Page 15 - Dream May 2020 English

COVID-19 SPECIAL
SOLIDARITY
to fulfill these objectives. These companies include BHEL, Cipla and the life sciences wing of the TCS.
Researchers at three of CSIR’s laboratories – National Chemical Laboratories (NCL), Pune, Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, and Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad – are working to develop a cure for COVID-19. CSIR has tied up with pharmaceutical companies Cipla and Cadila Zydus for this purpose.
Development of test kits
As part of the efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, Pune-based molecular diagnostics company, Mylab Discovery Solutions Pvt Ltd, has developed the first Made in India COVID-19 testing kit. Based on cutting-edge technology, the kit – MylabPathoDetect COVID-19 Qualitative PCR kit – is the first one to receive commercial approval from the Indian FDA/ Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). It also fulfills the parameters of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) of the US. Besides, Mylab is the only Indian company to have achieved 100 per cent sensitivity and specificity in the ICMR evaluation. The company has expertise in manufacturing diagnostic kits for many diseases including AIDS. Mylab’s single kit will
enable around 1,000 tests in a single lab in coming days, the current capacity is only 100 tests.
The scientists at CSIR’s Delhi-based Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) have succeeded in developing a low-cost rapid test kit for COVID-19. The researchers at this premier laboratory were able to come up with a portable paper strip that can detect the RNA of the coronavirus in less than an hour. The test comes at a much cheaper cost than the existing testing kits and is waiting for approval from regulatory agencies. Once approved, this test kit can increase the rate of daily tests considerably.
At present, India’s testing rate per million population remains among the lowest in the world. The central government is importing testing kits from several countries. The production of indigenous kits will increase testing and set to rest apprehensions about real number of cases being reported in India.
All premier science, technology and research institutes across the country are working to fight the SARS-COV-2 virus. These include Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Department of Science and Technology, Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Department of Biotechnology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), various campuses of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) among others. Many private research laboratories and organisations are also lending a helping hand to this cause. The laboratories of many of these institutions can also be used for testing, if the need arises.
Equipment for medical care
An incubator company in Pune’s Scitech Park has developed a new technology that offers an effective solution to spreading of SARS-COV-2. The technology called ScitechAiron can disinfect closed spaced and rooms to minimum levels within an hour. The ScitechAiron ionizer generator developed under the ‘Nidhi Prayas’ programme initiated by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), can be used to kill bacteria, virus and fungi in a closed environment. It can be used to disinfect closed places like houses and hospitals that have COVID-19 patients or suspect cases. The innovation is particularly useful in ensuring that the doctors, nurses and other staff dealing with such cases do not catch the virus.
Bengaluru-based Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), an autonomous institution under the Department of Science and Technology, has developed an anti-microbial coating. When coated on surfaces like clothes and plastic, it kills a range of viruses like SARS- COV-2. The covalent coating is made from a mixture of chemicals.
The DRDO has approved the Personal Protection Equipment (PPEs) developed by the Indian Railways. The Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is helping to manufacture safety equipment for personal safety of medical personnel as well as for hospitals. Likewise, CSIR is also collaborating with
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