Chitra Gene LAMP-N: Diagnostic kit developed by SCTIMST, Thiruvananthapuram

The Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Science (SCTIMST), an institute of national importance developed a diagnostic kit. The kit reduces test time by two hours.

Why is it better than RT-PCR?

The cost of the kit is Rs 1000. The time taken by the kit to examine the samples is half as that of the time taken by the RT-PCR tests. Currently, India is using RT-PCR to examine COVID-19 samples. It takes 5 hours for the test to produce results. Also, the test costs Rs 4,500.

About the Kit

The kit uses RT-LAMP technique to identify the N gene of the virus. The kit has passed all validations of National Institute of Virology. The technology used in the kit was earlier applied to detect tuberculosis bacteria.

RT-LAMP

The RT-LAMP is a technique is Reverse Transcriptase Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification technique. The technique has begun to replace RT-PCR for its rapidity, simplicity, sensitivity and specificity.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2020