THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The commercial launch of Agappe Chitra Magna, a magnetic nano particle-based RNA extraction kit that will facilitate testing for detection of Covid-19, will be carried out on Thursday. The kit was developed by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), an institute of national significance of the Department of Science and Technology, along with Agappe Diagnostics Ltd, an in-vitro diagnostics manufacturing company based in Kochi.
The launch at the Biomedical Technology Wing of SCTIMST will be attended by its president V K Saraswat, DST secretary Ashutosh Sharma and others through video conference. The institute in a statement said that it is estimated that India would require about eight lakh RNA extraction kits per month during the next six months. In that scenario, Agappe Chitra Magna RNA Isolation Kit priced around Rs 150 per piece is expected to reduce the cost of testing and the country’s dependence on imported kits which cost around Rs 300 a piece.