IIT KGP researchers develop low-cost COVID-19 testing device

Researchers at IIT Kharagpur have developed an inexpensive rapid diagnostic device to detect COVID-19 infections, claiming the innovation will benefit the poor.

A rapid test conducted through the device, named 'Covirap', will cost only Rs 400 and the result will be available on a mobile application within an hour, Mechanical Engineering Professor Suman Chakraborty, one of the two persons leading the project, told reporters during a virtual press meet on Saturday.

The equipment will cost Rs 2,000 and production costs will plummet if the device is manufactured on a large scale, he said, adding the institute has applied for patent rights for the innovation.

The tests in 'Covirap' can be conducted in a simpler way than specialised laboratory equipment with the accuracy of the results comparable to those of reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests, Chakraborty said.

A large number of tests can be conducted through the device with the mere replacement of paper cartridges after each test, he said.

It has been designed for use in places with limited resources to cater to the needs of under-served people. The device can be operated by minimally trained personnel, the professor said.

"The testing technologies currently in use are very expensive, besides infrastructural requirements for conducting those tests. We realized that the alternative cannot be innovations for existing detection systems such as testing kits and RT-PCR machines.

"It has to be a disruptive approach leading to a new technology and testing process within the medically acceptable standards of the test results," he said.

The team which developed the device comprises researchers from the Mechanical Engineering Department led by Professor Suman Chakraborty and those from the School of Bioscience led by Assistant Professor Arindam Mondal.

"This portable device is not only capable of conducting diagnostic tests for COVID-19, but it can also detect any other kind of RNA virus by following the same generic procedure," Mondal said.

Synthetic RNA viruses, similar to those extracted from infected patients, were used for testing the device to avoid undue contamination and spread of the infection while handling sensitive body-fluid samples, he said.

"This innovation is aimed at providing high-end healthcare technologies to common people around the world at a low cost. It is likely to make a significant contribution to the global pandemic management," IIT Kharagpur Director Professor V K Tewari said.

"The institute is open to tie-ups, including a mode wherein the government intervenes with regard to meeting our low-cost healthcare objective for the under-served people as a policy measure to protect the interest of public health amidst the pandemic situation, instead of merely developing a strong profit-oriented model," he added. 

Image credits: PTI