- The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has given Kerala permission to utilise the TrueNat test to detect Nipah.
- The test can be performed in hospitals with BSL 2 level labs.
What exactly is the TrueNat Test?
- TrueNat is a molecular diagnostic test used to diagnose infectious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19.
- A Goa-based startup created this portable, chip-based, battery-powered system.
- It relies on real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to amplify and detect specific genetic material (RNA or DNA) from the target pathogen.
- TrueNat has been authorised by the WHO for identifying tuberculosis since it is a low-cost variation of the PCR test.
- TrueNat devices are meant to be portable and simple to use in a variety of contexts, including rural or resource-limited places.
- This feature has proven especially effective for tuberculosis diagnosis in areas with minimal healthcare facilities.
Concerning RT-PCR
- Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a molecular biology technique for detecting and quantifying DNA or RNA sequences in biological samples.
- It uses PCR amplification in conjunction with fluorescent probes to detect DNA amplification in real time.
- This enables the quantification of specific genetic material, making it useful for gene expression analysis, disease diagnosis, and genetic research.
- Its great sensitivity, specificity, and speed of results make it a popular tool in molecular biology and clinical diagnostics.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9205002/