Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory, National Biomedical Research Institute (INRB)

The INRB-Goma Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory (LRM), a regional public health laboratory and member of the international GABRIEL (Global Approach to Biological Research, Infectious diseases and Epidemics in Low-income countries) network, is a branch of the INRB Kinshasa in the town of Goma, in the North Kivu province in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This biosafety level 2 and 3 laboratory is the result of a cooperation between the INRB, the Mérieux Foundation and USAID. Operational since 4 July 2020, the LRM INRB GOMA also manages the mobile INRB laboratories in the provinces of North Kivu (Ben, Butembo, Mangina), South Kivu (Bukavu), Haut-Uele (Doko, Isiro) and Ituri (Bunia).

Mission

As a branch of the INRB Kinshasa, the LRM INRB Goma fulfills the same missions. These are:

• Biological diagnosis of diseases
• Training and retraining of staff in the biomedical sector
• Monitoring epidemic diseases and potential epidemic diseases
• 4. Translational research

Organization

The LRM INRB Goma is divided into departments and units. There are three main departments: administration, laboratory and technical. The laboratory department has five units: Bacteriology, Virology, Immuno-serology, Hemato-biochemistry, Sequencing. The technical department covers logistics, new information and communication technologies and electricity.

The administrative department, consisting of a Director, a Deputy Director, and an administrative manager, dictates the policies of the institute and oversees the activities of the other departments.

Staff at the LRM include laboratory technicians, biologists, and clinical pathologists.

Research activities

The LRM INRB Goma runs several research projects, mostly concerning the Ebola virus and Covid. These projects are listed below along with the associated partners:

• Immunogenicity of Zebov vaccine, in partnership with Epicentre and London School
• Research on pharmaco-kinetics of Mab 114 in EVD confirmed patients, in partnership with Ridgeback Biotherapeuthics
• Biological and virological monitoring of Ebola clearance in EVD 10, 12 and 13, in partnership with the WHO and INSERM
• Immunogenicity of rvsv zebov vaccine induced immunity among vaccinated from EVD10, 12 and 13 in DRC, in partnership with the ITM in Antwerp and the IRD Montpellier
• Seroprevalence of Covid 19 among healthcare providers in North Kivu, in partnership with the CDC Atlanta
• Impact of Covid 19 on health workers and health facilities, in partnership with Epicentre and London school
• Alerrt CPP Covid, in partnership with the ITM in Antwerp and Alerrt
• Rift Valley Project, in partnership with the ITM Antwerp, CREID, NIH, Washington State University
• The impact of mass Cholera vaccination, in partnership with John Hopkins University, MSF, Epicentre

Learn more about the INRB