HYDERABAD: The National Animal Resource Facility for Biomedical Research (NARFBR) which will be inaugurated by the Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Mansukh Mandavia on April 2, is not just the country’s first exclusive animal-related research centre but is also the first of its kind facility in South Asia. The facility is spread across 4 lakh sq ft and has been completed at a cost of Rs 400 crore.
Besides separate rodent breeding and experimentation facility, the research centre also has similar facilities for ruminants, porcine, canines, primates and equines. Primates and equines have various facilities for a wide range of activities. The centre also has a huge building as a common containment facility.
Disclosing this to the media at the BJP State office on Tuesday, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G Kishan Reddy urged the people of Telangana to utilise the State-of-the-art facility.
He said that this institute was set up under the auspices of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) with international standards to conduct research on various aspects of animals, related to biomedical research which will help develop new drugs, vaccines, medical devices, and food products.
“This institute is an umbrella organisation for biotechnology, biopharma, biomedical and biomedical facilities to work together in one place. This will also develop various specialty models for testing animal-related research products making it into a world-class facility for animal research,” Kishan Reddy explained.
He said that the centre will facilitate the development of biomedical research in the country, in collaboration with medical colleges, research and academia, universities, and biotech and bio-pharma organisations for the creation and development of a wide range of animal-related labs and related technical resources.