The Manipal Centre for Virus Research (MCVR), a department of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), which was in the headlines recently for the key role it played on Nipah virus in Kerala, will have a new campus of its own with state-of-the-art facilities for research and diagnosis of viral diseases.
The building is to come up on 7.43 acres of land.
Health security
At the groundbreaking ceremony here on Friday, M.S. Valiathan, National Research Professor and former Vice-Chancellor of MAHE, said: “This Centre has great potential in contributing towards global health security as the world is constantly challenged with emerging viral and other zoonotic diseases.”
“MCVR with the new campus and laboratories will be an asset for the country in the coming days especially in public health virology,” said H. Vinod Bhat, Vice-Chancellor of MAHE.
Arun Kumar, who heads the Centre, said: “The new facility will go a long way in preparing MCVR to meet the ever-growing challenges of viral diseases.”
Dr. Kumar and his team played a key role in containing the Nipah virus in Kozhikode, Kerala.