Nitte University awarded Covid diagnostic project

The Science and Engineering Board of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, has approved a project at Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research (NUCSER) to developing a rapid point of care diagnostic test for the Covid-19 causing coronavirus.

This project has been approved based on the earlier experience of NUCSER faculty in rapid detection of pathogens causing infectious diseases. The test to be developed would not involve sophisticated equipment and can be implemented in low resource settings like rural testing centres in India, explained Dr Iddya Karunasagar, Senior Director (International Relations) of the university.

The currently available test - Reverse Transcriptase Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction has a turnaround time of over eight hours and can be implemented only in designated facilities with sophisticated facilities.

The NUCSER technology is based on the detection of viral nucleic acid, which would be simple and results can be obtained within an hour of receiving samples but will have the same sensitivity, specificity and accuracy.

University Chancellor N Vinaya Hegde and Vice Chancellor Dr Satheesh Kumar Bhandary congratulated NUCSER scientists for their efforts and have extended all facilities of the university to ensure the success of the project.

The project will be implemented by Dr Biswajit Maiti and Dr Praveen Rai, NUCSER faculty, under the mentorship of Dr Iddya Karunasagar and Dr Indrani Karunasagar.