So far one lakh Genome and DNA sequencing has been done for Covid-19 by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) while five Covid biorepositories with 57,000 samples have been made available for the academia and industry for R&D and product development.
Also, "a Vaccine Testing and Research Facility will come up at the second campus of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) and this centre will also have a BSL 3 facility, which is capable of handling airborne viruses like Covid-19. This facility will be the first of its kind in South India," Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology, Jitendra Singh said recently.
He added that RGCB will be developed as a hub for research and testing of multiple vaccines such as cancer vaccine and those for infectious diseases, including Covid-19.
"This will bring huge recognition for RGCB in the specific area of vaccine research and development." The minister was presiding over a high-level meeting to review the current status of Covid-19 research, development of vaccines and other protocols as well as the contribution made in this direction by each of the autonomous institutions of the DBT located in various parts of the country, said a release by the Ministry of Science & Technology.
Secretary, DBT, Rajesh Gokhale said during the meeting that the department has prepared a roadmap with a focus on diagnosis, treatment and most importantly, prevention.