Rajiv Gandhi Centre Pioneers Next-Gen Health Surveillance

The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology becomes a national Next-Generation Sequencing hub, aiming to combat acute febrile illnesses through advanced metagenomic surveillance. A collaborative project with leading institutes, RGCB's role involves using state-of-the-art sequencing to detect pathogens and enhance India's epidemic intelligence, part of the 'One Health Mission'.

The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) has been designated as one of the four national Next-Generation Sequencing hubs under the Metagenomic Syndromic Surveillance Programme, a critical component of the National 'One Health Mission'. The move is set to tackle persistent health challenges like undiagnosed illnesses, encephalitis, diarrhoeal diseases, and respiratory infections through cutting-edge genomic techniques.

By integrating clinical syndromic screening with unbiased metagenomic sequencing, RGCB aims to uncover a range of pathogens that traditional diagnostics often overlook. The project is a collaboration involving leading research bodies such as the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, ICMR–NIE Chennai, and the ICMR Headquarters.

Director Dr. T R Santhosh Kumar emphasized RGCB's role in enhancing national epidemic intelligence by utilizing its BSL-3 facility to analyse vast samples from surveillance sites. This effort is expected to generate real-time genomic data on pathogens, aiding in the detection of emerging threats. Dr. Rajesh Chandramohanadas will lead the ambitious project aimed at bolstering India's health surveillance and preparedness against future outbreaks.

(With inputs from agencies.)