Hyd firm BioGenex's RT-PCR kit can detect all COVID-19 variants
BioGenex Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd, a Hyderabad-based company headquartered in the US, has developed an RT-PCR kit that detects COVID-19 variants, including Omicron.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 7 Jan 2022 3:03 PM GMT
Hyderabad: BioGenex Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd, a Hyderabad-based company headquartered in the US, has developed an RT-PCR kit that detects COVID-19 variants, including Omicron. The kit detects Omicron without RNA extraction in half the time than standard PCR, Dr. Krishan Kalra, the CEO of the company, said on Friday.
The kit is priced at Rs. 150 (plus taxes) and has been launched nationally.
The National Institute of Biologicals (NIB), Noida, an ICMR designated lab, examined the performance of the kit and found that it performed with 100% accuracy and 100% sensitivity which means no false negatives or positives. This will significantly control the pandemic through accurate diagnosis.
The NIB is an APEX autonomous institute under the administrative control of the Union ministry of health and family welfare engaged in quality control evaluation of various biological products like vaccines, blood products, blood reagents, and immuno-diagnostic kits produced in and imported into India.
The Triplex COVID-19 RT-PCR Direct is a real-time RT-PCR test intended for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 directly from the upper respiratory swab, nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swabs, collected in preservative media, (VTM/UTM), pH 7.2-7.4 to provide the molecular diagnostic basis for infected patients.
It will help scientists in rapid tracking of disease prevalence and aid in treatment insight (hospital beds, oxygen ventilators, and expensive medications) for healthcare systems in making appropriate measures to combat COVID-19, the company said in a statement.
It added that there are many challenges associated with ramping up testing capacity due to supply chain delays and shortage of extraction reagents that call for alternative protocols to ensure the continuity of testing in laboratories. "Due to increased demand in SARS-CoV-2 variants screenings, alternative protocol with similar sensitivity is required. Sustained surveillance is essential for public health. Our latest tests reduce the cost of testing and turnaround time for the result," said Dr. Kalra.
