Thiruvananthapuram | A hi-tech lab is coming up near the Kerala capital to carry out research on viruses that have the potential to cause an epidemic or pandemic like COVID-19.

The Bio-safety Level-3 Lab, set up by the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) in nearby Aakkulam, has got the approval of the Department of Biotechnology.

The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), an autonomous institute of the Union Government's Department of Biotechnology, said the approval will help the lab undertake research on COVID and avian influenza.

"Kerala's first comprehensive Bio-safety Level-3 Laboratory at RGCB here has been approved by the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, to carry out research activities involving live infectious organisms classified as BSL-3 agents, such as SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and influenza," an official statement said here on Friday.

The BSL-3 modular facility has been set up at its new campus located in Aakkulam.

RGCB Director Prof Chandrabhas Narayana said the new BSL-3 Lab will foster collaborations across industry, academia, and clinical partners to develop novel drugs and vaccines against pathogens of regional relevance.

"The laboratory will also serve as a core platform to undertake ground-breaking research on zoonotic infectious agents and pathogen adaptations towards future pandemic preparedness," he added