HYDERABAD: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad, have developed an artificial intelligence-powered low-cost testing kit to detect the novel coronavirus in flat 20 minutes. The cost of Covid-19 test using the new new kit will be around Rs 600. At present, each test is being conducted Rs 4,500.
This new kit is part of the three testing kits for Covid-19 being developed by the IIT-Hyderabad. While this kit was developed within a week, the other two will take about three to six months. The new kit is a rapid, ultrasensitive biomolecule sensor that detects the pandemic virus. The device has been sent to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, and the National Institute of Biologicals (NIB), Pune, for evaluation. It does not require RT-PCR, and has been field-tested at ESIC medical college and hospital in Hyderabad.
The other kits under development are rapid, affordable, portable screening kit and nanobiosensor for rapid and early detection of the virus.
Testing kit can be transported quickly
Each Covid-19 test to cost around Rs 600
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The test kit can produce results in around 20 minutes for symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. It can be transported quickly, enabling the test to be conducted at the point-of-care.
Each Covid-19 test will now cost around Rs 600. However, mass production of the testing kit will help reduce the test cost to around Rs 350. The kit was developed by a team led by Prof Shiv Govind Singh, department of electrical engineering, IIT Hyderabad. Dr Suryasnata Tripathy,
a postdoctoral fellow, Patta Supraja, a fourth-year doctoral student and other students from Prof Singh’s Research Team, institute faculty and funding agencies supported this project.
Prof BS Murty, director, IIT Hyderabad, said, “Since the outbreak of Covid-19, IIT Hyderabad has put together its research expertise to come up with the possible solutions to contain the epidemic.”
The unique points of this testing kit include identifying the unique sequence of conserved region of Covid-19 genome and detecting it without PCR/RT-PCR.
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