Molecular Genomic lab comes up at SCB

CUTTACK:  Health and Family Welfare Secretary Pramod Mehrda inaugurated a state-of-the-art Molecular Genomic Diagnosis and Research Laboratory in the Biochemistry department of SCB Medical College and Hospital here on Thursday.Cancer mutations, even in pre-cancerous stage, can be detected in the laboratory which has machines worth more than `5 crore. 

HPV, the main cause of cervical cancer and the highest killer among women, can also be detected at pre-cancerous stage along with the virus type.The facility will help detect malaria, TB, methicillin resistant bacterial infection in ICU and drug sensitivity within a few hours.

Gene sequencing can also be done at the laboratory by checking the DNA sequence and mutation disease susceptibility to Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Alzheimer’s and depression.All these tests were not available at the hospital and the patients had to wait for 15 to 20 days and spend lakhs of rupees to get the reports.