MYSURU: While testing more people is emerging as an acceptable formula in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic, Mysuru-based CSIR Central Food Technological Research Institute along with its CSIR lab, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad, is working on a cheaper and faster rapid indigenous diagnostic testing kit.
Revealing this, newly-appointed CFTRI director Dr Sridevi Annapurna Singh said it is an aptamer-based dipstick mode testing kit that is one-tenth the cost of the gold standard RT-PCR testing.“The project was taken up with the funding of CSIR to develop the aptamer-based dipstick testing kit along with CSIR CCMB. We have made good progress. It is one-tenth the cost of RT-PCR mode of testing and is faster,” she said, adding that despite being a food laboratory, they wanted to help since the pandemic hit had many lives.
It may be recalled that the CFTRI had come up with rapid kits for to detect adulteration in food earlier. During the initial days of the pandemic outbreak, it developed hand sanitisers.She was speaking at an event held to mark the testing of 1.2 samples since the inception of the Covid-19 test lab set up by CFTRI in August. Dr Singh said the CFTRI’s testing lab, the third one in the city which was established with funding from CSIR, has been functioning at the panchakarma centre in the city.
Along with the Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory testing lab at MMC&RI has together tested over 5 lakh samples free of cost since their inception.The event saw 21 students and staff from CFTRI getting felicitated in association with the microbiologists’ society for their work through the pandemic along with doctors from the health department.