Ulaanbaatar
Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory Opened in Mongolia
Society
Ulaanbaatar, May 1, 2024 /MONTSAME/. The second Biosafety Level 3 (BSL) Laboratory opened in Mongolia on April 30, 2024.
The Laboratory was established under the JICA’s SATREPS Project “Control of Tuberculosis and Glanders”. Many scientists attending the Opening Ceremony said that the BSL-3 Laboratory would push research and scientific work in veterinary to a new level.
Implemented by the Mongolian National Center for Communicable Diseases Institute of Veterinary Medicine and the Hokkaido University Institute for Zoonosis Control, this project was jointly funded by the Mongolian Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and Science, the General Authority of Veterinary Services, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency /JICA/, and the Japanese Agency of Medical Research and Development /AMED/.
The "Control of Tuberculosis and Glanders" project focuses on the early detection of tuberculosis and glanders in humans and livestock. It also evaluates the risk of transmission between humans and animals, aims at containing the spread of these diseases, and establishes a framework for controlling zoonotic diseases in alignment with the "One Health" concept. Now in its fifth year, the project is yielding significant outcomes, such as the establishment of a Biosafety level 3 laboratory, the development of disease genome sequencing laboratories, and the provision of essential equipment and diagnostic tools. Additionally, the project supports the advanced training of over 20 researchers and scientists in human and veterinary medicine at Japanese universities.
The “Control of Tuberculosis and Glanders” SATREPS project is funded with JPY 300 million. Scientists and researchers in the field made the following comments on the project:
-The new Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory will enable safe handling, sequencing, confirmation, and detailed study of hazardous causative agents of animal and zoonotic diseases.
-The lab establishes favorable conditions for researching and manufacturing biopreparations to diagnose and prevent devastating infectious diseases and zoonotic diseases.
-It will protect the health and lives of researchers and scientists in animal and livestock infectious disease research.
Attendees of the Opening ceremony were the Minister of Science and Technology of Mongolia Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren, Ambassador Extraordinary Plenipotentiary of Japan to Mongolia Igawahara Masaru, Head of the JICA Mongolia Office Chief Representative Tanaka Shinichi, representatives of cooperating organizations, scientists and researchers.
