Three TN medical colleges to get virus research labs in 6 months

The laboratories will enable the Post Graduate students and professors in the colleges a platform to carry out molecular diagnosis and research on common viral diseases within their own institutes for research. 

Stating that the existing laboratories at the Madras Medical College, Salem Medical College and Tirunelveli Medical College will be upgraded to VRDL with the funds 

from ICMR, an official from the Directorate of Medical Education said, “As of now, students depend on the laboratory at King Institute in Guindy for research. 

Once upgraded, these three laboratories will focus on viral research. 

Meanwhile, VRDLs at Madurai Medical College and Theni Medical College were established a few years ago.” Besides the college-level laboratories that are expected to come up soon, the virus research laboratory at King Institute will be upgraded to a state-level laboratory. Another state-level lab will also be set up in Coimbatore. 

“All the facilities required for a state-level lab will be purchased to upgrade the King Institute lab while another one will be built from scratch in Coimbatore,” the official added. 

The samples for culture tests will still be sent from the medical college laboratories to King Institute though the college labs will focus on diagnostics as well as research. 

“It is basically a merger of the existing laboratories with the new facilities. It will not change any procedure,” said Dr P Gunashekaran, Director of the King Institute. 

“While the ICMR has already sanctioned Rs 6.58 crore for the Coimbatore laboratory as it should be built entirely, around Rs 1.68 crore has been sanctioned for upgrading the Guindy laboratory. We will probably be given the remaining amount in the next consignment,” he added.