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Indian researchers have redesigned the gene-editing technology-based Feluda paper-strip diagnostic kit so that it can detect mutated strains of the Covid-19 virus faster, Hindustan Times reported.
Researchers from the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi, named the redesigned tool kit after the legendary director, Satyajit Ray.
Dr Debojyoti Chakraborty, senior scientist at IGIB said, as cited in the HT report: “We have developed the Feluda platform to come up with a test that can tell us in a few hours whether an infected person has any of the three new variants of concern.”
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He added: “This will make detecting the new variants simpler and eliminate the need for complete genetic sequencing for diagnosis, which raises the cost manifold and takes about three days.”
“This does not mean we can stop sequencing the viral genome. We will still have to sequence a proportion of our positive samples to detect whether new mutations are arising or any imported mutations are in circulation. Used along with the Feluda strip, this test will just help in diagnosing whether a particular person has the mutated variant or not,” he further said.
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Methodology
To use the modified test kit, swab samples need to be collected from the patients. Then the viral RNA is extracted from it and gets amplified through a thermo-cycler machine.
The Feluda (FnCas9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay) test employs a paper strip barcoded with the Cas9 protein to recognise specific portions of the genetic material of the Sars-CoV-2 virus to give a positive result, researchers explained in the study.
“In theory, the Cas9 protein can be encoded to recognise any number of mutations as and when they arise. The high specificity of the Cas9 can be utilised to detect any point mismatch in the viral genome,” said Dr Chakraborty.
The lab now looks forward to collaborating with corporate firms to procure the product. The cost of this test is likely to be around ₹500 per sample.
Currently, scientists need to sequence the entire virus genome to identify specific mutations in the pathogen. The process is time-consuming and costly, as per media reports.
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