BioHub facility

Why in news?

• The World Health Organization (WHO) and Switzerland May 25, 2021 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch a BioHub facility.

About the facility:

• BioHub facility will allow rapid sharing of pathogens between laboratories and partners to facilitate a better analysis and preparedness against them.
• The move is significant in the view of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and the need to underline the importance of sharing pathogen information to assess risks and launch countermeasures.
• The facility will help in safe reception, sequencing, storage and preparation of biological materials for distribution to other laboratories, so as to facilitate global preparedness against these pathogens.
• Pathogens are now shared bilaterally between countries, a process that can be sluggish and deny the benefits to some.
• The BioHub, will enable member states to share biological materials with and via the BioHub under pre-agreed conditions, including biosafety, biosecurity, and other applicable regulations. This will ensure timeliness and predictability in response activities.

Prelims Question

Consider the following statements regarding BioHub facility:
1.It has been launched by WHO.
2.It will allow rapid sharing of pathogens between laboratories.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a)1 only
(b)2 only
(c)Both 1 and 2
(d)Neither 1 nor 2

Answer to the Prelims Question