With India becoming a pharmaceutical hub in the post-pandemic era, we bring to you the story of ICMR’s National Animal Resource Facility for Biomedical Research (NARFBR), the one-stop shop for pharmaceutical companies, who no longer seek testing from multiple other countries.
This Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) project in Genome Valley, Hyderabad, critical for future drug and vaccine trials was recently felicitated for its state-of-the-art infrastructure.
The NARFBR is the “labour of love” that was born out of the vision of Prof. NK Ganguly, former DG, ICMR, the relentless pursuit of Dr Suresh Pothani, Founder Director, and the proactive facilitation of retired IAS officer BP Acharya.
It is the only facility that houses all types of testing animals, including rodents, lagomorphs, non-human primates, small ruminants, canines, porcines, and equines.
Besides supporting basic and pre-clinical animal research in developmental and reproductive biology, neuroscience, behavioural sciences, stem cell, molecular cell biology, immunology, and virology, it also breeds/creates/maintains Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) quality animals for study.
LONG ROAD
Before human trials, every drug or vaccine undergoes pre-clinical safety evaluation testing on small and large animals. While some pharmas have their own in-house small-scale trial centres, but in view of the mandatory requirement for testing on large animals, eventually all needed assistance from abroad.
“If India was to become a major player in the game, this constraint had to be weeded out,” Mr. Acharya shared with Indian Masterminds.
The idea first came up in the 2001 CEOs’ Conclave of the All-India Biotech Association in Hyderabad but took over two decades to materialise.
It was not until May 2022, after numerous hurdles trying to protect the land where NARFBR was to come up in future, that it finally turned into reality.
THE VISION
When in 2001, Prof. Ganguly shared his vision of future NARFBR, Mr. Acharya was Secretary of Industries and Commerce.
The officer realised he could set aside about 100 acres of land for it as he already was involved in developing the Genome Valley during that period. The then Andhra Pradesh chief minister also supported the concept.
THE KALAM ANGLE
What was really a boon for NARFBR, was Dr. Suresh meeting then-President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. The Rocketman of India took very little time to decide.
In a bid to expedite the proposal submitted on 21 October 2004, Dr. Suresh wrote a letter in November 2006 to Dr. Kalam seeking a meeting with him. And met him on 1 Feb 2007.
“After discussing 35 minutes detailing every aspect of the facility, I asked APJ Sir how long the planning commission would need to make a judgment before handing him a copy of the EFC,” Dr Suresh recalls.
“All that isn’t necessary,” he told me. “Just give me the name of the proposal and the present location of the file in a piece of paper,” the president said.
“Finally, on November 8, 2007, the in-principle approval came through!” Dr. Suresh shared with Indian Masterminds.
A DECADE LATER
And yet it took almost a decade, when in 2016, the newly elected government gave the small, hardworking team of three approval to proceed.
Inaugurated on December 17, 2022, NARFBR is making the dream of addressing zoonotic concerns a reality.
What began as a three-person company is now a 120-strong workforce with Mr. Acharya as the advisor post his retirement in 2020. Every vaccine manufactured in the country is now shipped there for testing.
