A brief about Coronavirus:
Everyone is knowing more and more about the growth and spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Every day some new mystery is being revealed by researchers regarding the structure which is leading to reinfection some cases. The spread of the virus is depicting an increasing trend with more number of positive cases increasing in the world. In some part of the world, reinfection twice by two strains of Coronavirus are also being reported. However, lockdown doesn’t exist, and business are getting back on track slowly. People are wearing masks and are following social distancing in order to control the spread of the virus. However, cases of negligence have also been observed, which is creating trouble in the minds of policymakers.
Surge in COVID-19 Testing:
With an increase in the number of positives, the testing panel is already being scaled up by the nodal agency of the nation known as Indian Council of Medical Research. Testing is being conducted on a large scale by different ICMR designated private and government laboratories. With an increase in testing, the number of cases is increasing with more people being put under home isolation or in hospitals depending upon the condition and severity of the infection. Testing is expanding due to the development of Real-Time PCR kits on a large scale by different companies operating in the nation. These kits are being approved my ICMR prior being used to testing purpose. Time to know the positive or negative result is also reducing due to which more patients are being tested for the presence of Coronavirus. Asymptomatic patients are getting checked if they have come in contact with Coronavirus infected patients.
Real-Time PCR Kits:
Real-Time PCR protocol is the gold standard protocol that is being implemented across the country for the detection of coronavirus patients. To make this job easier, Genes2Me, a premier genetic testing and the advanced molecular diagnostic company is manufacturing ICMR approved diagnostic kits for COVID-19. The kits include Multiplex Real-Time PCR kits and Viral RNA Extraction kits. Viral Dtect and Viral Dtect II are multiplex Real-Time PCR kits which gives coverage to more than three genes (RdRp, ORF1ab, E and N genes) that help in the confirmation of Coronavirus in asymptomatic, infected and suspected cases. CE and IVD also certify the kit. The kit is compatible with most of the Real-Time PCR machines available in the market. Nasal swabs and Oropharyngeal specimens can be used for processing using Viral Dtect Kit. Multiplexing in a single tube is also possible due to more number of probes that are used in the kit. Positive and negative controls are also added in the kit for the accuracy and reliability of the results.
RNA Isolation Kit:
RNA isolation is the first step performed in order to perform Real-Time PCR analysis. Good quality and quantity of RNA is prerequisite for further downstream applications. RNA isolation is a tedious task and requires optimization of various standards and reagents used in the protocol. In this, MagRNA-II Viral RNA extraction kit is used for the extraction of high quality and quantity of RNA in quick turnaround time. The kit is based on magnetic nanoparticle technology which allows recovery of more than 95 % RNA from the clinical specimens under consideration. The kit also comes with the inclusion of carrier RNA, which enhances the quality of RNA extracted from the clinical specimens. The kit can be used for manual as well as automated extraction of RNA with the help of top-notch machines available in the market. The kit can be used for isolation of RNA from human serum, nasal swabs and clinical specimens. The kit has got necessary approval from ICMR for use in COVID-19 designated laboratories.