CSIR-CCMB, Apollo Hospitals to develop dry swab test for COVID-19

Collaboration to cover joint manufacturing and commercialisation of Direct Amplification rapid RT-PCR (DArRT-PCR) – for SARS-CoV-2 detection developed by CSIR-CCMB, which will be more rapid, safe, and cost-effective than the current gold standard

CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) and the Apollo Hospitals will collaborate for joint manufacturing and commercialisation of an innovative dry swab test, Direct Amplification rapid RT-PCR (DArRT-PCR) – for SARS-CoV-2 detection.

The test has been developed by CSIR-CCMB and the collaboration with Apollo Hospitals will reportedly focus on scaling up manufacturing and commercialisation of the tests jointly. The rapid, safe, and cost-effective DArRT-PCR tests will be available nationally through the Apollo Hospitals network.

The DArRT-PCR allows for rapid, safer, and more cost-effective SARS-COV-2 testing. The sample collection centers can send dry nasal or oropharyngeal swabs to testing centers with no need for the imported and expensive Viral Transport Medium. The biological sample can be directly isolated from the patient swabs, and testing using a one-step protocol.

As per a release, the current gold-standard method, on the contrary, requires many expensive reagents and steps that add to the expertise, money, and time required for the tests. The DArRT-PCR test reduces the time and human effort by 40-50 per cent in the current setting of testing.

Dr Rakesh Mishra, Director, CSIR-CCMB applauded this collaboration and said, “As people are getting back to their normal lives and businesses, it is important for us to ramp up our testing for the coronavirus. The virus will be here for some time, it seems, and those who test more frequently will be able to contain the impact of COVID-19 better. Cheaper, rapid, and easy to use tests as these are the need of the hour. With Apollo and its vast network of hospitals and health services, we are positive about impacting many lives towards better health.”

Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group commented that co-creating and commercialising an Indian solution in line with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat is an important landmark for Apollo Hospitals. “As India continues to unlock, easy availability of cost-effective, reliable testing for COVID-19 is the key to getting back to normal. Widespread testing will enable quick identification, immediate isolation, and early treatment to prevent spread. With nearly half of all COVID-19 infections transmitted by people who are asymptomatic, these easy and quick tests will go a long way in facilitating the identification of infected individuals who may be asymptomatic or presymptomatic. These tests will give a boost to the efforts to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 and will play a major role in controlling the pandemic.”

Apollo HospitalsCSIR-CCMBDArRT-PCRdry swab testoropharyngeal swabsSARS-CoV-2 detection
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