In an effort to provide farm level diagnostic services, the Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) facility of ICAR-CIBA, has promoted a start-up company, Illume Gene India LLP, Bangalore, which will be providing affordable disease diagnostic services to the shrimp farmers. Another start-up company, Diagnomics (OPC) Pvt Ltd., Chennai has acquired the technology for manufacturing the PCR based diagnostics kits developed at ICAR-CIBA, Chennai. A ‘Diagnostic Laboratory’ was inaugurated on 19th October 2022 at the Agri-Business Incubation (ABI) facility of ICAR-CIBA, Chennai to accommodate the above two incubatees.
During the inauguration, Dr. K.P. Jithendran, Director, ICAR-CIBA emphasised the need for authentic diagnostic results to ensure procuring quality shrimp seed by farmers for stocking in their ponds. The start-ups would facilitate commercialization of the diagnostic kits developed by the institute. Mr. M. Venkatesan, Managing Director, Illume Gene India LLP, Bangalore, thanked ICAR-CIBA for providing the opportunity and conveyed their commitment towards quality service to the shrimp famers. The laboratory has planned to provide diagnostic service by collecting samples from farm sites and hatcheries and the tests will be done following the methodologies developed by ICAR-CIBA providing accurate and timely results to the farmers. The company will also be manufacturing the WSSV and EHP diagnostic kits developed by the institute and supply to shrimp disease diagnostic laboratories.
All the Heads of Divisions and senior scientific staff of the institute participated in the function. Dr. P.K. Patil, Principal Scientist, Officer in-Charge, ITMU, welcomed the gathering and shared the evolution of this new facility of incubation system for aquaculture based start-ups and also delivered vote of thanks.
