INDIKov-Om : RT-PCR Kit (E)
Scientists from CSIR’s Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, in collaboration with their industrial partner Biotech Desk Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad, have developed an indigenous RT-PCR kit to identify the Omicron variant. Named INDIKov-Om, this test kit is one of the few kits available for this type of test so far. Omicron is a SARS-CoV-2 variant with moderate symptoms but very high rate of infection. Currently, the detection of this variant depends on tests such as ‘S-gene drop out’ or ‘NextGen sequencing’ of the entire viral genome. Of these, the ‘S-Gene drop out’ method is not very accurate whereas NGS is an expensive and more time consuming method. The innovative kit developed by CDRI can identify omicron in a quick and cost-effective manner.
