Gadvasu gets ICMR nod for Covid testing

Ludhiana: Following the Indian Council of Medical Research’s approval, the district has got another Covid-19 testing laboratory at College of Animal Biotechnology, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Gadvasu). It is the first government-run laboratory at a veterinary university in the state.

It will start conducting tests after receiving kits from Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot, this week.

As many as 20 scientists and lab personnel will be working in two shifts and processing approximately 100 to 250 samples per day. About 1,000 samples will be tested per day once the lab facilities are upgraded. Gadvasu has recruited nine officials for the job.

Gadvasu director of research and nodal officer JPS Gill said, “Diagnostic tests are highly skill-oriented and university has the expertise and well-established research labs in the field of animal biotechnology, virology, and cell culture and disease epidemiology. Ten scientists of the university were instrumental in the initial set-up of the labs at government medical colleges in Amritsar and Patiala.”

Gadvasu has a BSL-2 level laboratory facility, including a molecular biology setup for virological diagnosis.

The university vice-chancellor, Dr Inderjeet Singh, visited the lab on Monday to oversee its functioning. He said, “We have procured over 1,000 kits so far and will start testing this week.”

Gadvasu has a robust institutional policy on biomedical waste management.

At present, the state has four government laboratories reporting to ICMR – Government Medical College, Amritsar; Government Medical College, Patiala; Guru Gobind Singh Medical University, Faridkot; and Regional Disease Diagnostic Lab of Animal Husbandry, Jalandhar.

Third in dist

It is the third lab in the district that has received ICMR’s nod. The two other labs, both private, are at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Tagore Nagar, Civil Lines, and Christian Medical College and Hospital.