Researchers at IIT Delhi claim to have developed a new way to detect the Omicron variant which can give results within 90 minutes. Currently, the identification or screening for omicron is done worldwide using next-generation sequencing-based methods, which require over three days.
The assay is based on detecting specific mutations, which are present in the Omicron variant and absent in other currently circulating variants of the coronavirus, the IIT claims. By using this RT-PCR based assay, it will be possible to test for the presence of the Omicron variant within 90 minutes, claim the researchers. This can be used as a rapid screening assay for the identification and isolation of individuals with Omicron variants.
Read | From Testing Kits to Anti-COVID Gears: What Education Institutes Contributed to Fight Against Coronavirus
The method is developed by the Kusuma School of Biological Sciences at IIT-Delhi. “Primer sets targeting these unique mutations in the S gene were designed for the specific amplification of either the Omicron variant or other currently circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2 and tested using real-time PCR. Using synthetic DNA fragments, the assays were optimised to distinguish the wild-type from the Omicron variant in a dynamic range from 107 to <100 copies /reaction,” said the institute in an official statement.
IIT Delhi has filed an Indian patent application for the same and is in the process of initiating talks with potential industry partners. IIT Delhi had earlier obtained ICMR approval (first academic institutions in India to do so) for an RT-PCR kit for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2, which was successfully launched in the
market.
IIT-Delhi had earlier developed a kit to detect Covid-19 which can be used without the intervention of experts. The peptide-based test for detection of COVID-19 antibodies called ELISA helps in determining whether a person possesses antibodies for COVID-19 in their blood. According to IIT-Delhi, the test results can help identify antibodies in individuals who want to donate blood for the experimental treatment of infected patients.
Read all the Latest Education News here
Comments
0 comment