Page 32 - COVID_19_June_4_2020

DBT-THSTI’s Bioassay lab tests 6,980 COVID-19 samples
The DBT’s Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (DBT-THSTI)’s Bioassay Laboratory has tested 6,980 samples as on 20th May 2020 with samples coming from districts of Palwal (Civil Hospital), Gurugram (Civil Hospital),Nuh (Mandikhera Civil Hospital) and Faridabad (ESIC Hospital).
Following ICMR’s approval, DBT-
THSTI’s Bioassay Laboratory
was designated a COVID-19 testing laboratory.The Faridabad-based institute is the only DBT funded lab designated for COVID-19 testing in the state.
The team led by Dr. Guruprasad Medigeshi, Professor at DBT-THSTI and Bioassay Laboratory Director, has also trained staff from Faridabad’s ESI hospital and Hasan Khan Mewati General Medical College, Nalhar, Nuh (HKMGMC) to enable them to test samples in the respective diagnostic departments. ESI hospital has been assisted for infrastructure development. The team from THSTI helped to operationalize a lab for COVID-19 diagnosis at ESI hospital to handle the increased number of tests to be conducted in Faridabad.A total of eight researchers from ESIC and HKMGMC have been trained to carry out testing, RNA extraction, running Real-Time-PCR assays, analysing data and final reporting.
Website link:
https://thsti.res.in/
DBT-RGCB developing therapeutics against COVID-19
KRIBS BioNest, the bio- incubation centre of the DBT’s Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), housing 30 Biotechnology start-ups has introduced several products to combat COVID-19.
In addition, M/s. Avisa Biotech
Pvt Ltd is developing marine
extracellular polysaccharides as
a potential therapeutics against
the disease. Drugs against
COVID-19 are the need of the
hour. One candidate is a broad-spectrum extracellular polysaccharide (EPS) of marine protists. Carageenan, a similar marine polysaccharide, has been developed as a nasal spray against rhinitis, sinusitis, Influenza A and Influenza B viruses.
The target organisms for the polysaccharides are Thraustochytrids, a group of single-celled, marine, heterotrophic algae. The broad-spectrum antiviral properties of several strains of these microorganisms have been demonstrated against entero-, cytomegalo-, adeno-, Hepatitis
Translational Health Science and Technology Institute
Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology
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