Apollo Hospitals Group and Tata Medical and Diagnostics (TataMD), the new healthcare venture of the Tata group, has announced a collaboration to introduce TataMD Check, the world’s first CRISPR Cas-9 based diagnostic test, to help increase testing for COVID-19 across the country.

Apollo Hospitals, along with its subsidiary, Apollo Diagnostics will offer the TataMD Check testing in the National Capital Region (NCR) from the first week of December 2020 and shortly thereafter, it will be rolled out across all major centres, namely Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Pune, followed by a second phase into other cities.

This significant tie-up with Apollo Hospitals kicks off the efforts of TataMD Check to align with healthcare institutions including hospitals, diagnostic chains and other healthcare facilities. During the next few weeks, Apollo Hospitals group will ensure the availability of TataMD Check testing in eight hospitals in phase one and the location-wise quantities will be ramped up based on the demand and need for expanding this to other centres.

Tata MD will help train the key diagnostic clinicians and staff at Apollo Hospitals and Apollo Diagnostics on new technology and effective testing protocols in the next few weeks.

Commenting on this initiative, Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals (AHEL) and Managing Director, Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited (AHLL) said, “The addition of Tata MD Check as part of the testing arsenal will be a boost to the ongoing efforts that the country has been waging against this pandemic. We at Apollo are happy to partner with the Tata Group in what is potentially a revolutionary advancement in the Covid Testing Landscape.”

“We believe that the association with Apollo Hospitals will catalyse the rapid adoption of TataMD Check as the efficient and preferred testing option as we begin to resume our lives again,” added Girish Krishnamurthy, CEO & MD, Tata Medical and Diagnostics.

TataMD Check test kits are being manufactured at a quality-controlled production facility near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.