State-of-the-art veterinary laboratory will be built in Riyadh to develop local vaccines against animal diseases

Modern veterinary research facilities will be constructed in Riyadh in order to create regional vaccinations against animal illnesses. Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, signed a contract valued at over SR175 million ($46.6 million) to establish the location. According to the Saudi Press Agency, the facility will carry out vaccine development and localization throughout the Middle East in addition to disease detection. 

A national company with specific knowledge was given the contract. The lab is a component of the Kingdom's effort to create veterinary vaccinations against strains of disease that are specific to the area. It will act as a central location for carrying out specialist laboratory testing, tracking the transmission of animal diseases, and using DNA sequencing to determine the causes of diseases. 

Using regional microbial strains, scientists will create Saudi-specific vaccinations, increasing domestic vaccine production and carrying out useful research that advances the Kingdom's animal welfare and health industries. This entails keeping an eye on and updating accepted practices for identifying illnesses in animals in compliance with guidelines established by the International Organization for Animal Health.

The facility, which offers stronger immune responses than worldwide strains of the disease, is expected to lead the way in the creation of novel vaccines generated from local strains of the disease, according to the SPA. The Kingdom's livestock wealth will be protected as a result of the shift toward localizing the manufacture of veterinary vaccines, which will improve control and elimination of regional illnesses. 

According to the ministry, the project is in line with its goals to advance the animal wealth industry and safeguard the general public's health by battling zoonotic illnesses and cross-species infections. 

According to the SPA, the laboratory will be manned by highly skilled professionals and outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment.