Media Release

Udupi, Jun 3: A state-of-the-art infection biology research laboratory facility for the Center for Emerging and Tropical Diseases (CETD) under department of microbiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal was officially inaugurated by the honorable vice chancellor of Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Lt Gen (Dr) M D Venkatesh on June 1.

This center will focus on researches on neglected, emerging, reemerging tropical diseases, with special interest to melioidosis. Currently the center will run by Prof (Dr) Chiranjay Mukhopadhyay, coordinator of the center, Prof (Dr) Vandana KE, professor and head of the department of microbiology, Dr Somasish Ghosh Dastidar, Ramalingaswami Fellow, Dr Piyush Behari Lal, Ramalingaswami Fellow, Dr Bharti Bisht, Ramalingaswami Fellow and Dr Ranita Ghosh Dastidar, research faculty, who are working on various projects of worth Rs 21 crore and in collaboration with ICMR, DST, DBT, SERB, DRDE, ICAR, ICGEB, VALIDATE Network-Oxford University, University of Amsterdam, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and bioMerieux.

There are 16 PhD, postgraduates and MBBS students and research scholars from different parts of the country working in this center. The 18 years long research on melioidosis has not only flagged a warning signal for the emerging disease melioidosis in India, but also explored the genetic diversity and virulence factors for the causative organism, which may further contribute significantly towards indigenous vaccine development in future.

This center is now leading multicentric Task Force MISSION project in India for laboratory and clinical capacity building for diagnosing melioidosis in 14 states as an ICMR-recognized Referral Center. Interested researchers are ready to join CETD across the globe and be a part of this tremendous effort towards better management of the emerging but still neglected tropical disease melioidosis and to save human lives.