Testing and Sequencing

1. Proposed network of integrated genomic sequencing labs in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and select African countries that will help scale up global monitoring of emerging SARS-CoV2 strains and guide global R&D efforts for COVID diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics

2. Guided by MoHFW’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), CSIR-IGIB and CCMB will act as the main technical coordinators for this project and work closely with India’s four science and technology clusters

3. Other international partners include WHO-SEARO and Institute of Pathogen Genomics, which houses the recently launched Africa Pathogen Genomics Initiative (Africa PGI) 

£700,000 (for the India-based labs only; foreign labs to be costed separately, pending expression of interest by Wellcome Trust)

CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) and Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB)

India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and select African countries

Dr. Anurag Agrawal

Exploratory conversation completed

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Conduct surveillance of infectious diseases by waste water-based epidemiology, as well as surveillance for zoonotic vector borne diseases through analysis of tick-wildlife-human system

 1. To identify various tick species and their host specificities. Use microscopy to create a repository of images to facilitate easy morphological identification of tick species

2.  To standardize molecular methods to identify tick species, to validate morphological methods, and create a repository which is absent in India and then validate it globally

3.  To reveal the microbiome of tick species, which is crucial in understanding the dynamics of emerging infectious diseases, so that it contributes to strategies on combat tick borne diseases of wildlife origin

Research groups from Bangladesh (Jahangirnagar University Savar, Dhaka), Sri Lanka (University of Colombo) and Nepal (National Trust for Nature Conservation) have agreed to participate in the proposed surveillance program of infectious diseases

£1,550,000

Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB)

India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal

Dr. Rakesh Mishra

Submitted to potential donors

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The research study aims to achieve the following key outcomes:

1. Provide a better understanding of viral evolution prior to and during India’s second wave in four urban centres

2. More real-time monitoring of the pandemic through evolving viral genome

3. Provide understanding of genomic variants underlying clinical outcomes and 'vaccine breakthrough'

4. Gather essential data needed for course corrections to non-pharmaceutical interventions and vaccination strategies to stop the spread of the virus and reduce disease incidence and mortality 

5. Provide necessary data for the development of next generation COVID vaccines, drug development, etc.

INR 800 million/~ USD 11 million

National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru

Four urban centres

Pune

Hyderabad

Bengaluru

Vellore

Prof. Satyajit Mayor

Submitted to potential donors

1. Test non-treated, treated, and sludge samples for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater from Bangalore city: 

  a. Sample 15 or so sewage treatment plants (STPs) every week. This way, every STP will be sampled every two weeks. This will be continued for one year 

  b. Filter samples, extract RNA and test for SARS-CoV-2

2. Generate whole-genome sequence from positive wastewater samples to identify genetic variants of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in the population 

  a. For all positive samples, use the artic primers to general PCR products that cover the entire genome. As far as possible, sequence the entire genome from all positive samples

INR 21 million

National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru

Bengaluru

Prof. Satyajit Mayor

Submitted to potential donors

1. Continuous surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 genome variants by sequencing samples from positive patients’ samples to investigate the dynamics of the Covid-19 pandemic

2. Conduct virus genome sequencing from samples of individuals with post-vaccination infections

3. Undertake real-time characterization of viruses associated with clinical diverse outcomes

4. Undertake short- and medium-term cohort studies on immune response to vaccination

5. Correlate immunotyping at the community level to various comorbidities in the population to identify high-risk individuals who need more care and, perhaps, additional vaccinations

6. Identify nutrition deficiency and serum biochemical parameters associated with increased risk for severe symptoms and mortality

INR 85 million

Pune Knowledge Cluster (CSIR-NCL, IISER Pune, SPPU, NCCS, BJMC, AFMC, KEM and Symbiosis Hospitals)

Pune

Prof. LS Shashidhara

Submitted to potential donors