Bio Laboratory Opens in South Africa

The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) this week opened its third major laboratory in Cape Town, equipped with tthe latest laboratory equipment, to focus mainly on the lab development of new vaccines against serious infectious diseases, which afflict Africa, such as HIV/Aids, malaria, hepatitis B and C and tuberculosis.

The laboratory, situated at the Groote Schuur Hospital, joins sister biology laboratories in Trieste, Italy and New Delhi, India, in serving as the 74-country organisation's international lab facilities for high quality scientific research and training in the field of biosciences.

The Cape Town component of the ICGEB will eventually be expanded to advance knowledge and apply latest techniques in the fields of biomedicine, crop improvement, environmental protection and remediation, biopharmaceuticals and biopestidice production.

South Africa's Department of Science and Technology is contributing approximately 4-million euro toward costs of the Cape Town laboratory over the next four years, with the South African government and ICGEB management also calling on the private sector to provide funds.