COVIRAP, the COVID-19 Diagnostic Machine Gets ICMR Certification

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur's 'COVIRAP,' the diagnostic machine for COVID-19 detection has been successfully validated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The new diagnostic test has been subjected to rigorous testing protocols as per the ICMR guidelines at ICMR-NICED. ICMR-NICED is an Institute authorized by ICMR.

"This is indeed one of the greatest contributions in the history of medical science, particularly in the area of virology, and is well set to replace the PCR-based tests to a large extent," Professor V.K. Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur, said in a statement.

The novel testing method implements a highly reliable molecular diagnostic procedure conducted in an ultra-low-cost portable device unit developed by the research team. The test results are rendered via a custom-made mobile app.

Benefits of COVIRAP, the COVID-19 Diagnostic Test

• Easy to conduct
• Affordable
• Produces accurate results within an hour
• Helps detect low levels of viral loads

Patent licensing will facilitate commercialization opportunities for medical technology companies.

"This innovation has made high-quality and accurate Covid testing affordable for the common people with a testing cost of around Rs 500 which can further be reduced through government intervention," said Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Union Education Minister.

"This machine can be developed at a cost of less than Rs 10,000 with minimal infrastructural requirement making the technology affordable to common people. The testing process in this new machine is completed within one hour," Nishank added.

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Source-Medindia