The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) is planning to set up a biological containment facility (BSL-4) in Hyderabad, which will work on human infectious diseases.

CCMB has been pursuing this for the past three years, and CSIR has accepted the proposal and the same is under consideration with the Department of Science and Technology. “The facility is estimated to cost Rs 145 crore. AP Government has allotted five acres of land for this facility. Once approved, the facility will take another three years for commencing operations,” Dr Lalji Singh, director of CCMB told Pharmabiz.

The facility can work on diseases such as bird flu, SARS, HIV, drug resistant tuberculosis and Hepatitis viruses. This will be CCMB’s new thrust area.

“CCMB has already recruited two scientists and will soon recruit two more for this facility. It will develop animal models for these diseases, and these models will be used before going for human trials. A BSL-3 facility will be also set up in two months from now,” added Dr Singh.

The Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (LACONES) will be operating from Annex-1. The BSL-4 facility will be set up in Annex-2, extending its initiatives. CCMB is further planning for an exclusive Centre for nano-biotechnology, which will host chemists, physicists, engineers, and biologists. The Centre will develop nanotechnology for healthcare and for developing of products for biotechnology industry.

Dr Singh further informed that through this Centre, CCMB plans to establish links with hospitals, medical schools so that outcome of its research will immediately be translated to benefit human beings. This Centre will come up in Annex-3.

In addition to this, CCMB is also envisaging to set up a Centre for Cell and Tissue Engineering, adjacent to the proposed BSL-4 facility at Hyderabad. CCMB has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nizams Institute of Medical sciences (NIMS) for this purpose. Moreover, in the area of stem cell research, CCMB is collaborating with Owaisi Hospital (Hyderabad) and NIMS.

There is a proposal to set up a facility for therapeutic cloning in Kolkata in collaboration with the Institute of Reproductive Medicine (IRM). The facility will work on embryonic stem cells and therapeutic cloning. Dr Baidyanath Chakraborty of IRM will be coordinating with CCMB in setting up of this facility.