ICMR Develops Affordable TB Test

26 Aug 2024 , 03:32 PM

The ICMR’s regional centre in Dibrugarh, Assam, has developed an affordable tuberculosis testing method that can diagnose the disease using a patient’s sputum for about Rs 35. The ‘A CRISPR case-based TB diagnosis system’ is lightweight and portable, with three stages of testing. According to news reports, over 1,500 samples can be examined in a single run in around two and a half hours.

Conventional TB diagnostic tests frequently rely on culture, which takes 42 days to confirm as TB negative, microscopy, and nucleic acid-based methods. These are also time-consuming and may necessitate specialised equipment.

An official stated to ET, “Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health concern, demanding the development of precise and speedy diagnostic techniques for efficient disease treatment. Current diagnostic procedures frequently have limits in terms of sensitivity, specificity, speed, and cost, highlighting the need for new approaches.”

Furthermore, while certain molecular diagnostic approaches improve sensitivity, they may lack specificity or encounter constraints related to cost and convenience of use.

The ICMR would also provide technical support through its team of experienced scientists in study design, planning, product development, study protocol development, results or data analysis, outcome assessment, safety and efficacy assessment, product improvement, and so on, if mutually agreed upon by the ICMR and the collaborative company.

The apex health research body would provide support and facilitation for the research and development or clinical study of a new technology or product in India through its affiliates or institutes, in collaboration with the company and institutions, in a professional and mutually agreed-upon manner and time frame.

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