Advanced Research Centre for Fungi at AIIMS Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: World-renowned medical mycologist Prof. Arunaloke Chakrabarti inaugurated the ICMR Advanced Molecular and Diagnostic Research Centre for fungi in the department of Microbiology, AIIMS Bhubaneswar today. 

Chakrabarti inaugurated the research centre in the presence of executive director of AIIMS Bhubaneswar Prof Ashutosh Biswas. The other dignitaries present during the inaugural ceremony include Dean (Academic) Prof P R Mohapatra, Head of the Department of Microbiology Prof. Baijayantimala Mishra, and Dr. Madhuchhanda Das, Scientist D, Indian Council of Medical Research.

Prof. Arunaloke Chakrabarti underlined that there are several deadly fungal infections and some of these, like mucormycosis and Candida auris, have recently been noticed by the medical and non-medical fraternity.

Prof. Ashutosh Biswas agreed that recently fungal infections have become “viral.”

Despite the above, there is a lack of expertise in identifying and treating fungal infections. Advanced Molecular and Diagnostic Research centres for fungi have been established across India to fill this gap.

Prof. Arunaloke Chakrabarti and Dr. Madhuchhanda emphasized that the objective of establishing the advanced laboratory is to make available cutting-edge diagnostics for fungal infections for the people of Odisha, impart training to Odia doctors and paramedical personnel for identification and treatment of fungal infections, and support the different medical hospitals across eastern India for diagnosis and management of fungal infections.

The lab will act as a referral center for eastern India. It will help identify medical fungi, offering various serological, molecular, and antifungal susceptibility testing services for patients with different fungal infections. Additionally, the lab will provide observership / hands-on laboratory training opportunities at our center to microbiology trainees or practicing microbiologists throughout the year.

Hospitals experiencing outbreaks of fungal infections can seek help from this center to identify underlying reasons for an outbreak to terminate the episode, and implement measures to prevent future incidents.