Cabinet nod for National Animal Resource Facility for Bio-medical Research at Genome Valley, Hyderabad

The union cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal of the department of health research in the ministry of health and family welfare for setting up of a National Resource Facility for Bio-medical Research (NARF) at Genome Valley in Hyderabad.

The facility will be set up by the Indian Council for Medical Research at an estimated project cost is Rs338.58 crore and the resource center is expected to be functional by 2018-19.

The institution will be the first of its kind for quality laboratory animals for basic and applied biomedical research in the country.

It will be developed as a world-class facility for breeding and housing of animals such as primates and knockout rodents (knockout rodents can mimic human diseases and are important tools for studying gene function) required for testing of various R&D products.

The facility will create, develop and provide access to a range of laboratory animals and related technological resources for advancement of biomedical research in the country, mainly to facilitate research in medical colleges, research and academic institutions, universities and Biotech/Bio-pharma companies.

The facility will also provide training facilities for personnel in the specialised areas in the field of biomedical research.

The state government has allotted 102.69 acres of land at Genome Valley, Hyderabad, free of cost, to the ICMR to set up National Animal Resource Facility (NARF) for Biomedical Research.