JNU to Develop Device for Coronavirus Test
JNU has announced that it will be creating a device which will be used for the detection of COVID-19. The university has received approval from BIRAC for this project.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) will be working on developing a device for COVID-19 detection. The Vice-Chancellor of JNU, M. Jagadesh Kumar, announced that the university has received approval for a project on coronavirus research from the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). It is a public sector enterprise which was set up by the Department of Biotechnology.
BIRAC has given a nod to Jawaharlal Nehru University for designing a COVID-19 detection device under the diagnostics category. The VC said that this approval has been given for developing low-cost portable microfluidics embedded on-chip RT-PCR and microelectrode array coupled point-of-care optoelectronic device which will be used for large-scale screening of emerging viral disease like SARS-CoV-2.
The utilisation of Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) by using a real-time PCR machine is done majorly for the detection of coronavirus. It has proven to provide accurate and precise lab tests for the detection, tracking, and studying of the novel coronavirus.
Kumar spoke on this matter and told that this technology is not only expensive but it also requires high-end laboratory-based equipment and is also time-consuming. He further said that expert personnel is needed for operating the instrument and performing the tests in the laboratory. Hence, the capacity of sample handling is limited each day is limited.
A chip-based low-cost portable spatial RT-PCR has been designed by a team led by Dr. Jaydeep Bhattacharya who is from the School of Biotechnology of JNU. This chip has been created in an attempt to overcome the cost and the other issues related to the conventional methods and the PCR in this chip has been integrated with the in-built detection system that contains LED and diode detector.
Also Read:Six JNU Schools and Special Centres to Conduct End-Semester Exams Online
The Vice Chancellor further explained the device and told that this portable device can also be operated on a battery which will enable us to perform a point-of-care measurement. JNU has already proceeded with this design and filed an Indian Patent application on this technology. Kumar revealed that this technology can complete the testing in around 50 minutes as compared to the 120-180 minutes that are required for conventional real-time PCR.
The advantages of the technology developed by the university was explained at length by Kumar and he said that the size of the machine is small, it costs less, takes less time for testing, and it will make testing for Coronavirus possible even in the remotest areas of the country. People can learn how to handle and operate the device through simple training.
Giving the cost comparison, the VC revealed that the expected cost of this technology is Rs. 60,000 to Rs.1 lakh which is far less than the usual amount of Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 15 lakh required for the conventional real-time PCR. It is estimated that JNU will demonstrate the first prototype of this testing device in about 4 months.
Also Read:JNU to Conduct its Mid-Semester Exams Online Due to COVID-19 Lockdown
The team working on creating the device consists of scientists like Dr. Jaydeep Bhattacharya, Dr. Ravi Tandon, and Dr. Rupesh Chaturvedi from JNU, Dr. Ranjita Ghosh Moulick from Amity University, Gurgaon, Dr. Sameer Gulati from Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, and Dr. Subrata Sarkar and Dr. Souvik Pal from Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Kolkata.