The Gujarat State Biotech Mission (GSBTM), under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of Gujarat, has commenced initiative to set up genetic diagnostic centres to provide a set of services to the population and to support the drug discovery research in the state, in collaboration with the Gujarat University.

The Mission has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the University a few months ago to set up the first Gujarat Genetic Diagnostic Centre in the latter's premises, since it is already running a small genetic diagnostic centre established in 1979.

In a long term, the mission plans to set up at least one centre at each district in Gujarat for the people to avail diagnostics services related to genetically inherited disease, said a source from GSBTM.

As per the MoU, the University will provide the land and building for the centre while the mission will provide the sophisticated equipments and manpower to run the facility with an allocated government fund of Rs 2 crore for the first three years. The board of management, which consists of higher officials from both the university and the GSBTM will review the project after three years and will consider the future plans later.

The first set of sophisticated equipments for the centre is expected to be arrived within a couple of months and the GSBTM has released advertisements calling for eligible candidates to fill the ground level posts, informed the source. An advisory committee with eminent scientists in genetic engineering from various parts of the country has also been constituted for proper guiding.

Once fully operational, which is expected to be by April, 2010, the centre will invite research proposals from funding agencies in genetic discovery segment. This service will be in addition to the set of cost-by-cost based services offered by the centres to the population in the state. Though not designed as a profit making initiative, the government has designed the project as a self sustainable model with a futuristic view.

The mission's efforts to establish an association of biotech industry as a common platform is also in progress, though the plans are yet to be finalised, it is learnt. The association, which may have the similar nature of the pharma association in Gujarat, would work with the Biotech Mission on various issues faced by the industry for better performance in future.