RGCB to be national metagenomics project hub

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The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) has been selected arsenic 1 of the 4 nationalist next-generation sequencing (NGS) hubs for the Metagenomic Syndromic Surveillance Programme nether the National ‘One Health Mission’ initiative, an authoritative merchandise said present connected Thursday.

The programme aims to code the long-standing situation of undiagnosed acute febrile illness, encephalitis, diarrhoeal diseases, and respiratory infections. It enables the simultaneous detection of known, rare, and caller pathogens that accepted diagnostic pathways often miss.

The task volition beryllium carried retired successful collaboration with the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC), ICMR–NIE Chennai, and ICMR headquarters, the connection said.

The RGCB has a Bio Safety Level-3 installation and has precocious sequencing and data-analysis capabilities. As the designated NGS hub for acute febrile unwellness (AFI), the RGCB volition leverage its expertise successful viral genomics, host-pathogen interactions, and high-throughput sequencing and analyse thousands of samples from nationalist surveillance sites to place elusive etiological agents down immoderate of India’s astir communal yet unresolved objective conditions, RGCB Director (Additional Charge) T.R. Santhosh Kumar said.

This integrated attack volition make a real-time genomic representation of circulating pathogens and antimicrobial absorption patterns, helping nationalist bodies observe emerging threats and respond much effectively, helium added.

Rajesh Chandramohanadas, elder idiosyncratic successful the Division of Pathogen Biology and faculty-in-charge of the BSL-3 Lab, RGCB, volition pb the project.

Through this nationwide consortium, the inaugural volition make transformative insights into India’s infectious illness landscape, fortify epidemic intelligence, and enactment the improvement of aboriginal indigenous diagnostic panels tailored to Indian pathogen diversity, the connection said.

It marks a large measurement toward gathering a unified One Health surveillance model that connects human, animal, and biology health, enhancing India’s preparedness against aboriginal outbreaks and pandemics, it added.

Published - November 27, 2025 11:58 p.m. IST

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