Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, inaugurated Asia’s first health research-related 'Pre-clinical Network Facility' under the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) at the Regional Centre of Biotechnology under the aegis of the Translational Health Science & Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has selected BRIC-THSTI as a pre-clinical network laboratory based on its capability to handle BSL3 pathogens.

It will be the 9th such network laboratory across the globe and the first such laboratory in the whole of Asia. The other labs are located in the US, Europe and Australia. The experimental Animal Facility is one of the largest small animal facility in the country with a housing capacity of about 75,000 mice, including immune compromised mice and other species such as rat, rabbit, hamsters, guinea pigs etc.

Dr Jitendra Singh also inaugurated the 'Genetically Defined Human Associated Microbial Culture Collection (Ge-HuMic) Facility' to act as a repository for providing microbial cultures to research institutes, universities, and industries for research and development. The facility will serve as a Nodal Resource Centre that will foster national and international collaborations between academic institutions, hospitals and industry. It will also serve as a repository of genetically characterised specific pathogen-free animals (including cryopreserved embryos and sperm) for the use of researchers within the country.