DST’s low cost covid-19 detection kit to differentiate all coronaviruses, economical option for rural areas
Other infections the kit can detect include SARS and MERS, both yet to be reported in India
- Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, initiated research on the kit with support of DST’s SERB
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is developing a low-cost kit primarily for covid-19, which is caused by SARS CoV-2, but will also identify other coronavirus types such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-causing SARS CoV1 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). So far, India has not reported MERS or SARS cases.
Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi, has initiated the research with support from the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) under DST on the covid-19 detection kit, which can be stored under less stringent conditions.
Scientists are working on detecting a target spike protein using bioinformatics tools. The kit will use aptamer (a biosensor) to detect SARS-Co-V2.
While SARS CoV-2 infection can be detected on the basis of the conserved domain (protein structure of the virus) present in all three coronavirus strains, this kit will be developed on a combination of conserved and non-conserved domain present in SARS-CoV1, SARS-CoV2 and MERS virus, respectively, the DST said, adding that it will be an added advantage.
“The aptamer-based technology is relatively new, and can detect a number of infections in precise and efficient manner," it said. “Besides, it makes detection of covid- 19 infection less costly and the devices can be stored in less stringent conditions, making it more effective over conventional antibody-based detection techniques, especially for the rural and remotely located population."
This rapid diagnostic kit will be less costly in comparison to the antibody-based detection technique due to low production cost and requirement of the less stringent storage facility, DST, which operates within the ministry of science and technology, said. “The covid-19 pandemic has thrown up the novel challenge of setting up rapid diagnostic facilities in remote areas which do not have adequate infrastructure. This calls for low-cost devices that do not require very stringent storage facilities. Scientists have put in a research plan to meet this urgent requirement."
Abhimanyu Dev, assistant professor, and Dr. Venkatesan Jayaprakash, associate professor, Birla Institute of Technology, who are experts in molecular biology and drug delivery, are working on the project at the institute’s Mesra lab. The kit will be tested by Rajeeb Kumar Swain, Scientist ‘E’, Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar.
While India is primarily conducting RT-PCR test, the gold standard for diagnosing covid -19, it is also using rapid antigen tests and antibody tests.
Meanwhile, on Friday, India’s covid-19 count stood at 2,951,736, with 55,534 fatalities, with 47,396 new cases, and 559 deaths in the last 24 hours. The case fatality rate (CFR) currently stands at 1.89%.
Active cases, or the actual case load of the country, stood at 695,735, a number which further dropped in the last 24 hours.
All active cases are under medical supervision, the Union health ministry said.
India’s recovery rate soared to 74.28% on Friday, with 33 states and Union territories reporting a recovery rate of over 50%.
India has also ramped up its testing infrastructure and tested 8,05,985 samples in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative count to 33,467,237.
The diagnostic laboratory network has also been strengthened with 1,504 facilities, including 978 government-operated laboratories and 526 private laboratories.