India’s First State-Funded BSL- 4 Lab:
Union Home Minister laid the foundation stone of India’s first state-funded Bio-Safety Level-4 (BSL-4) laboratory in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, marking a major milestone in strengthening the country’s health security, biotechnology research, and preparedness against deadly pathogens.
- BSL-4 Laboratory: BSL-4 represents the highest level of biological containment, designed to study highly infectious and deadly pathogens that often lack effective vaccines or treatments, under strict international safety protocols.
- The facility will enable research on Ebola, Nipah, Marburg, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), and Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), strengthening India’s outbreak preparedness and bio-defence capacity.
- India’s First State-Funded BSL-4 Facility: It will be the second civilian Bio-Safety Level-4 (BSL-4) laboratory in India.
- Developed under the Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission (GSBTM) and operated by the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC), which earlier decoded the SARS-CoV-2 genome.
- The complex will include BSL-4, BSL-3, BSL-2, ABSL-4, and ABSL-3 modules, along with high-end utilities and containment systems.
- The ABSL-4 unit will allow in-state testing and vaccine research on zoonotic diseases.
- The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has signed an MoU declaring it a national facility, enabling access to experts and institutions across India.
