AIIMS Nagpur Secures INR 30 Cr for High-Tech BSL-3 Lab

The new facility is aimed at improving the detection, investigation, and surveillance of emerging and high-risk infectious diseases in the region.

AIIMS Nagpur has received an INR 30 crore sanction from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), New Delhi, to establish a Biosafety Level-III laboratory.

The new facility is aimed at improving the detection, investigation, and surveillance of emerging and high-risk infectious diseases in the region.

The laboratory is expected to become operational in about a year. AIIMS executive director Prashant Joshi said space had already been earmarked for the facility and that the sanctioned amount would be used to develop its infrastructure. Manpower and equipment will be funded through separate budgets, he said.

A BSL-III laboratory is designed to handle infectious agents that can cause serious disease and may spread through the air, requiring stringent containment measures and specialised laboratory practices.

The proposed facility is expected to support investigations into emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, while strengthening regional preparedness for potential outbreaks.

The BSL-III facility is expected to reduce AIIMS Nagpur’s dependence on the National Institute of Virology in Pune for advanced testing.

According to Joshi, it will also strengthen Maharashtra’s capacity for infectious-disease surveillance and research by adding high-containment testing infrastructure within the state.

Alongside the proposed BSL-3 facility, AIIMS Nagpur is upgrading its existing Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) into an Infectious Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (IRDL).

The separate project has an estimated cost of INR 17 crore and is being funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research’s Department of Health Research (ICMR-DHR).

According to the reports, the upgraded laboratory is expected to become functional within three months.

The proposed IRDL will cover several areas of microbiology, including bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, and virology.

The BSL-3 laboratory and the IRDL upgrade are separate projects, with different budgets and infrastructure objectives. Together, they are expected to expand AIIMS Nagpur's capacity for infectious disease investigation, laboratory-based research, and regional public health support.

It is also intended to strengthen the institute’s regional diagnostic and research capabilities.

These developments build on AIIMS Nagpur’s broader efforts to strengthen disease detection. In an earlier initiative, the institute collaborated with IIT Bombay on research exploring the use of AI to analyse human voice patterns for the early detection of potential signs of disease.

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