ICMR-NIV, Mumbai Unit

ICMR-NIV, Mumbai Unit

As per the recommendations of the Executive Council of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the Enterovirus Research Centre (ERC) has been merged with the ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune, with effect from November 1, 2017. The ERC has been renamed as the ICMR-NIV Mumbai Unit (ICMR-NIVMU).

Situated at Mumbai in Maharashtra the ICMR-NIVMU conducts research on diseases caused by Enteroviruses, especially paralytic poliomyelitis, acute flaccid paralysis, aseptic meningitis/ encephalitis, measles-rubella surveillance, acute gastroenteritis caused by enteric viruses such as Rotavirus, Norovirus, Enteroviruses, SARS-CoV-2 immune response, diagnostics and environmental surveillance.

ICMR-NIVMU is a part of the WHO network of 146 polio laboratories worldwide. Based on its contribution to the Polio Eradication Programme, it is also recognised by WHO as Global Specialized Laboratory for Polio (GSL) – the only laboratory, among the seven laboratories so recognized, outside the developed world.ICMR-NIVMU has been also recognised and accredited by WHO as network laboratory as well as reference laboratory for sequencing for Measles and Rubella surveillance.

Significant contributions

Enteroviruses and other enteric viruses

• 1.NIVMU has been recognised and accredited by WHO as National Polio Laboratory since 1997 and also WHO Global Specialized Laboratory for Polio since 2000.
• 2.Assisted Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, GOI and the WHO in studies carried out for introduction of new polio vaccine formulation and vaccination strategies.
• 3.Molecular analysis of polioviruses (wild, Vaccine Derived Polio Viruses (VDPV), Sabin-like) to determine genetic relatedness for identification of their transmissibility patterns.
• 4.Molecular identification of NPEV and Cosavirus from AFP cases
• 5.Isolation and molecular characterization of new Enteroviruses EVA121 and EVA114.
• 6.Investigations of Enterovirus-host cell interaction, Toll-like receptors and Cytokines in Enterovirus infections.
• 8.Development of real time based diagnostic assays for wild polioviruses type 1 and 3.
• 9.ICMR studies on hospital based Rotavirus and Norovirus surveillance.(VAPP).
• 10.Participation in ICMR Research-cum-Intervention project on JE/AES in Gorakhpur, UP.
• 11.Introduction of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) in India and generation of epidemiological data on Polio for Mumbai for over 60 years.
• 12.Molecular epidemiology of wild poliovirus to provide accurate information of virus transmission pathways and guiding polio immunization activities in the country since year 2001.
• 13.Established environmental sewage samples testing as a surveillance activity supplementing AFP surveillance to detect wild poliovirus circulation in slums in Mumbai.
• 14.Provided unequivocal data confirming wild poliovirus exportation from India to China (1999), Bangladesh (2006), Nepal (2005) and Angola (2005). Also proved that the wild poliovirus importation in Indonesia was from Nigeria via Saudi Arabia and not from India.
• 15.Designing, development and evaluation of new testing algorithm for reducing time for reporting wild poliovirus detection in AFP cases resulted in reducing reporting time from 28 days to 14 days. The test algorithm has now been globally implemented.
• 16.Evaluation of immunogenicity of monovalent, bivalent and trivalent OPV for introduction of new polio vaccines for polio eradication. The trials, having a global significance, were conducted by the WHO in India with ERC as its laboratory partner.
• 17.Serosurvey of poliovirus antibodies in Moradabad district UP that highlighted the risks of wild poliovirus type 3 and VDPV type 2 in UP and Bihar.
• 18.Detection and analysis of VDPVs in India.
• 19.National Task Force (NTF) on polio containment initiated at ERC with nationwide survey of all biomedical laboratories storing wild polioviruses.
• 20.Detection of immunodeficiency related vaccine derived poliovirus (iVDPV) in a PID child with hyper IgM syndrome in Mumbai in ICMR-WHO iVDPV study.
• 21.Initiated integration of iVDPV surveillance with AFP surveillance in collaboration with WHO.
• 22.Developed poliovirus receptor (PVR/CD155) knockout cells derived from RD (human rhabdomyosarcoma) cell line (Poliovirus non-permissive cell line) by CRISPR.
• 23.Standardization of new methodology for detection of enteroviruses from sewage and applied for Indian patent.
• 24.Development of a SNP assay to identify mutations and attenuation sites in Sabin Oral Poliovirus vaccine strains.
• 25.Reported Coxsackievirus A24 as the etiological agent of an epidemic of AHC in Mumbai in 2007.
• 26.Reported New Enterovirus 71 genotypes (D and G) from India.
• 27.Identification of Coxsackievirus A6 and A16 as causative agents of hand, foot and mouth disease outbreaks in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Tripura (2009-2013).
• 28.Identification of multiple enteroviruses (CVA2, CVA4, CVA5, CVA10) responsible for causing herpangina outbreaks in children in Thane, Maharashtra in different years.
• 29.Norovirus outbreak investigation in South Mumbai in 2013.
• 30.Immunological Characterization of enterovirus EV71 indigenous genotypes.

Measles and rubella

• 1.Recognised and accredited by WHO as network laboratory for Measles and Rubella Surveillance since 2016.
• 2.Recognised and accredited by WHO as reference laboratory for sequencing Measles and Rubella Surveillance since 2017.

SARS-CoV-2

• 1.Established BSL-2+ laboratory for the laboratory diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2. The laboratory has given laboratory diagnosis for over 48000 specimens. The laboratory also is involved in the Quality Assurance for 30 COVID-19 laboratories in Mumbai.
• 2.Development of RT-LAMP assay for diagnosis of COVID-19. The ICMR-NIV RT-LAMP is under technology transfer via ICMR HQ.
• 3.Standardization of methodology for detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA from sewage and establishing sewage surveillance in Mumbai.
• 4.Revealed increased expression of innate immune receptor MDA-5 (melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5) in upper airway cells as a possible biomarkers for COVID-19 in asymptomatic patients.
• 5.Detected prolonged fecal shedding of SARS-CoV-2 in asymptomatic children suffering from primary immunodeficiency (PID) which may pose a risk of feco-oral transmission.
• 6.Detected co-infection of SARS-CoV-2 with enteroviruses, noroviruses and human adenoviruses in asymptomatic PID patients.

Others

• 1.A Point of Care Device, Method and Kit involving Club Cell protein 16 as a marker for Silicosis.
• 2.Development of a colorimetric isothermal assay for detection of Corynebacterium diphtheriae.

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