ICMR to procure 2 more mobile BSL-3 labs to boost India's outbreak response

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has initiated the process of procuring two more Mobile BSL-3 (MBSL-3) laboratories to step up outbreak response capabilities and bolster public health delivery, especially in remote and inaccessible areas.

Called RAMBAAN, there are currently two such laboratories each stationed at ICMR's two institutes, the National Institute of Virology in Pune and the RMRC in Gorakhpur, UP.

RAMBAAN is the first of its kind Rapid Action Mobile BSL-3 laboratory and is fully indigenous. It is field-deployable and designed to meet enhanced diagnostic demands during outbreaks of known and unknown high-risk pathogens.

An initiative of ICMR, it was developed in partnership with Klenzaids Contamination Controls Private Limited, Mumbai, under the patronage of Pradhan Mantri-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the apex research institute said. 

The MBSL-3 was successfully deployed and operationalised for the first time during the Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak in Kozhikode, Kerala, in September 2023 and again in Malappuram district of the state in July 2024, it said.

This "laboratory on wheels" is built on a heavy-duty Bharat Benz vehicle chassis, compliant with BS-VI norms, designed to operate at extreme temperatures and altitudes and bears a maximum load capacity 17,000 kgs.

It is classified as a Type-IV Rapid Response Mobile Laboratory (RRML) as per WHO GOARN RRML laboratory network classification.

The laboratory is designed to maintain a negative air pressure environment and is equipped with an advanced heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system with HEPA filters.

It also features a double-door autoclave and a biological liquid effluent decontamination (BLED) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) fogger system for biological waste management.

The MBSL-3 laboratory's work area is divided into four zones -- zone-1 (driver and outer change room), zone-2 (shower and inner change room), zone-3 (main laboratory), and zone-4 (material staging and decontamination area).

Key installations within these zones include biological safety cabinets (Class II A2), an intelligent programmable logic controller system, a dynamic pass box, and an entry-exit shower system with biometric control.

The laboratory's power supply can be from a direct electric supply or a diesel generator, with an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) and petrol generators for backup. Communication within the laboratory is facilitated by walkie-talkies and real-time surveillance through CCTVs.