“FELUDA” First Crisper low-cost kit developed to detect COVID-19

CSIR-IGIB Scientists has developed paper strip quik COVID-19 testing kit “FELUDA” with 90% accuracy that will give results in 1 hr. It’s an indigenously developed that uses cutting-edge that uses Crisper gene-editing technology. The cost of the test would be less than One thousand it’s first of its kind. The name of the testing kit “Feluda” is named after a fictional detective created by the late Satyajit Ray. The test uses CRISPER gene-editing technology to identify and target the genetic material of Sars-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The test has been developed by Senior Scientists Dr. Debojyoti Chakraborty and Dr. Souvik Maiti at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB).
 “Feluda stands for FnCas9 Editor Linked Uniform Detection Assay. It detects active Covid-19 infection by using a CRISPR CAS 9 based based readout on a paper strip. RNA to detection takes place in less than 1hour.” says Dr. Souvik Maiti, Senior Scientist, CSIR-IGIB .This is a simple test require real time PCR machine “It doesn’t require real time PCR machine, will be cheap and can be performed at point of care settings where a simple PCR machine is present.” Says Dr. Debojyoti Chakraborty, Senior Scientist , CSIR-IGIB This is the only COVI-19 testing kit that has been developed suing CRISPER -based technology in India.