Innovative patient-friendly Saline Gargle RT-PCR Testing Method, thanks to NEERI

New Delhi, May 29: 'Saline Gargle RT-PCR Method' for testing Covid-19 samples has been developed by the Scientists of Nagpur-based National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) under Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Speaking to the Hindu BusinessLine, Krishna Khairnar, Senior Scientist, Environmental Virology Cell, NEERI said that it is an easy method which will save human efforts and expenses. He said that Saline Gargle RT-PCR method uses a simple collection tube filled with saline solution. The patient has to gargle the solution and rinse it in the tube. The sample is taken to the laboratory where it is kept at room temperature for about 30 minutes in a special buffer solution prepared by NEERI. An RNA template is produced when this solution is heated and then processed for RT-PCR.

The test results will be generated within 3 hours. The swab collection method requires time and it is an invasive technique which is uncomfortable for some. This method is non-invasive, environment friendly and simple and patients can themselves collect the samples.

The testing technique has received ICMR approval and has 100 per cent efficacy. Khairnar further said that NEERI has identified a commercial manufacturer for the commercial scale up and this would start following an approval by the DCGI. This would help in rural areas and tests could be conducted even in places where there is no infrastructure, Khairnar said according to the report.

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.