Page 26 - Covid19_Apr_30

ICMR approves DBT’s Pune-based NCCS for testing COVID-19
samples
To facilitate the ongoing
efforts against COVID-19
in the country, the National
Centre for Cell Science
(DBT-NCCS) in Pune, an
autonomous institute of the
Department of Biotechnology
(DBT), will soon begin testing
samples for SARS-CoV-2,
with approval from the Indian
Council of Medical Research
(ICMR) and the DBT. This
is in accordance with the
orders received from the
Government of India, with
DBT-NCCS being one of the
Government laboratories
identified for carrying out COVID-testing. The necessary resources and the infrastructure were quickly organized by DBT-NCCS to initiate steps in this direction. Further, to ensure that the tests are conducted in compliance with appropriate safety and quality standards, a section of the staff from DBT-NCCS was sent to the National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) in Pune to be specially trained for this purpose. Fifteen technical staff members and scientists received COVID-related biosafety training and ten technical staff members and scientists received training for COVID testing. Mock testing is being done, and testing of samples will begin in due course. DBT-NCCS is also providing support to CSIR-NCL, IISER-Pune and ARI in their efforts to establish COVID testing labs on their premises.
Website link:
https://www.nccs.res.in/
DBT-CDFD starts testing COVID-19 samples from Telangana
The Department of Biotechnology’s Hyderabad-based Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (DBT-CDFD) has started testing COVID-19 samples from Telangana on 18th April after due approval from DBT and ICMR. It has so far tested 526 COVID-19 nasopharyngeal swab samples.
The Institute has been nominated by Office of Director, Medical Education, Government of Telangana along with CSIR-CCMB and ESIC as a centre for pooling of samples from selected districts of Telangana with less than 2% prevalence of COVID positive cases. The districts are Janagaon, Wanaparthy, RajannaSircilla, Nagarkurnool, Mahabubabaad, Peddapally, Siddipet, Yadadri, Mulugu, Mancheriyal,Warangal Rural and Narayanpet.
Subsequent to an advisory issued by ICMR on 2nd April 2020, notifying that it has no objection to initiation of COVID-19 testing in laboratories operating under the Department of Biotechnology, CDFD had re-organised the infrastructure to create a designated COVID-19 testing laboratory, procured testing kits and personal protective equipment, and trained the manpower. Senior scientists Drs. Ashwin Dalal, Murali Bashyam, Rashna Bhandari and Harinarayanan are supervising and providing leadership to the task with support from the staff and students. Volunteers were trained at CSIR-CCMB and Osmania Medical College Koti, Hyderabad to conduct RNA preparation and RT-PCR analysis of samples received from different regions of Telangana.
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