Chennai: IIT-M will immediately assign cellular diagnostic facilities for rural areas.
The laboratory was reviewed by the Minister of Health MA Subramanian and senior public health officials on Saturday, after inaugurating a mass vaccination camp on campus.
Mobile Lab Parakh, built by Defense Food Research Laboratory (DFRL), Mysore, can travel to remote areas where testing facilities may not be available.
This van can travel to these areas, collecting samples, processing, and analysis in real-time, said IIT-M.
Head of the IIT-M Jayaraman Biotechnology Department said the facility could be deployed for supervision of infectious diseases such as Dengue, TB (TB) and other types of virus outbreaks.
“This is a BSL-2 laboratory equipped with RT-PCR, centrifuge, cooling unit, biosafety cabinet and other facilities.
It can be equipped with other portable devices and used to detect other diseases and medical conditions,” he said.
Long-term goals are to spread low-cost portable diagnostic devices.
The laboratory, built with 50 lakh project costs funded by the Central Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance (BIAC), can also connect with hospitals and health centers in urban areas.
Subramanian said, “The prize for IIT Madras by BIRAC will benefit all.” Meanwhile, the corporation gave a vaccine to the faculty, non-teaching staff, frontline workers and contract staff, along with their dependents, during the mega vaccination camp