Centre chooses ILS, 15 institutes to store Covid-19 samples

Bhubaneswar: The Institute of Life Sciences (ILS), Bhubaneswar, an autonomous institute of the department of biotechnology under the Union ministry of science and technology, has been identified for the establishment of a bio-repository for Covid-19 clinical samples. The Centre has identified 16 institutes in the country, including ILS here, for the purpose.
Official sources in ILS said the bio-repositories would use clinical samples for research and development, besides sharing them with academia, industry and commercial entities involved in development of diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. “Although it is important to provide early diagnosis and treatment to all infected individuals, it is also critical to promote research and development for larger public health benefit,” said sources within the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
The ICMR said there was no structured mechanism at present to collect and store these valuable clinical samples. “That’s why it is important to create designated bio-repositories for collecting, storing and maintaining clinical samples of Covid-19 patients. The samples will be a valuable resource of information on early predictors of disease severity and immunopathogenesis of the disease,” the ICMR source said.
ILS Bhubaneswar director Ajay Kumar Parida said access to different kinds of clinical samples from Covid-19 patients was required for development and validation of new diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. Balaram Bhargav, director-general of ICMR, has already requested states to provide access to clinical samples of Covid-19 patients through the designated Covid hospitals.
The ILS had started Covid-19 testing since April and has conducted nearly 25,000 tests so far. “These designated bio-repositories will develop uniform SOP for sample collection, transportation, aliquoting, storage, and sharing. ” said Parida.
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