The Drugs Controller General of India has given its approval to the commercial launch of ‘Feluda’, the Tata CRISPR COVID-19 test, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said in a statement.
India’s first CRISPR Covid-19 test FELUDA, developed by @IGIBSocial and @TataGroup has been approved for use in India by @DCGI. Congratulations to the entire team! @PMOIndia @drharshvardhan @PrinSciAdvGoI @shekhar_mande @ICMRDELHI @AnuragAgrawalMD @Debojyo04532898
— CSIR (@CSIR_IND) September 19, 2020
This test uses an indigenously developed CRISPR technology for detection of the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Acronym ‘FELUDA’
FELUDA stands for for FNCAS9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay.
The name of the testing kit “Feluda” is based on a fictional detective created by the late Satyajit Ray.
How does this test work?
This test is similar to a pregnancy test strip that would change colour upon detection of the virus and can be used in a simple pathological lab, the Indian Express reported.