Saline Gargle RT-PCR innovation to be licensed for mass production

13 September 2021 | News

The technology provides instant test results and is well-suited for rural and tribal areas

Image Credit: PIB

Image Credit: PIB

Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has transferred the know-how of indigenously developed Saline Gargle RT-PCR technique, used for testing COVID-19 samples.

The Saline Gargle RT-PCR technology is simple, fast, cost-effective, patient-friendly and comfortable; it also provides instant test results and is well-suited for rural and tribal areas, given minimal infrastructure requirements.

The know-how has been transferred to the Union Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), on a non-exclusive basis. This would enable the innovation to be commercialized and licensed to all capable parties, including private, government and various rural development schemes and departments.

The licensees are expected to set up manufacturing facilities for commercial production in the form of easily usable compact kits. In the light of the prevailing pandemic situation and probable third wave of COVID-19, CSIR-NEERI fast-tracked the know-how transfer process to potential licensees for its wider dissemination across the nation.

The ceremonial transfer of the Standard Operating Procedure and Know-How of the Saline Gargle RT-PCR technique was done in the presence of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recently.

The principal inventor of Saline Gargle RT-PCR technology is NEERI scientist Dr Krishna Khairnar and the team of research scholars of Environmental Virology, at CSIR-NEERI, Nagpur.


 

Comments

× Your session has been expired. Please click here to Sign-in or Sign-up
   New User? Create Account