ICMR’s Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) at Lahowal in Dibrugarh has successfully isolated the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid19) virus and has become the fourth such facility in India.
ICMR-RMRC follows National Institute of Virology, Pune; Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad and Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad to be able to isolate the virus.
“The development came after a team of researchers at RMRC isolated SARS-CoV-2(Covid-19 virus) after day and night research work,” a research scientist at ICMR-RMRC said.
“After this development, the live and viable SARAS-Cov-2 (Covid-19 virus) now can be produced in abundance in the lab as and when required,” he added.
He also said at RMRC, Dibrugarh all strains of SARS-CoV-2 were L-type and not S-type, which is slowly disappearing across the world.
“It is important for development of inactivated Covid-19 vaccine where virus grown in laboratory are inactivated by heat or chemical and purified for use as vaccines after preclinical and clinical trials,” a press release issued by RMRC, Dibrugarh stated.
RMRC is one of the six regional centres of Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR), located at Lahowal in Dibrugarh.
RMRC is responsible for carrying out Biomedical Research in the region. It was established in 1982 and run with intramural grant from the ICMR.