Comments
IIT Alumni Council has integrated Kodoy 3.0 technology stack, a microfluidic technology developed by Indian academic institutions, with its virology lab, MegaLab. Earlier the council was planning to use the earlier version, Kodoy 2.0.
The Kodoy 3.0 technology stack has higher accuracy in testing of swab, blood and stool samples. Microfluidics will enable concurrent phenome testing data generation from multiple samples taken from same person at different points of time for a complete view of his health condition using most advanced technologies available, it said in a statement.
Phenome data will include genetic signature, blood biopsy, stomach biome characterisation among others to facilitate predictive modelling and personalised medicine. RT-PCR is one of technologies used for generation of phenome data bank, it added.
“Covid19 is not the last pandemic and the possibility of biological warfare in future is real. With a nationwide throughput of over 1 million tests per day, RT-PCR capacity is no longer a challenge. However, accuracy is a concern and usability of test data has not achieved requisite objectives in terms of prevention and management of the pandemic.
“Complimentary technologies including microfluidics and antibody testing have been identified and are being inducted in MegaLab to overcome these limitations. Our focus is affordability, accessibility and accuracy achieved by going beyond RT-PCR - not cost or capacity of RT-PCR alone," Ravi Sharma, President, IIT Alumni Council, said.
IIT Alumni Council is the largest global body of alumni, students and academicians across all the 23 IITs and partnering Institutes of the India Innovation Network (I2Net).
“Microfluidics will eventually move from MegaLab type installations to labs and finally to point of care installations such as a primary health centre or a doctor’s clinic, hopefully within a few years by using learnings from the MegaLab and the development work that is going into its design and optimisation,” said Shantanu Bhattacharya, a professor of IIT Kanpur and is part of IIT Alumni Council’s C-19 Task Force.
ALSO READ: IIT Alumni Council’s Mega Incubator to set up six research centres for start ups
ALSO READ: IIT Alumni Council to build world’s largest, fastest hybrid quantum computer
ALSO READ: IIT Alumni Council withdraws from Covid-19 vaccine development
ALSO READ: IIT Alumni Council launches I2Net to increase research against infectious diseases
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.