More time needed for rolling out virus diagnostic test

News: The Chitra GeneLAMP-N testing kit for coronavirus may be delayed for several more weeks as it needs more confirmatory testing as well as changes in its configuration.

Facts:

• Chitra GeneLAMP-N testing kit has been developed by Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology,Trivandrum.
• The test detects two regions of the N gene of SARS- COV2 using RT-Loop mediated isothermal amplification(RT-LAMP) method which will ensure that the test does not fail even if one region of the viral gene undergoes mutation during its current spread.

Additional Facts:

Reverse Transcription-based Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP):

• It is a technique for the amplification of RNA.It is used in the detection of viruses. 
• In this method, a DNA copy of the viral RNA is generated by reverse transcriptase and then isothermal amplification is carried out to increase the amount of total DNA.
• Reverse transcriptase(RT):It is an enzyme used to generate complementary DNA (DNA) from an RNA template,a process termed reverse transcription.
• Isothermal amplification: It enables rapid and specific amplification of DNA at constant temperature (60-65 °C).