WELCOME TO

India Center of Excellence

India

For an overview of GVN Centers of Excellence, click here.

Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Center

Ponekkara, Kochi, Kerala 682 041

Center Directors: Dr. Prem Nair and Dr.K.N.Panicker

Member Researchers: Drs. Veena Menon, K.P. Gireeshkumar, Rajesh G, Vidya P. Menon and R. Anupama

This center mainly runs the clinical virology laboratory that provides a comprehensive range of viral diagnostic services for the detection, monitoring and surveillance of viral infections within the hospital as well as community. This centre has the requisite Biosafety level 2 (BL2) labs and dedicated fully equipped laboratories for molecular virology, cellular biology and immunology. A dedicated BL3 (+) containment laboratory for handling BSL3 level viruses is under construction and will be functional soon.

Specifically, the laboratory services include testing for flaviviruses, enteroviruses, and respiratory viruses, herpesviruses among others. We also monitor the HIV, HBV and HCV viral load in chronic patients. Viral load estimation and monitoring of EBV, CMV viruses are provided for immunocompromised and transplantation patients. As a part of preventive cervical cancer service, high risk HPV screening is also provided at the center.
The center has a well equipped laboratory that carries out different virological diagnostic techniques including virus culture and isolation, direct viral antigen detection using immunofluorescence and virus related serology. Diagnostic services are also well complemented with cutting edge molecular and sequencing technologies.

Furthermore, research is actively pursued at the center, with various groups working on projects focused on understanding aspects of viral pathogenesis, immunology and epidemiology of dengue, Japanese encephalitis virus, chikungunya, HBV and HCV. At the center, we are also continuously striving to develop newer, rapid and novel diagnostics to address the challenges in diagnosis and management of viral infections encountered in our setting.

Manipal Institute of Virology (MIV)

Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal
576 104 Karnataka State, India

Center Director: Chiranjay Mukhopadhyay

Member Researchers: Drs. Piya Paul Mudgal, Anitha Jagadesh, and Pradeep Devhare

MIV provides state of the art diagnostic facility to diagnose viral diseases while supporting public health services in disease surveillance and outbreaks response contributing to global health security. It also conducts research in basic and applied virology, epidemiology, diagnosis, vaccine and therapeutics. MIV hosts the IDSP-Regional Reference Laboratory for Influenza Virus and the DHR/ICMR Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory- Grade I. MIV is also the NVBDCP Apex Referral Laboratory for Dengue, Japanese Encephalitis and Chikungunya under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India programmes. MIV offers PhD (Virology) and Master of Science in Clinical Virology programs. MIV is at present the largest NABL accredited virology diagnostic laboratory in the country with a scope of 30 virology tests of tropical importance.

MIV also supports the state and national health services for outbreak investigation. It has been instrumental in confirming more than 200 viral outbreaks. MIV is also a part of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) by WHO.

MIV has research collaborations with DBT-BIRAC, India, Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR), CDC, Atlanta, USA, WHO and UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).