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Defense Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) has developed a Covid-19 antibody detection kit named Dipcovan.
About Dipcovan Kit:
- Firstly, Dipcovan kit is a Covid-19 antibody detection kit. Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences lab of DRDO developed it in association with Delhi’s Vanguard Diagnostics Pvt Ltd.
- Secondly, Purpose: Its primary purpose is to detect antibodies. It will also be used in Covid-19 epidemiology studies such as serosurveys.
- Antibodies are protective proteins produced by the immune system to attack antigens. The antigen is a toxin or other foreign substance that induces an immune response in the body.
- Thirdly, How does it work? DIPCOVAN is a DIPAS-VDx Covid-19 IgG antibody microwell ELISA. The kit can detect both spikes and nucleocapsid (S&N) proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with a high sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 99%.
- Fourthly, the Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) has approved the detection kit .
- Fifthly, Significance: The kit offers a significantly faster turn-around time. It requires just 75 minutes to conduct the test without any cross-reactivity with other diseases. It also has a shelf life of 18 months.
About ELISA:
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay(ELISA) is a test that detects and measures antibodies in the blood.
- The usage of the test includes determining antibodies related to certain infectious conditions.
- Some examples include HIV which causes AIDS, Rotavirus, Zika virus, Lyme disease among others.
Source: Indian Express
