The Institute for Medical Research (IMR) began in 1900, sparked by a visionary proposal by Sir Frank Athelstane Swettenham, the then Resident- General of the Federated Malay States. He recommended the establishment of a Pathological Institute in Malaya to tackle pressing health challenges of the time - diseases such as beriberi and various forms of malaria that were affecting communities.

Kuala Lumpur was chosen as the ideal location, strategically positioned in the heart of the Malay peninsula. At that time, Sir Patrick Manson, the Medical Advisor through the British Colonial Office, appointed Dr. Hamilton Wright, a pathologist at the London School of Tropical Medicine, as the institute's first Director. The Pathological Institute later became known as the Institute for Medical Research (IMR).

Today, IMR stands as a vital component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), operating under the Ministry of Health (MOH), Malaysia. With a strong focus on tropical diseases, public health, and clinical research, IMR continues to support national health initiatives.