A molecular biology laboratory to test samples for diagnosing COVID-19 has been set up at Central University of Karnataka (CUK) at its main campus near Kadaganchi village in Aland taluk, about 45 km from Kalaburagi city.
As for the information provided by the CUK authorities, the laboratory has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, and the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru.
“We are very happy and proud that CUK is going to contribute to the nation during this pandemic. The lab is going to strengthen the testing capacity in the district. I have a dream that this lab should become an advanced diagnostic and research lab in the future which can to contribute sustainable human health,” District Heath and Family Welfare Officer Rajshekar Malli said after inaugurating the laboratory on Friday.
“The laboratory has been set up with financial support of ₹84 lakh from the State government. The lab is capable of conducting RT-PCR tests as per ICMR guidelines. It has TrueNat, RNA isolation machine, biosafety cabinets, and others in place as per ICMR guidelines. Initially, the lab will run in one shift from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with a capacity to analyse 200 samples. Presently, the university will not collect any samples on its premises. It will only test the samples sent by the district government hospital. One research associate and two research assistants along with three assistant professors will work for the lab,” H.M. Maheshwaraiah, Vice-Chancellor of CUK, said.
Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of School of Life Sciences G R Naik, Nodal Officer for the COVID-19 testing lab Rakesh Kumar, and others were present during the inauguration.