Establishment of an animal virus repository center sought

• Source:http://www.mb.com.ph/establishment-of-an-animal-virus-repository-center-sought/
• Sunday, December 20, 2015

By Charissa Luci

Concerned that 60 percent of all human infectious diseases and 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases originate from animals, the Chairperson of the House Committee on Science and Technology has sought the establishment of a mammalian cell lines and animal virus repository center.

Zamboanga del Sur Rep. Victor J. Yu filed House Bill Number 6309, calling for the creation of such a repository center “to strengthen Philippine veterinary institutions and provide veterinary professionals with tools to diagnose diseases and develop vaccines for them.”

Yu said the “bill seeks to establish a Center that will acquire , multiply, characterize and store mammalian and insect cell lines and isolate, multiply, characterize and store disease-causing pathogens, primarily viruses.”

He said the proposed Center will be housed in the College of Veterinary Medicine of the Central Luzon State University under the supervision of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

“With these cell lines locally available, disease-causing pathogens isolated from clinical cases can now be used in the production of analytical reagents, antigens, and antibodies that will eventually lead to the development of a local diagnostic device as well as cure,” he said.

“As a result, there will be no need to import foreign counterpart, thus considerably cutting on cost and time required by importation,” continued Yu.

“The use of local rather than foreign isolates of disease-causing pathogens in the local production of vaccines will result to vaccines that are more suited and more potent and effective for Filipinos,” the Zamboanga del Sur representative ces said.

Yu’s proposed House Bill No. 6309 provides for the production of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies against pathogens in one or more of the following: goats, chicken, duck, rabbits, sheep or horses for their detections and diagnostics applications.

The center shall be mandated to produce and characterize these pathogens and their protective antigens, which may either be viral or bacterial in nature, for the purpose of diagnostic reagent development and production.

Yu said the center will also be tasked to develop science-based, practical and verifiable diagnostic methodologies, tools or devices for the diagnosis of economically-important pathogens which may be food-borne, blood-borne and water-borne pathogens, non-biological toxicants, toxins and various chemical additives harmful to animal and human health.

It shall validate the use of the diagnostic analytical reagents in accredited regional laboratories, he said.

“The center shall also provide accurate documentation for analytical reagents, whether antibody or antigen as calibrator for the purpose of proprietary rights and technology transfer in their commercial applications,” informed Yu.

Initial operation of the proposed Mammalian and Animal Virus Repository Center Act will be funded by an allocation of P50 million.

The DOST Secretary shall immediately include in the department’s program the implementation of the proposed Act, funding of which shall be included in the Annual General Appropriations Act.