Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology Named Among National Hubs for Advanced Disease Surveillance

Thiruvananthapuram: The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) has been chosen as one of four national Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) hubs for the Metagenomic Syndromic Surveillance Programme under the National One Health Mission, officials said on Thursday.

RGCB said in a statement that the initiative focuses on the persistent problem of undiagnosed cases of acute fever, encephalitis, diarrhoeal diseases, and respiratory infections. The programme combines clinical screening with metagenomic sequencing, enabling identification of known, rare, and new pathogens that standard diagnostics fail to detect.

The project will be implemented in partnership with several leading scientific institutions, including the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Tata Institute for Genetics and Society (TIGS), the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC), ICMR–NIE Chennai, and the ICMR Headquarters.

RGCB Director (Additional Charge) Dr. T. R. Santhosh Kumar said that the institute has been designated as the NGS hub for acute febrile illness (AFI). He said RGCB would utilize its advanced sequencing and analytical infrastructure at the Bio Safety Level-3 (BSL-3) facility to support the programme.

He explained that RGCB’s strengths in viral genomics, host–pathogen interaction studies, and large-scale sequencing would make it possible to examine thousands of samples from national surveillance sites to identify the underlying infectious agents responsible for several unresolved health conditions in India.

According to RGCB, the integrated surveillance system will create a real-time genomic map of circulating pathogens and antimicrobial resistance, allowing national health authorities to detect emerging threats earlier and respond more effectively.

The project will be led by Dr. Rajesh Chandramohanadas, senior scientist in the Division of Pathogen Biology and the faculty-in-charge of the BSL-3 laboratory at RGCB.

The press release stated that the nationwide collaboration will improve understanding of India’s infectious disease burden, strengthen epidemic-tracking abilities, and support the development of future indigenous diagnostic tools suited to the diverse range of pathogens in the country.