CCMB to validate COVID-19 testing kits

The city-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) has been chosen as one of the five validation centres for coronavirus testing kits in the country by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) CCMB is the only non-ICMR lab to be a part of these Centres of Excellence that will validate the non-US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and non-EUA (Emergency Use Authorisation) approved kits for COVID-19 testing, a press release said. "Since March 31, CCMB itself has been a testing centre for COVID-19, and has been working with hospitals across 33 districts of Telangana. It has also trained medical doctors and staff from government hospitals in the state.

This new responsibility of kit validation will now enable us to support the healthcare and life science industry sector to bring all stakeholders together in this fight against COVID-19," Director of CCMB, Rakesh Mishra said. Lack of COVID-19 testing kits developed and imported from other countries necessitates India to develop its own kits, it said.

While multiple start-ups and life science companies across the country have been already identified for their ability to develop such kits, they would need to be quickly validated. These CoEs will be crucial in their validation, and approval for use for the testing centres, the release added.

PTI GDK ROH ROH.