THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bolstering the efforts to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) from the nation, a screening machine which is cost-efficient, reliable and less time-consuming might soon get commissioned.
The machine developed by the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) has now been recommended for a comprehensive validation study by a 12-member expert committee comprising representatives of the World Health Organisation, Union Ministry of Health, National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, Central TB Division, Indian Council of Medical Research among others.
“The machine we developed, called as GENE Dot, is based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification platform.Though it has been in existence for some time now, it’s highly prone to DNA cross-contamination, thus making the results unreliable,” said SCTIMST senior scientist (molecular medicine division) T Anoop Kumar, who led the team which developed the machine.
He said since the existing machine for TB test and diagnosis is time-consuming and expensive, it was decided to modify the isothermal amplification platform and fix the problem of cross-contamination. “At present, a patient has to pay Rs 2,500-3,000 for testing TB. But once GENE Dot gets installed, a patient has to pay less than Rs 100 for testing TB. Further, while the existing machine could test only four samples at a time, the new one could test 20,” said Anoop.
It is learnt the SCTISMT has already approached the WHO to validate the machine’s performance at varied platforms at the national and international levels.
Taking note of the GENE Dot’s defect to identify those samples which are drug-resistant, the SCTIMST team has decided to work on that aspect too. “India is one of the countries with the highest burden of TB cases. Once GENE Dot gets commissioned, it could be used for mass-screening of patients at minimum costs.
It might also help Kerala to become the first state in the country to be declared as TB-free,” added Anoop.
Modification
The existing machine for TB test and diagnosis is time-consuming and expensive, it was decided to modify the isothermal amplification platform and fix the problem of cross-contamination
At present, a patient has to pay I2,500-3,000 for testing TB. But once GENE Dot gets installed, a patient has to pay less than I100 for testing TB