Centre for assessing clinical immunogenicity for viral vaccines inaugurated

National Immugenicity and Biologics Evaluation Centre (NIBEC) for assessing clinical immugenicity of viral vaccines, especially ones in pipeline for COVID-19, has been inaugurated, a statement said on Saturday. facility, established jointly by Department of Biotechlogy (DBT) and Bharati Vidyapeeth University (BVU), Pune, was inaugurated virtually by Renu Swarup, Secretary, DBT, in an e-inauguration ceremony presided by Vishwajeet Kam, Minister of State in Maharashtra government.

facility has been established through BVU's constituent unit Interactive Research School for Health Affairs (IRSHA) and BIRAC, a PSU under DBT.  "Vaccine development requires extensive evaluation in humans to establish safety, immugenicity and clinical efficacy. Centralised viral and bacterial clinical immugenicity labs meeting stringent standards were refore identified as a critical need for vaccine industry," statement said. 

With a dedicated area of about 10,000 square feet, NIBEC was established in a record time of just a year, it ded.

"Key immugenicity evaluation tests like Plaque Reduction Neutralisation Test (PRNT), microneutralisation assay, IgM and IgG ELISA have been developed, standardised and validated for dengue, chikungunya and SARS-CoV-2 viruses," statement said.

laboratory has alrey started associating closely with leing Indian vaccine manufacturing companies and national and international institutes engd in vaccine developments, it said.

Swarup said she has very high expectations from NIBEC with regards to clinical-immugenicity testing of vaccine candidates, especially with COVID-19 vaccine in pipeline.

She furr elaborated that domestic capabilities maintaining international standards in this will accelerate and fast-track development of indigeus vaccines in India. 

(Im Credit:PTI)