‘India’s genome sequencing labs are quite efficient’
With India reporting two cases of Omicron, researchers and microbiologists in the country strongly believe that India has sufficient infrastructure for an efficient surveillance system. Currently, many researchers in India believe that India is quite efficient in terms of genome sequencing laboratories.
The Sunday Guardian spoke to several researchers and microbiologists, who claimed that the numbers of existing genome sequencing labs in India have sufficient infrastructure in order to understand the Covid-19 situation in India. “As long as we have an efficient surveillance system and an efficient sequencing system, we must consider that the genome sequencing labs have sufficient infrastructure. Currently, India is quite well-poised in its ability to do genome sequencing,” Dr Samiran Panda, the director of the National Aids Research Institute, ICMR, told this paper.
However, Dr Nishith Kumar Pal, Professor of Microbiology at Jagannath Gupta Institute of Medical Sciences & Hospital, Kolkata, also hinted at the fact that the samples and data are analysed by the software. During the second wave of Covid-19, a large number of cases had occurred. So, the number of genome sequencing labs appeared to be less. “But, since Covid-19 cases are down, I believe that the labs in India are not inadequate.”
Asked about the challenges faced by the researchers, Dr Panda said, “The specimen needs to be collected and transported in such a manner that the genome remains intact and can be sequenced for further research. However, if someone is infected but is asymptomatic, they do not go to the hospital. In such circumstances, it is difficult to get clinical samples. Also, due to some unfortunate circumstances, if the genome gets destroyed, one cannot sequence it for further research. The collection, transportation of samples, facilities and trained human resources are still required..”
Similarly, Dr Abhrajyoti Ghosh, an Associate Professor from Bose Institute, said, “There are several challenges faced by the researchers, such as sample transportation and storage, unavailability of reagents and their procurement, unavailability of skilled technical support and skilled Bioinformatic support.” He added, “Preservation of samples is crucial as RNA is more sensitive. As Covid-19 is an RNA virus, it remains a challenge to preserve samples at suitable conditions to keep viral RNA intact. Besides, RTPCR analysis requires skilled technical hands, which is still lacking in parts of India”.