From swab to results in 40 mins: ICMR approves ’ Coviswift RTPCR kit
Laboratories in Pune can soon use Mylabs’ Coviswift test kit, capable of detecting four targets of the Sars-Cov-2 virus in 40 minutes
PUNE Laboratories in Pune can soon use Mylabs’ Coviswift test kit, capable of detecting four targets of the Sars-Cov-2 virus in 40 minutes.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved the kit which is capable of detecting four target genes, which includes ORF1ab/RdRp, E, N, and S genes, essential for detecting the Omicron variant.
Being a point-of-care solution, it will enable small labs and collection centres to conduct Covid-19 tests thus increase testing capacity drastically.
Mylabs claims it is patented the technology and can process 16 samples in 40 minutes, from swab to report.
Hasmukh Rawal, managing director of Mylab, said, “With this solution, we have solved many problems with RT-PCR testing. RT-PCR test components need to be stored and transported at -20 degrees at all times, but the CoviSwift test will be stored and transported at room temperature. This means RT-PCR testing can now reach small towns and villages where cold chains are not available or electricity is not continuously available. We have applied for a series of patents on underlying technologies and we believe this solution will change the face of molecular diagnostics.”
The company has developed software to interpret the results automatically. The user just needs to take the nasal sample into tubes, mix and put into the Compact Q, as simple as a self-test. It will be available in a pack of single tests with all components.
Technically, CoviSwift is driven by the RT-PCR gold-standard technology. Rapid PCR is usually single-gene based, who’s in-field accuracy is nowhere close to the RT-PCR gold standard. The test is expected to be available in the market by early February.