
| 1942 |
Blood bank started in collaboration with Indian Red Cross Society |
| 1943 |
Introduction of freeze dried (lyophilized) blood plasma |
| 1945 |
Process for lyophilisation of anti-venin serum introduced |
| 1945 |
Introduction of improved Cholera vaccine |
| 1948 |
Epidemiological research in Typhoid |
| 1951 |
Influenza section added to department of virology. This section is now a WHO influenza centre |
| 1953 |
Rabbit cholera model – an experiment that has provided valuable knowledge for new prophylactics |
| 1958 |
Centre for enterovirus studies started aiming at the indigenous production of polio vaccine |
| 1959 |
Medical Laboratory Technicians training course started |
| 1960 |
Venomous animal unit started |
| 1963 |
Quality control department set up |
| 1964 |
Developed killed tissue culture vaccine for Kysanur Forest Disease (KFD) virus |
| 1965 |
Mumbai University Diploma in Medical Laboratory Technician Training course started |
| 1969 |
Department of Zoonosis organized |
| 1970 |
Epidemiological research in filariasis |
| 1972 |
Cholera carrier studies |
| 1973 |
Radiation biology unit and Toxicology unit started |
| 1973 |
10th August Bulletin of Haffkine Institute, Vol. I, No. 1 |
| 1978–85 |
Development of phage-resistant strains of three bacterial strains that are employed in steroid transformation |
| 1988–90 |
Study of multi-drug resistant Salmonella typhi involved in the typhoid epidemic (Dombivli fever) that spread through Maharashtra and neighbouring states. Drug resistance pattern and the role of the R plasmid was studied in detail and synergistic combinations of drugs were identified |
| 1994 |
When plague like epidemic ripped parts of Maharashtra, we concluded that it was not a plague epidemic; CDC Atlanta, USA substantiated this observation later |
| 1996–98 |
Successfully improved the efficacy of the FMD vaccine; studied the prevalence of TB in AIDS patients |
| 1998 |
Investigated “flu” in the Bombay Port and confirmed the absence of H5N1 virus thereby confirming that it was not “Hong Kong Flu” |
| 2000 |
Confirmed the outbreak of leptospirosis in Mumbai |
| 2001 |
Testing of Governmental documents for the presence of bioterrorism agent “Anthrax” |
| 2006 |
Nodal Laboratories for Re-emerging Diseases set up |
| 2006–08 |
Molecular and serological diagnosis of leptospirosis carried out for over 1000 samples from outbreaks in Mumbai and Maharashtra |
| 2007 |
Part of ICMR-DHHS National Influenza Surveillance Project |
| 2009 |
Mumbai’s first BSL-3 Laboratory set up under NCDC-IDSP for studies on Avian Influenza |
| 2009–11 |
Molecular diagnosis of pandemic H1N1 influenza (“Swine Flu”) carried out for over 5000 samples from more than 100 Hospitals in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Navi Mumbai, etc. |
| 2010 |
Re-launch of Haffkine Bulletin |
| 2011 |
The Maharashtra Medical Council accredited Haffkine Institute to award CME credits; 1 National and 2 International Conferences/Workshops held: VacSym 2011, NERVE 2011 and AMR 2011 |
| 2012 |
Haffkine Institute accredited as an ISO 9001:2008 certified organization |
