Health & Family Welfare Secretary Pramod Kumar Meherda inaugurated a molecular genomic diagnostics and research laboratory at the Department of Biochemistry of the SCB Medical College Hospital here on Thursday.
This is a state-of-art laboratory, the first of its kind in India in a State Government medical college. It is equipped to detect pre-cancerous stage in breast, lung, colorectal and cervical cancers.
It can detect human papillomavirus infection, which is the most common cause of cancer in women in pre-cancerous stage. Hence, screening of women within the age group of 20 to 65 years would prevent the cancer burden.
This lab can diagnose the most deadly life-threatening infections MRSA in ICU patients and help early treatment. It can also detect the presence of malaria parasite.
The lab too has facilities to detect TB bacteria and whether it is drug-resistant or can be treated with the standard anti-TB drugs.
The lab also has facilities to detect the mutation in HLA B27, an immunological marker for ankylosing spondylitis, a reactive arthritis.
The lab is equipped to do complete genomic sequencing and detect mutations for sickle cell disease, thalassemia, cancer, susceptibility to develop diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s, depression and drug toxicity.
It can do epigenetic study and information the impact of environmental, lifestyle on
our genes.
Earlier, these facilities were available abroad. It was costly; and reports arrived only after 15 days to a month. Now, the reports would be available within a few hours and free of cost.
The cost of these tests range from Rs 25,000 to Rs 4 lakh in private international laboratories, physicians point out.
This lab can also cater to high end international research for good scientific publications. Since it is first of its kind in the country, it can be a training centre for all others.