It was an eventful journey for Haffkine Institute, Parel, Mumbai from the production of plague vaccine a century ago, to a premier 'swine flu' testing centre in the country today. The institute was in news when six months ago scientists discovered an ominous new flu virus, touching off fears of a catastrophic global outbreak that could cause people even to drop dead in the streets.
Just as a century ago Haffkine Institute had come to the forefront to tackle the scourge of plague , today the institute has geared up to tackle the menace of 'Swine Flu'.
The Institute has doubled its novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) testing capacity by procuring new equipment. At present, it has the capacity to test approximately 80 samples per day, according to Dr Abhay Chowdhary, director and head of virology at the prestigious Haffkine Institute for Training, Research and Testing, Mumbai, India.
In August 2009, Haffkine Institute, which is a WHO influenza surveillance centre and part of National Influenza Surveillance Programmes (ICMR and NICD influenza projects), was authorized on a priority basis by the Government of Maharashtra and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, to be the second centre in Maharashtra molecular diagnosis of the novel H1N1 influenza. Since then, over 4000 samples have been tested for influenza. This has considerably helped in managing the pandemic in Mumbai, Thane, Raigad and surrounding regions adds Dr Chowdhary who was the director of AIDS Research and Control (ARCON) centre Sir J J Hospital, Mumbai. Dr Chowdhary has an experience of over 32 years as a graduate and post-graduate teacher in clinical microbiology, having worked as the Professor & Head of microbiology at Grant Medical College & Sir J J Hospital, Mumbai.
Dwelling on the activities of the Institute, Dr Abhay Chowdhary who is the Secretary of Indian Association of Medical Microbiologists (IAMM) and also the Secretary of Infectitious Diseases Society of India (IDSI) says that affiliated with the Maharashtra University of Health sciences and University of Mumbai, Haffkine Institute is a training centre for the MSc and PhD degree courses. Research on subjects such as Bacteriology, Zoonosis, Applied Biology, Virology, Microbiology and Chemotherapy is conducted through these degree courses.
The Institute also has been conducting the annual biotechnology training programmes for the last five years, annually catering to over 250 students from different colleges in and around Mumbai, Maharashtra state.
Using a multi-disciplinary training approach, Haffkine Institute has also been conducting courses on Quality Management System & Internal Audit as per ISO 15189:2007 and NABL: 112, 2003 as well as diploma courses (basic, intermediate and advanced) on Clinical Research Management and Regulatory Affairs, he adds.
Research in the institute is engaged in various aspects of infectious diseases—Bacteriology, Bioavailability, Biochemistry, Chemotherapy, Clinical Pathology, Entomology, Immunology, Parasitology, Pharmacology, Radiation Biology, Toxicology, Virology and Zoonosis.
The Department of Virology is a WHO Surveillance and Reference Centre for Viral Hepatitis, Rabies, Influenza and Parainfluenza viruses. It is also a FDA approved Centre for pharmacovigilance studies for newer animal and human vaccine studies. The department is also carrying out extensive research on HIV.
The nodal laboratories for Re-emerging diseases have also been set up at the institute under the Department of Zoonosis. These laboratories conduct research on diseases such as Leptospirosis, Dengue and Malaria. Haffkine institute has also been developing antivenin for the past 56 years. It is the only institute in India where lyophilized Polyvalent Antivenin against the venom of cobra, krait, Russell’s viper and Echis Carinatus snakes is produced. These are the only remedies for snakebites in India. The institute has a snake farm and holds numerous snakes on premise. It also holds a snake awareness public demonstration from time to time.
In the last three years, through the nodal laboratories for Re-emerging diseases, over 1000 samples have been tested for Leptospirosis by Real-Time PCR and ELISA methods.
The Department of Virology conducts routine testing such as determination of CD4/CD8 count for HIV+ individuals, HBsAg Inhibition assay and Anti-HIV and Anti-viral product testing. The Departments of Bacteriology and Biochemistry are involved in the routine testing of bacteriological investigation of water and food samples, sterility testing, and biochemical investigation of blood, urine and renal calculi. The Department of Clinical Pathology receives samples from various hospitals for routine examination and testing. The chemical testing department carries out testing on denaturants, toddy, ganja, IMFL, country liquor and other samples for the Excise Department.
Haffkine Institute has been at the forefront of any research in the field of public health and infectious Diseases and will continue to be of assistance to the State and Central Government, he points out.
Haffkine Institute was named after the scientist who discovered the plague vaccine, and is one of the oldest institutes of its kind in the country. The institute was in the centrestage for biomedical research in Mumbai for most part of the last century. It was established in 1899 by Dr. Waldemar Mordecai Haffkine a Ukrainian scientist. Dr. Haffkine was a bacteriologist who worked mainly in India and developed vaccines against cholera and bubonic plague. He had studied under Professor Louis Pasteur.
The son of a Jewish schoolmaster, W. M. Haffkine was born in the Black Sea port of Odessa, but received most of his early education in Berdiansk. Dr. Haffkine then entered the University of Odessa in 1879 to study physics, mathematics and zoology. He came under the influence of Professor Elie Metchnikoff and developed an interest in unicellular organisms. In 1883 Haffkine was awarded the degree of Candidate of Natural Sciences and became an assistant to the Zoological Museum of Odessa with the use of a research laboratory.
In 1889, he moved to Paris and started working in Pasteur's world famous laboratory. His initial work on producing a cholera inoculation was successful. He produced an attenuated form of the bacterium by exposing it to blasts of hot air. A series of animal trials confirmed the efficacy of the inoculation. In July 1892, Haffkine performed his first human test: on himself! During the Indian cholera epidemic of 1893, he travelled to Calcutta and introduced his new prophylactic inoculation. After initial criticism by the local medical bodies, it was widely accepted.
The then Governor of Bombay invited Dr. Haffkine to Bombay in 1896 after an epidemic of plague broke out in the province. He found a place to work at the Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla where he developed a plague vaccine. On January 10, 1897, Dr Haffkine caused himself to be inoculated with 10 c.c. of a similar preparation, thus proving in his own person the harmlessness of the fluid. A form useful enough for human trials was ready by January 1897, and tested on volunteers at the Byculla jail the next month. Use of the vaccine in the field started immediately. Recognition followed quickly.
In 1898, the laboratory moved to Khushru lodge owned by Sir Sultan Shah, Aga Khan III, KCIE, head of the Khoja Mussulman community. This bungalow was fitted up at the Aga Khan’s expense for Haffkine’s use and about half the Khoja Mussulman community of Bombay (10,000–12,000 persons) received prophylactic inoculations under the auspices of His Highness the Aga Khan.In 1899, the residence of Governor of Bombay in Parel was handed over to Dr. Haffkine to set up this institute then initially known as the “Plague Research Laboratory” and later as “Bombay Bacteriology Laboratory”.
After his retirement in 1914, he returned to France and settled in Boulogne-sur-Seine, and occasionally wrote for medical journals. In 1925, when the Plague Research Laboratory in Bombay was renamed the "Haffkine Institute", he wrote "...the work at Bombay absorbed the best years of my life...". He revisited Odessa in 1927, but could not adapt to the tremendous changes after the revolution. He moved to Lausanne, Switzerland in 1928 and remained there for the last two years of his life.
The institute has since then extended its scope against various other common infectious diseases such as Cholera, Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis, HIV, Influenza, Leptospirosis, Dengue and Rabies. The Institute also developed and manufactured anti-rabies serum and anti-snake venom serum. Later on, it undertook the production of Oral Polio Vaccine.
In 1975, the institute was split into two organizations focused on research and pharmaceutical production. The Haffkine Bio-pharmaceutical Corporation Ltd. is involved in production of different medicinal drugs and vaccines whereas the Haffkine Institute for Training, Research and Testing, continues its works in research, testing and training field. Since then the institute has emerged as a multi-disciplinary, full-fledged bio-medical research Institute engaged in various aspects of infectious diseases. The institute is a fully established training, research and testing centre in the field of public health and infectious diseases.