Researchers at IIT-Delhi have developed an RT-PCR-based assay to detect Omicron inside 90 minutes, according to officials as per PTI.
At the moment Omicron is detected worldwide using next-generation sequencing-based methods which take more than 3 days.
The institute has filed an Indian patent application for the assay developed by its Kusuma School of Biological Sciences and will start to initiate talks with potential industry partners.?
"The assay is based on detecting specific mutations which are present in the Omicron variant and absent in other currently circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2. Primer sets targeting these unique mutations in the S gene were designed for the specific amplification of either the Omicron variant or other currently circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2 and tested using real-time PCR," a senior IIT Delhi official said.
"Using synthetic DNA fragments, the assays were optimised to distinguish the wild-type from the Omicron variant in a dynamic range. Currently, the identification or screening for Omicron is done worldwide using next-generation sequencing-based methods, which require over 3 days. By using this RT-PCR-based assay, it will be possible to test for the presence of the Omicron variant within 90 minutes," the official added.?
IIT Delhi was India's first academic institute with ICMR approval for a real-time PCR-based diagnostic assay.?
The institute found a way to detect COVID to reduce the cost of testing by a lot and that made it affordable for a large population in the country.?
The Omicron variant was first detected in India in Bengaluru when 2 people tested positive.?
Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Chandigarh reported their first Omicron case on December 12, while Maharashtra and Karnataka each recorded one more case and that takes India's tally to 38.
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