Palaeoscience institute partners with diagnostic firm for COVID-19 testing

By Abhinav Pandey

Lucknow, Apr 12 () The Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeoscience (BSIP) here, an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, has partnered with a private diagnostic firm to start testing for coronavirus from next week.

The institute is also working on 'mass screening assay' to diagnose a large population of 30-40 thousand per week.

This is for the first time that the institute is going for sample testing.

"Our work is on palaeoscience (study of geological past). This is for the first time we are going for sample testing. We have all the necessary kits for precaution and we know principles and applications for dealing with such samples. After the tie up we are all ready with corona testing from next week," In-charge, ancient DNA lab, BSIP, Dr Neeraj Rai told .

BSIP and the Redcliffe team, with which the institute has partnered, is also working on a mass screening assay to diagnose a large population using a mass array technology, Dr Rai said.

"If we get approvals, which are in the pipeline, we will be to able to test 30-40 thousand samples in a week, which is the need of the hour," Dr Rai said.

About the testing costs, Co-Founder, Redcliffe Life Sciences, Ashish Dubey told , "The cost is expected to be less than Rs. 1000 per sample and for a large set of population this can be even less than Rs. 700 provided 500 samples are screened together"

He said BSIP has been appointed as the sample analysing center (SAC). Redcliffe will provide infectious diagnostic testing services for COVID-19.

The diagnostic company recently got approval for this unique PPP model from BSIP.

As part of the association, BSIP will provide infrastructure, which has biosafety level covering laboratories that work with agents associated with human diseases (pathogenic or infections organisms that pose a moderate health hazard) as per ICMR guidelines, Dr Rai said.

The institution will also design the assays and protocols to test the presence and absence of COVID 19 using RT-PCR as per ICMR guidelines.

Redcliffe will help conduct a prescribed diagnostic test within a set time (calculated from the sample receipt) and issue a formal test report using their manpower trained at handling infectious samples, Dr Rai said,

Dubey said,"There are not many testing labs in Uttar Pradesh and given the need for testing in a large set of population, we are keeping ourselves ready to offer testing after April 15".

He said the company will also provide sample collection kits (wherever necessary) apart from manpower, logistics, and the necessary reagents/kits to BSIP. It will further help in waste management and disposal of biological material as per ICMR guidelines, he added. ABN DVDV