Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a first-of-its kind BSL3 Mobile Virology Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (MVRDL) in India, developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), at the ESIC Medical College and Hospital at Sanathnagar.
Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy, Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Telangana IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao attended the video conference of the launch.
The lab will be used not only for testing coronavirus samples but also for research on the virus, including drug testing, viral genomics and vaccine development.
It is estimated that about 1,000 samples can be tested per day in this lab.
In record time
Mr. K.T. Rama Rao complimented the DRDO for launching the lab in a record time of two weeks though in the normal course it would take at least six months. He said that the Telangana government with the support of the Union government was making all efforts to deal with the virus and hoped this new facility would expedite testing and help the government in its fight.
Mr. Kishan Reddy appreciated the efforts of the Dean of ESIC Medical College Srinivas M and the team from DRDO for setting up the lab and taking up the challenges to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. DRDO Chairman Satish Reddy appreciated the industry partners from ‘I-clean’, which fabricated the interiors of the lab, ‘I Comm’, which manufactured the robust containers for the lab and Hitech h\Hydraulics, which provided the base platforms for erection of the containers and other logistic support.
Telangana Labour Minister M. Malla Reddy and MSR Prasad DG, MSS, DRDO along with the directors of DRDO, handed over the certificates of appreciation to industry partners.
