India’s new mobile Biosafety level-3 (BSL-3) containment laboratory, set up to investigate newly emerging and re-emerging viral infections, is conducting its first trial run at Pingori village in Purandar tehsil, two hours away from Pune.
Scientists from the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) have stationed the mobile BSL-3 lab from October 8 to 12 at Ela Habitat in Pingori and on Sunday, a team was busy collecting environmental samples from water bodies in the area.
When contacted, Dr Balram Bhargava, former Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research, told The Indian Express that there are two such mobile BSL-3 labs currently – one at Pune and the other at Gorakhpur. More are being planned, he added.
He had said during the launch of the mobile BSL-3 lab earlier this year in Nashik that such laboratories can help in early detection and quick containment during outbreaks of highly infectious pathogens.
By accessing remote and forested areas in the country, specially trained scientists from ICMR can investigate outbreaks using samples from humans and animal sources and these activities can ensure timely and on-site diagnosis with rapid turnaround time from reporting these outbreaks, an ICMR scientist said. Health authorities have said the mobile lab can help in real-time data collection, which can help in quick containment and prevent the spread of any emerging viral infections.
ICMR scientists have pointed out in reports that in view of repeated outbreaks of highly infectious pathogens like Nipah, Zika, Avian influenza and now Covid-19, it was critical to be able to detect the emerging pandemic at a very early stage to ensure quick containment . To address the issue, ICMR and Klenzaids joined hands to design and build the country’s first mobile BSL-3 enhanced laboratory at a cost of Rs 25 crore. The BSL-3 enhanced laboratory is a self-sufficient unit that has systems and equipment essential for a full standalone operation.
The first trial run is being conducted at the Ela habitat — spread across eight acres and run by the Ela Foundation.
The habitat aims to set up a suitable and safe environment for birds and other animals by nurturing a living gene bank of indigenous trees and making a field research station to promote conservation research. The mobile lab traveled 75 km from ICMR-NIV’s microbial containment complex in Pashan on October 8 and the team was engaged in calibration of the equipment. Since it is a trial run, water samples and faecal samples of birds in the area will be collected and processed with all protective gear in place.
“We have been getting queries as to what is the activity being conducted here and there is no reason for alarm. In fact, this mobile laboratory provides a public health solution. Rapid on-field detection in the event of any outbreak is crucial today,” Dr Satish Pande, founder of the Ela Foundation, told The Indian Express.
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