Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, has signed a project contract to construct and design the regional reference veterinary laboratory for disease diagnosis and the development and localization of vaccines in the Riyadh Region.

The agreement was finalized with a specialized national company at a total cost of SR175 million.

The laboratory will play a crucial role in conducting research and applied studies that benefit the field of animal wealth and health in the Kingdom. It is set to become a regional reference laboratory for the Middle East, operating at high biosafety levels.

The ministry highlighted that the establishment of this laboratory is part of the Veterinary Vaccines Production and Development Center initiative for local pathogenic strains. Its objectives include monitoring and controlling the spread of animal diseases, conducting specialized laboratory tests on a wide range of diseases, identifying their causative agents, and sequencing their DNA bases.

Moreover, the laboratory will undertake research to develop new vaccines tailored to the Kingdom's specific local microbial strains, increase the production of various local vaccines, and conduct applied research and studies that serve the field of animal wealth and health in Saudi Arabia.

Additionally, the laboratory will focus on monitoring and updating standard methods for detecting animal diseases according to the World Organization for Animal Health standards, and ensuring compliance with good laboratory practices within the quality system requirements.

The ministry emphasized that establishing this laboratory reinforces its ongoing efforts to develop vaccines from local pathogenic strains that elicit higher immune responses compared to global strains, thereby aiming to localize the veterinary vaccine industry. This project is expected to contribute significantly to controlling and eradicating local diseases while safeguarding the Kingdom's animal wealth.