Pune: Serology Test Of NCL Employees Underway To Check Antibodies To Coronavirus
Pune, September 17, 2020: About 400 blood samples are being collected from CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (NCL) and CSIR-URDIP employees and family members for a serological test. Serology test, also known as Covid-19 antibody test, is a blood test that can detect if a person has antibodies to SARS Cov-2, the virus that causes Covid19. The health parameters such as temperature, height, weight, oxygen level and blood pressure are noted in addition to collecting the blood sample.
This initiative is a part of the pan India project named ‘Phenome India’ initiated by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and led by Delhi-based CSIR- Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology and Dr Shantanu Sengupta from CSIR-IGIB is coordinating this study. This research study involves testing of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the people working in the CSIR labs and their family members under “Phenome India – A long-term longitudinal observational cohort study of health outcomes.” The CSIR-NCL and CSIR-URDIP represent the western region. The CSIR-NCL team comprises scientists from the Biochemical Sciences Division and doctors from the Medical Centre.
The serological testing at the CSIR-NCL started on 12 September 2020 at NCL Medical Center will conclude on 17 September and the blood samples along with the health data will be sent to CSIR-IGIB for serological analysis.
Blood samples are being collected from those who are willing to participate. The test is voluntary and open to all CSIR staff, including pensioners (up to the age of 70 yr), students, contractual staff and their families (aged 18 yrs and above).
In India, we do not have such large scale longitudinal follow up of individuals to understand the India specific factors. India has a vast array of variability concerning the genetic- ethnic background and geographical and environmental conditions, it is even more pertinent to identify such factors considering these variations.
Large-scale phenome data from longitudinal cohort studies are critical for investigating the cause of disease and to establish links between risk factors and health outcomes. It can yield a wealth of information in establishing causation and development of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers especially for communicable and chronic non-communicable diseases, which is an emerging health crisis in India. Such studies have been conducted in other parts of the world to identify risk factors related to genetic and lifestyle-related disorders, and factors important for health outcomes. Serology testing is done for infectious diseases caused by microbes like SARS-CoV-2 to assess the status of antibodies in the body against these microbes.
CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL), Pune India is a research, development and consulting organization with a focus on chemistry and chemical engineering. It has a successful record of a research partnership with industry. NCL is a flagship laboratory of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR, www.csir.res.in) which is the largest network of a publicly funded research institute in India.
