Introduction
The Institute of Serology, Kolkata (UOSK) was established in 1912 as Imperial Serologist’s Department. Post-independence it came to known as “Serologist & Chemical Examiner’s Office of the Govt. of India and it was renamed again as Institute of Serology Kolkata, under the Dte.GHS, MoHFW, Govt. of India in 1996. Initially the Institute was mandated for Forensic Serology but since 1970 it started diversifying into different fields of Serology, Immunology, VDRL Antigen production, Antisera production, STD Training & Research and Polio Virus isolation from stool sample of AFP cases and also from environmental(sewage) samples, Measles and Rubella detection, participation in laboratory accreditation etc.
Infrastructure
Total land area 8431.22 sqm. shared by 3 Central Government Institutes. IOSK and NFL jointly occupy 1323.41sqm. of land.
Functions
- Manufacturing: VDRL Antigen (used for animal testing), antisera against animal species (for differentiating human from about a dozen animal species blood) and Anti H Lectin (to identify Bombay Antigen in human blood) to all Government and non- government organizations throughout the country.
- National Polio laboratory: IOSK is one of the seven National Polio Laboratories working for maintaining Polio eradicated status of the country. The Lab carries out isolation of poliovirus from stool samples and environmental(sewage) samples and caters to whole of Eastern & NE region and also Jharkhand. Technology currently being used is viral cell culture and molecular techniques (from 2011 intratypic differentiation of Polio virus is being done using PCR technique).
- National Measles Laboratory: Institute is also one of the seven National Measles laboratories which is contributing towards measles and rubella elimination/eradication efforts of the Govt. of India in West Bengal, Sikkim and parts of Jharkhand also. This lab started functioning in 1997 and has capability to detect the viruses in throat and serum samples and now uses ELISA and PCR technology for measles and rubella detection.
- Regional STI Reference Laboratory: IOSK is also the designated Regional STI Reference Laboratory of NACO in 1997 to control the spread of Sexually Transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS infection in the country and to extend laboratory support to other government and non-government labs. This reference lab conducts inter-laboratory evaluation of VDRL tests across other laboratories of Kolkata. The laboratory is also working in STD prevention and control program in high risk populations with STD clinics of different medical colleges in Kolkata.
- Medico-legal work: The institute continues to generate medico- legal for WB State Forensic Laboratories
Activities
Trainings, Workshops, Seminars : The institute organizes several seminars, training, workshops etc. to update the knowledge and skill of Medical and Non-medical officials and all categories of paramedical staff on the latest progress and development taking place in various fields of STI, Polio, Measles and rubella detection.
Achievements
- Newer Initiatives: Sequence analysis of Measles and rubella virus has been started as a new initiative in 2024.
- Institute also conducts training program for MD Community Medicine students of AIIHPH Kolkata.
- Bother the polio and Measles labs are accredited with WHO, with last accreditation assessment having been carried out by WHO and MoHFW jointly, in April-May, 2024.
Last Updated On 21/11/2024
