COVID-19: IIT-Guwahati develops cost-effective kits for testing

IIT Guwahati has developed a high-quality VTR, RT-PCR, and RNA isolation kits. 

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has announced that it has developed a high quality and affordable Viral Transport Media (VTM), RT-PCR and RNA isolation kits, in collaboration with RR Animal Healthcare Limited and with inputs from Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH).

These kits have been developed after the request of the National Health Mission (NHM) by Professor Parameswar Krishnan Iyer, Professor Siddhartha Sankar Ghosh from IIT Guwahati, and Dr. Labanyamoy Kole of RR Animal Healthcare Limited. The kits have been made as per the standards laid down by the GMCH.

Assam Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma have officially launched the kits.

During the launch, he said,  "Assam has been successfully leading the fight against COVID-19 pandemic and our initiatives have gone a long way in containing this disease in the entire North-East region. We want to identify and contain this disease at an early stage and it is vital that we have all the crucial kits and materials so that our frontline healthcare workers and doctors who are doing a commendable job do not face any hurdles."
“We are very happy with this product development and launch of the VTM and other COVID-19 related kits in IIT Guwahati, Assam and I congratulate The Director, IIT Guwahati and the faculty members for this development as well as acknowledge other help being provided to us," he added.
The VTM kits have designed to use for safe collection, transportation, and culture of nasal and oral swab. Samples can be stored upto 72 hours at refrigerated temperatures using the VTM kits, as per the IIT Guwahati.

The RNA isolation kit and RT-PCR kit by IIT Guwahati can be used to isolate Ribonucleic acid, or RNA, from the virus; purify and convert it to Deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA; which can confirm the presence or absence of the virus.
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