Feluda, first CRISPR COVID-19 test, what is it and how it works
Fast, correct and accessible testing can rework the way in which India is coping with monitoring and halting the unfold of coronavirus COVID-19 and Tata Sons has deployed the investigative expertise of a homegrown Feluda, very similar to the fictional Bengali sleuth it’s named after, to assist India remedy the thriller of this pandemic.
The business launch of ‘Feluda’, the Tata CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) COVID-19 test, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been authorised by the Drugs Controller General of India. This test makes use of an indigenously developed, cutting-edge CRISPR expertise for detection of the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 virus, based on the CSIR.
What is Feluda?
Feluda–an acronym for FNCAS9 Editor-Limited Uniform Detection Assay, is an indigenous COVID-19 testing mechanism that was created on the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s constituent lab, the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) in New Delhi. It is anticipated to handle the pressing want for correct mass testing due to its affordability, relative ease of use and non-dependency on costly qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain response) machines.
Feluda is a fictitious character from Satyajit Ray`s movie that is some kind of a detective and there are competing test. “What we develop paper-based test there also been developed some part of the world and one of the groups have given name Sherlock so we thought Sherlock is another fictitious character so we thought Feluda would actually match that. Feluda is an Indian name Satyajit Rays very showcase name so we thought we give Feluda name to this test strip,” mentioned Director-General Dr Shekhar Mande.
What is CRISPR?
The Tata Group was given nod for the launch of India`s first Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic (CRISPR) Covid-19 test for business launch. Anurag Agrawal, the director, CSIR-IGIB, mentioned the work began by CSIR below the sickle cell mission for genome diagnostics and therapeutics led to new information that could possibly be harnessed to rapidly develop a brand new diagnostic test for SARS-CoV-2. He emphasised that this exhibits the interconnectedness of scientific information and expertise and the innovation of the younger analysis group led by Debojyoti Chakraborty and Souvik Maiti.
What is the test?
CRISPR is a genome-editing expertise to diagnose illnesses. The expertise has been developed by CSIR-IGIB (Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology). “The Tata CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) test, powered by CSIR-IGIB (Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology) Feluda, received regulatory approvals today from DCGI for commercial launch, as per ICMR guidelines, meeting high-quality benchmarks with 96 per cent sensitivity and 98 per cent specificity for detecting novel coronavirus,” an announcement mentioned.
The Tata CRISPR test is the world’s first diagnostic test to deploy a specifically tailored Cas9 protein to efficiently detect the virus inflicting COVID-19, it mentioned. The Tata CRISPR test achieves accuracy ranges of conventional RT-PCR exams with faster turnaround time, cheaper gear and higher ease of use.
Moreover, CRISPR is a futuristic expertise that will also be configured for detection of a number of different pathogens sooner or later. “The Tata Group has worked closely with CSIR-IGIB and ICMR to create a high-quality test that will help the nation ramp up COVID-19 testing quickly and economically, with a ‘Made in India’ product that is safe, reliable, affordable and accessible,” the assertion added.
How does Feluda work?
The test is powered by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research`s Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) Feluda, which is an acronym for the FNCAS9 Editor-Limited Uniform Detection Assay. A group of younger scientists, have developed this 45 minutes cost-effective paper-based equipment for COVID-19 test, mentioned CSIR Director-General Dr Shekhar Mande.
“Feluda test kit only takes 45 minutes compared to the COVID test whereas an RT-PCR takes long hours and this COVID-19 testing kit is cheaper than RT-PCR based test kit. So in terms of time cost and accuracy Feluda test kit is best. Another advantage is that it does not require any heavy equipment like RT-PCR,” mentioned Dr Mande to ANI. He mentioned a laboratory in Delhi`s CSIR-IGIB has been engaged on CRISPR-based detection equipment as a result of that they had its prior expertise in working on this factor earlier than the COVID-19 pandemic got here.
“They were able to very quickly repurpose the thing for COVID and they have developed a paper-based Diagnostic kit which is called now Feluda and that kit yesterday got approval from the Drug Controller of General India (DCGI) who is the regulatory authority for this and the kit is being commercialized by Tata sons. Tata sons who have approach DCGI for approval and yesterday receive the formal approval,” he mentioned.
What is the price?
Dr Mande mentioned, “Feluda test kit is very cost-effective because many things it doesn`t require costly equipment, unlike RT-PCR. It does not require any chemical which is costly. It is very cost-effective and in terms of time, it is very quick. It can literally in 45 minutes finish the test,” he mentioned.
Feluda equipment vs RT-PCR equipment
They are completely different in some ways and related in some methods. An benefit Feluda equipment has is that it doesn’t require any heavy gear like RT- PCR we will additionally put the testing equipment in automobile tempos. “So we can move anywhere even villages and move them around and keep testing people.so these are the advantages of Feluda test strip kit,” Dr Mande added.
“In diagnosis, there are three principles of components diagnosis has to be rapid; the test has to be cheap and affordable at the diagnosis. It has to be accurate, which is the most paramount important thing that what we look for in today`s date. In the field, RT-PCR is a gold standard and Feluda does not compromise on the accuracy of it so it`s as good as RT-PCR test. That is why we are very confident on this Feluda test strip,” he mentioned.
$(function() { return $("[data-sticky_column]").stick_in_parent({ parent: "[data-sticky_parent]" }); });
reset_scroll = function() { var scroller; scroller = $("body,html"); scroller.stop(true); if ($(window).scrollTop() !== 0) { scroller.animate({ scrollTop: 0 }, "fast"); } return scroller; };
window.scroll_it = function() { var max; max = $(document).height() - $(window).height(); return reset_scroll().animate({ scrollTop: max }, max * 3).delay(100).animate({ scrollTop: 0 }, max * 3); };
window.scroll_it_wobble = function() { var max, third; max = $(document).height() - $(window).height(); third = Math.floor(max / 3); return reset_scroll().animate({ scrollTop: third * 2 }, max * 3).delay(100).animate({ scrollTop: third }, max * 3).delay(100).animate({ scrollTop: max }, max * 3).delay(100).animate({ scrollTop: 0 }, max * 3); };
$(window).on("resize", (function(_this) { return function(e) { return $(document.body).trigger("sticky_kit:recalc"); }; })(this));
}).call(this);
} on_load_google_ad(); function sendAdserverRequest() { try { if (pbjs && pbjs.adserverRequestSent) return; googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.pubads().refresh(); }); } catch (e) {
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.pubads().refresh(); }); } } setTimeout(function() { sendAdserverRequest(); }, 5000);
function on_load_fb_twitter_widgets(){ (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.9"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));
window.twttr = (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], t = window.twttr || {}; if (d.getElementById(id)) return t; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); t._e = []; t.ready = function(f) {
t._e.push(f); }; return t; }(document, "script", "twitter-wjs")); }
//setTimeout(function() { on_load_google_ad(); }, 5000); setTimeout(function() { on_load_fb_twitter_widgets(); }, 5000);
Source