Image for representation.
On Saturday, India’s Comptroller General of Drugs approved the commercial launch of ‘Feluda’.
- News18.com
- Last update: September 20, 2020 12:05 PM IST
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In April 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic was still in its early stages, a team led by two Bengali-origin scientists, Dr. Souvik Maiti and Dr. Debojyoti Chakraborty, at the Council’s Institute for Genomics and Integrative Biology Scientific and Industrial Research Institute (CSIR-IGIB) in New Delhi, came up with a simple ‘strip test’ to tell you if you have COVID-19, in minutes. They called it “Feluda”.
On Saturday, the Comptroller General of Drugs of India approved the commercial launch of “Feluda”.
What is the new Covid-19 test about?
This test uses state-of-the-art CRISPR technology developed in the country for the detection of the genomic sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The Tata CRISPR test achieves the precision levels of traditional RT-PCR tests with faster response time, less expensive equipment, and greater ease of use.
The Tata CRISPR test is the world’s first diagnostic test to implement a specially adapted Cas9 protein to successfully detect the virus that causes Covid-19, according to a CSIR statement.
Furthermore, CRISPR is a futuristic technology that can also be configured to detect many other pathogens in the future. “The Tata Group has worked closely with CSIR-IGIB and ICMR to create a high-quality test that will help the nation scale up COVID-19 testing quickly and inexpensively, with a ‘Made in India’ product that it is safe, reliable and affordable and accessible, “the statement said.
How does it work?
CRISPR is a genome editing technology for diagnosing diseases. The technology has been developed by CSIR-IGIB (Institute for Genomics and Integrative Biology).
This test could also help reduce testing costs – the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test currently in use requires thousands of rupees worth of machinery and the price of the test has a Rs 4,500 limit in private labs. This ‘Feluda’ test could cost around 500 rupees. It can be used in a similar way to pregnancy test strips that are widely available without a prescription, reports The Print.
“This strip will be similar to a pregnancy test strip and will not require any specialized skills or machines to perform it, as is the case with other PCR-based tests. This strip will simply change color and can be used in a simple pathology laboratory. The most important part is that it will be 100% accurate, ”said CSIR Director General Shekhar C. Mande. The impression.
Why has the test been named “Feluda”?
What’s in a name? Apparently everything.
FELUDA is technically an acronym for FNCAS9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay. And yes, it is named after the famous fictional Bengali detective, Feluda, who was popularly featured in author Satyajit Ray’s novels.
In an interview with the Hindustan Times in May, Dr. Debojyoti Chakraborty, who developed the test together with his team, said that he was a fan of Satyajit Ray and that it was his wife who came up with the name.
For the unconscious, here’s some context.
Prodosh Chandra Mitter, better known as Feluda, is a Bengali private investigator who appears regularly in Ray’s novels and short stories. In the novels, Feluda would embark on various adventures with his cousin, Tapesh Ranjan Mitra, or Topshe and the very comical but lovable Laal Mohan Babu.
Through their investigations of crime in different parts of the country, Feluda and his two companions have come to dominate the hearts of all Bengali literature enthusiasts for decades.
Feluda was also known for his cunning mind and witty responses and, of course, his ability to solve crime quickly. Perhaps that is why the CSIR scientists decided to name the rapid Covid-19 test in his honor.
While scientists from other countries such as Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have been testing this approach, this is the first of its kind to be developed in India.
(With PTI inputs)
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