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Researchers at IIT-Kharagpur said that the price of the machine is less than ₹ 5,000 and the cost of the test kits will be around ₹ 500.
A new coronovirus diagnostic method using a low-cost portable unit developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, has been approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) when testing its samples after patient samples The level of accuracy is shown. Slightly less than the gold standard RT-PCR method at a fraction of the cost.
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Researchers at IIT-Kharagpur told reporters on Wednesday that the price of the machine is less than ₹ 5,000 and the cost of the test kit will be around 500. After viral RNA was extracted, the test process took about an hour. He said that the IIT was in discussion with commercial manufacturers and start-ups, and it was expected that the government would subsidize the cost of test kits as well.
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In parallel testing of 200 samples with a wide range of viral loads, the COVIRAP method of IIT-Kharagpur detected 108 out of 115 positive samples identified by a 115 RT-PCR machine, and 83 out of 85 negative samples implying that It has 94% sensitivity and 98% specificity compared to RT-PCR.
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“Initially, we were very skeptical, but we were happy when it worked. The assays are comparable [RT-PCR], ICMR virologist Mamta Chawla Sarkar told reporters on Wednesday.
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"This assay has the ability to detect extremely low levels of viral load, based on the same principles of testing as any other method ... In practice, this means that very early stages of infection can be detected, Which can isolate the patient and arrest the uncontrolled. The spread of infection in the community through asymptomatic patients, "she said.
To make it only make 5,000
Unlike the RT-PCR machine, which can cost up to 2.5 million, and needs to be operated by a molecular biologist, the COVIRAP machine costs IIT researchers only to make R5,000 and cost less even if there are economies of scale. Can be manufactured at The commercial was implemented by manufacturers, said lead researcher and IIT professor Suman Chakraborty.
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'Ideal for use in rural areas'
“The COVIRAP method requires very few devices, and is ideal for use in rural areas with limited facilities. The portable unit can be placed on a table in an area even without the need for an air-conditioned laboratory. It can be conducted by rural youth with minimal training, ”Dr. Chakraborty said. However, viral RNA will still have to be extracted in a laboratory.
The machine employed an isothermal nucleic acid amplification method, which did away with the need for a thermocycler, he said. Once the samples were processed in the machine, mixed with solutions developed by the IIT team, paper strips - similar to pregnancy strips - are immersed in it, and the emergence of colored lines will indicate the presence of the virus. To reduce human error, a mobile app has been developed to analyze strips placed in a hand-held unit.
Isothermal nucleic acid amplification employs an approach similar to the one in RT-PCR and has advantages and disadvantages. Other laboratories, including the CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) and the Department of Science and Technology, have designed the devices based on this approach, but none have been approved yet by the ICMR and have reached the stage of commercial manufacturing.
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FELUDA test
FELUDA, a kit developed by CSIR-IGIB (Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology), is also a paper strip based test, but employs a gene editing technique called CRISPR-cas9. Like COVIRAP, it also claims to produce results in one hour - as compared to 3–4 hours in RT-PCR - but eventually laboratory-based tests and extract nucleic acid RNA from nasopharyngeal samples Depend on skilled personnel for actual testing. The FELUDA cleared by the Drug Controller General of India and ICMR has been licensed to Tata Sons and is expected to be commercially available later this month.
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Dr. Chakraborty said that the COVIRAP method can be used to diagnose diseases such as influenza, malaria, dengue and tuberculosis.
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