New Delhi, 28 May . Ever since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, India has been making multiple strides in augmenting its testing infrastructure and capacity.
Scientists of Nagpur-based
National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) under Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have achieved another milestone in
this journey, with the development of a 'Saline Gargle RT-PCR Method' for
testing COVID-19 samples.
A Method with Numerous
Benefits: Simple, Fast, Comfortable, Economical
The Saline Gargle
method offers a bunch of attractive benefits, all rolled into one. It is
simple, fast, cost-effective, patient-friendly and comfortable; it also offers
instant results and is well-suited for rural and tribal areas, given minimal
infrastructure requirements. Speaking to PIB, Dr. Krishna Khairnar, Senior
Scientist, Environmental Virology Cell, NEERI says: “Swab collection method
requires time. Moreover, since it is an invasive technique, it is a bit
uncomfortable for patients. Some time is lost also in the transport of the
sample to the collection centre. On the other hand, the Saline Gargle RT-PCR
method is instant, comfortable and patient-friendly. Sampling is done instantly
and results will be generated within 3 hours.”
Patient herself can
collect the Sample
The method is non-invasive and so simple that the patient herself can collect the sample, explains Dr. Khairnar. “Collection methods like nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab collection require technical expertise; they are also time-consuming.
In contrast, the Saline Gargle RT-PCR method uses a simple collection tube filled with saline solution. The patient gargles the solution and rinses it inside the tube. This sample in the collection tube is taken to the laboratory where it is kept at room temperature, in a special buffer solution prepared by NEERI. An RNA template is produced when this solution is heated, which is further processed for Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR).
This particular method of collecting and processing
the sample enables us to save on the otherwise costly infrastructural
requirement of RNA extraction. People can also test themselves, since
this method allows self-sampling.” The method is environment-friendly as well,
since waste generation is minimized.
A Boon for Testing in
Rural and Tribal Areas
The scientist expects
that this innovative testing technique will be especially beneficial for rural
and tribal areas where infrastructure requirements can be a constraint. The
non-technique has received the approval of the Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR). NEERI has further been asked to train other testing
labs, to help scale up its adoption across the country.
Nagpur Municipal
Corporation has given permission to go ahead with the method, following which
testing has begun at NEERI, as per approved testing protocol.
“Need to Implement Pan
India”
Scientists,
researchers and lab-technicians of the Environmental Virology Cell at NEERI
have taken painstaking efforts to develop this patient-friendly technique amid
surging COVID-19 infections in the Vidarbha region. Dr. Khairnar and his team
hopes that the method is implemented at the national level, resulting in faster
and more citizen-friendly testing, thereby strengthening our battle against the
pandemic.