Latest news with #PradhanMantriAyushmanBharatHealthInfrastructureMission
The Hindu
19 hours ago
- Health
- The Hindu
ICMR sets up high performing computing facility to boost genomic surveillance and pandemic preparedness
Working to address limitations faced during the COVID-19 pandemic due to conventional computing infrastructure, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has now introduced its first high-performance computing facility at its National Institute of Virology (NIV) facility in Pune. The acquisition of the state-of-the-art computing cluster, named NAKSHATRA, comes soon after India reported a surge in COVID-19 cases, though the number of active cases have dipped marginally over the last two days. ICMR-NIV Pune director Naveen Kumar noted that several new pathogens and COVID variants are being reported. 'It's essential that we upgrade to stay ahead in enhancing public health research capacity,' he said. Genomic research upgrade Attributing the emergence of novel pathogens to increased globalisation, global warming, and deforestation, Dr. Kumar said that his centre has been doing extensive sequence analysis using multiple strains, which used to take weeks. 'Now with the upgrade we can do the same work in 24 to 48 hours. It has increased the capability of our country for genomic surveillance, which will help us in pandemic preparedness,' he said. The NAKSHATRA facility enables enhanced storage and optimises the pipeline for genomic research, which ensures better viral genomic surveillance capacity and national preparedness for any future pandemic. The facility supports faster analysis of complex genomic data, allowing scientists to detect new disease threats sooner, respond to outbreaks more efficiently, and accelerate AI-driven vaccine and drug development. Central data repository Developed under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PMABHIM), the facility forms the cornerstone of a new project, called the High Performance Computing Next Generation Sequencing Hub. The Pune facility will initially serve five ICMR institutes across the country, acting as a central repository for sequencing data. Sarah Cherian, group leader of the Bioinformatics and Data Management Group and principal investigator of the project, provided a comprehensive overview of the cluster's capabilities and its role in genomic research. She said that the computing cluster is tailored to support complex bioinformatics workflows, including next-generation sequencing, transcriptomics, phylogenetics, metagenomics, and structural bioinformatics. Genomic monitoring impact Already, NIV Pune has played a key role in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously significant genetic alterations in the virus had triggered the second and third wave and ongoing genomic monitoring and analysis helped in early detection of variants of interest and concern. 'This in turn had helped in paving the way for implementing the booster dose of vaccination for COVID,' the institute noted.
Time of India
a day ago
- Health
- Time of India
ICMR-NIV Pune inaugurates High Performance Computing facility to boost genomic research and pandemic preparedness
Pune: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Wednesday marked a significant milestone in advancing India's public health research capabilities with the inauguration of its first High Performance Computing (HPC) facility at the ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. The computing cluster named 'Nakshatra' was officially inaugurated by Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary of the Department of Health Research (DHR) and Director General of ICMR, according to an official statement from ICMR. "Developed under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM ABHIM), the HPC facility forms the cornerstone of a new project titled "High Performance Computing Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Hub". The initiative aims to revolutionize how genomic and bioinformatics data are processed, addressing limitations faced during the COVID-19 pandemic due to conventional computing infrastructure," the statement added. Addressing a gathering regarding the inauguration of the computing facility, the Director General of ICMR commended the institute for its timely and strategic step towards ' Viksit Bharat 2047 ' vision by strengthening the country's genomic surveillance and data analysis capacity. He highlighted how enhanced computing resources are crucial in preparing for technology-driven pandemic preparedness and future public health emergencies. Meanwhile, Director of ICMR-NIV, Dr Naveen Kumar, emphasised the critical role the HPC cluster will play in supporting rapid, data-driven responses to outbreaks. Dr Sarah Cherian, Group Leader of the Bioinformatics and Data Management Group and Principal Investigator of the project, provided a comprehensive overview of the cluster's capabilities and its role in genomic research . According to the official statement, the newly commissioned HPC cluster features twelve compute nodes offering a total of 700 cores and 1 petabyte of storage. "The infrastructure is tailored to support complex bioinformatics workflows, including next-generation sequencing (NGS), transcriptomics, phylogenetics, metagenomics, and structural bioinformatics. Initially, the facility will serve five ICMR institutes across the country, acting as a central repository for sequencing data and extending support to Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) soon, making the institute as a critical hub for outbreak investigations and pandemic preparedness, with the potential to accelerate AI-driven drug and vaccine discovery," the statement added. Highlighting the advantages of the HPC facility, ICMR highlighted how it is a "national investment in speed, precision, and preparedness." The statement mentioned, "By enabling faster analysis of complex genomic data, the facility positions India to detect new disease threats sooner, respond to outbreaks more efficiently, and accelerate AI-driven vaccine and drug development."
Indian Express
a day ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Delhi Health Minister Singh asks govt hospitals to set up critical care blocks under PM-ABHIM scheme
Delhi's Health Minister Dr Pankaj Kumar Singh on Wednesday directed the government hospitals to immediately set up critical care blocks under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) scheme. The Central government-funded scheme is aimed at strengthening the infrastructure of healthcare institutions at all levels. He asked department officials to conduct on-site inspections and identify available spaces within hospitals to set up these dedicated blocks. Minister Singh instructed the officials to expedite the installation of dialysis machines in government hospitals so that patients don't have to shuttle between hospitals for treatment. He said that the number of dialysis machines should be increased to over 300 across all hospitals. To prepare for the monsoon season, the minister directed the authorities to prioritize procuring emergency medicines and complete all necessary procedures within the stipulated timeframe. Dr Singh also instructed officials to ensure that Brain Health Clinics, on the lines of the one operational at Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka, are established in all districts of Delhi. These clinics will provide comprehensive care and treatment for patients suffering from mental health issues. 'The Brain Health Clinic at Dwarka is receiving an encouraging response from the public. In line with this, we will be setting up similar clinics across all districts to ensure timely mental healthcare for every individual,' said Dr Singh. The Health Minister directed all government hospitals to mandatorily complete the registration process under the Hospital Information Management System (HIMS) as per the standard guidelines. He announced that Model Health Labs will be established to offer all essential diagnostic tests related to general health. At present, 61 private and 25 government hospitals – a total of 86 hospitals – have been empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Delhi.
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Health
- India Gazette
NAKSHATRA to boost viral genomic surveillance and preparedness for future pandemics: ICMR NIV Director
By Shalini Bhardwaj Pune (Maharashtra) [India], June 18 (ANI): The NAKSHATRA state-of-the-art initiative aims to revolutionise how genomic and bioinformatics data are processed, addressing limitations faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking to ANI, ICMR-NIV Pune Director Dr Naveen Kumar, explaining about NAKSHATRA, said, 'A high-performance computing system has been launched. This is the first kind of facility for the sequence analysis or genomic surveillance of pathogens under the ICMR.' He further said, 'So nowadays, many new COVID variants, viruses, or pathogens are being reported. Our resources were insufficient because analysing the millions of sequences in the public domain takes a lot of time. We were doing extensive sequence analysis using multiple strains, which used to take we can do the same work in 24-48 hours. It has increased the capability of our country for genomic surveillance, which will help us in pandemic preparedness.' Developed under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PMABHIM), the HPC facility forms the cornerstone of a new project titled 'High Performance Computing Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Hub'. The initiative aims to revolutionize how genomic and bioinformatics data are processed, addressing limitations faced during the COVID-19 pandemic due to conventional computing infrastructure. The commissioning of the NAKSHATRA HPC facility is not just a technological upgrade--it is a national investment in speed, precision, and preparedness. By enabling faster analysis of complex genomic data, the facility positions India to detect new disease threats sooner, respond to outbreaks more efficiently, and accelerate AI-driven vaccine and drug development. (ANI)
India Gazette
2 days ago
- Health
- India Gazette
ICMR-NIV Pune inaugurates High Performance Computing facility to boost genomic research and pandemic preparedness
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], June 18 (ANI): The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Wednesday marked a significant milestone in advancing India's public health research capabilities with the inauguration of its first High Performance Computing (HPC) facility at the ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune. The computing cluster named 'Nakshatra' was officially inaugurated by Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary of the Department of Health Research (DHR) and Director General of ICMR, according to an official statement from ICMR. 'Developed under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM ABHIM), the HPC facility forms the cornerstone of a new project titled 'High Performance Computing Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Hub'. The initiative aims to revolutionize how genomic and bioinformatics data are processed, addressing limitations faced during the COVID-19 pandemic due to conventional computing infrastructure,' the statement added. Addressing a gathering regarding the inauguration of the computing facility, the Director General of ICMR commended the institute for its timely and strategic step towards 'Viksit Bharat 2047' vision by strengthening the country's genomic surveillance and data analysis capacity. He highlighted how enhanced computing resources are crucial in preparing for technology-driven pandemic preparedness and future public health emergencies. Meanwhile, Director of ICMR-NIV, Dr Naveen Kumar, emphasised the critical role the HPC cluster will play in supporting rapid, data-driven responses to outbreaks. Dr Sarah Cherian, Group Leader of the Bioinformatics and Data Management Group and Principal Investigator of the project, provided a comprehensive overview of the cluster's capabilities and its role in genomic research. According to the official statement, the newly commissioned HPC cluster features twelve compute nodes offering a total of 700 cores and 1 petabyte of storage. 'The infrastructure is tailored to support complex bioinformatics workflows, including next-generation sequencing (NGS), transcriptomics, phylogenetics, metagenomics, and structural bioinformatics. Initially, the facility will serve five ICMR institutes across the country, acting as a central repository for sequencing data and extending support to Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) soon, making the institute as a critical hub for outbreak investigations and pandemic preparedness, with the potential to accelerate AI-driven drug and vaccine discovery,' the statement added. Highlighting the advantages of the HPC facility, ICMR highlighted how it is a 'national investment in speed, precision, and preparedness.' The statement mentioned, 'By enabling faster analysis of complex genomic data, the facility positions India to detect new disease threats sooner, respond to outbreaks more efficiently, and accelerate AI-driven vaccine and drug development.' (ANI)
