The new Bio-safety Level-3 laboratory at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) here has received approval from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India, to carry out research activities involving live infectious organisms classified as BSL-3 agents, such as SARS-CoV-2 and influenza.
RGCB’s BSL-3 modular facility set up at its new campus at Aakkulam, is also the first modern BSL-3 laboratory in Kerala.
Director of RGCB, Chandrabhas Narayana, said in a statement here that the new BSL-3 lab would help foster collaborations across industry, academia, and clinical partners to develop novel drugs and vaccines against pathogens that were important to the State’s context.
“The laboratory will also serve as a core platform to undertake ground-breaking research on zoonotic infectious agents and pathogen adaptations towards future pandemic preparedness,” he added.
