JNU comes up with cost effective viral infections testing kit

During the difficult times of coronavirus when the entire world is trying to find a cure for COVID-19, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has come up with a low-cost portable testing technology which would help complete the testing in about 50 minutes as compared to 120-180 minutes required for conventional real-time PCR.

New Delhi:To test viral infections including COVID-19, JNU has designed a chip-based low-cost portable spatial RT-PCR where the PCR has been integrated with an in-built detection system containing LED and diode detector, Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar announced.

He said the university, which has been given the approval to carry out a project on COVID-19 testing that will be an alternative to RT-PCR test, was targeting to demonstrate the first prototype testing device in about four months.

Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, a public sector enterprise set up by Department of Biotechnology, has given its nod to the JNU under diagnostics category to develop a low-cost portable device for large-scale screening of the viral infections, he said.

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At present, the detection of COVID-19 infection is being mostly done by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) by using a real-time PCR machine, a very accurate lab test for detecting, tracking and studying the virus, he said, adding that this technology is expensive and requires high-end laboratory-based equipment.

It's also time-consuming, he added.

The VC said that the JNU has already filed an Indian Patent application on portable spatial RT-PCR, the technology that can complete the testing in about 50 minutes as compared to 120-180 minutes required for conventional real-time PCR.