An indigenous RT-PCR diagnostic kit has been developed by a start-up incubated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.). The test kit, based on reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), has been approved for use in authorised COVID-19 diagnostic labs by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Developed by Equine Biotech, founded by Utpal Tatu, professor in the Department of Biochemistry, IISc., the test using the “Global diagnostic kit” takes about one-and-a-half hours to confirm the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in patient samples, and its run time is shorter compared with the kits available in the industry, according to its founders. The company is currently seeking to licence its new COVID-19 test kit and work with med-tech companies and other industries for mass production, marketing, and distribution of these kits.
“Our start-up has been working on…