Mysore University Develops COVID-19 Self-Testing Kits Which Gives Result In 10 Min

COVID-19 self-testing kit: Researchers at the University of Mysore (UoM) have created a COVID-19 self-testing kit with a precision rate as high as over 90%. The price of the kit is going to be as low as Rs 100 as it would be made by the state-run University of Mysore.

The varsity, alongside the Hyderabad-based Lorven Biologics Pvt. Ltd., has fostered a COVID-19 self-testing kit which is currently being shipped off by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, for emergency approval.

The college asserts that the pack is expected to be accessible at a reasonable expense of Rs 100 since it has been created by a state-run college, said Prof. Rangappa, who is the previous Vice-Chancellor of UoM and the head of the college's exploration group.

Prof. Rangappa in conversation with Indian Express said that right now they have two methods of testing to detect COVID-19. One of them is the Rapid-antigen tests and the second one is the rapid detection kits developed and released by a few companies. Prof. Rangappa pointed out the uncertainty with the existing rapid detection methods as they offer only 60-90 per cent accuracy. Hence, the University of Mysore decided to conduct research and develop a new kit that can overcome the limitations associated with the existing strategies.

He added, "This kit has a unique feature where a barcode strip is linked to an app. As soon as the barcode is scanned, the health status of the patient, whether he/she has tested positive or negative, will be updated on the server thereby, enabling the governing agencies to monitor the cases immediately. The recent technologies in molecular biology, nanotechnology and artificial intelligence were used in the development of the kit."

The COVID-19 self-testing kit can be used by persons with COVID-19 symptoms. It can detect the infection using body fluids like sputum, nasal secretions and saliva. The COVID-19 self-testing kit takes about 10 minutes to detect whether the person is infected or not with the disease.