RIYADH: A state-of-the-art veterinary laboratory will be built in Riyadh to develop local vaccines against animal diseases. A contract worth more than SR175 million ($46.6 million) was signed by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli to establish the site. The laboratory will conduct disease diagnosis as well as vaccine development and localization in the Middle East, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The contract was awarded to a specialized national company. The lab is part of the Kingdom’s initiative to develop and produce veterinary vaccines for local disease strains. It will serve as a hub for monitoring and controlling the spread of animal diseases, conducting specialized laboratory tests and identifying disease causes through DNA sequencing. Scientists will develop Saudi-specific vaccines from local microbial strains, boosting the production of local vaccines and conducting applied research that benefits the Kingdom’s animal wealth and health sectors. This includes monitoring and updating standard methods for detecting animal diseases in line with the standards set by the International Organization for Animal Health. According to the SPA, the facility will spearhead the development of cutting-edge vaccines derived from local disease strains, offering higher immune responses compared to global strains. The move toward localizing veterinary vaccine production will enhance the Kingdom’s ability to control and eliminate local diseases, thereby safeguarding its livestock wealth. The ministry said that the project aligns with its efforts to develop the animal wealth sector and protect public health by combating zoonotic diseases and cross-species pathogens. The laboratory will be equipped with cutting-edge technology and staffed by highly qualified specialists, the SPA reported.