22 May , 2021 By : Kanchan Joshi
Covid antibodies test: A Bangalore-based start-up, PathShodh Healthcare, has developed a novel, point-of-care Electrochemical ELISA test for "fast and accurate" detection of antibodies. The start-up has made a very significant breakthrough to develop the first of its kind, semi-quantitative Electrochemical ELISA test for Covid IgM and IgG antibodies, the Ministry of Science and Technology said in a statement.
The ministry said that while qualitative analysis detects constituent elements in the sample, semiquantitative analysis gives an approximate estimation of their concentrations.
"PathShodh has received the license to manufacture for sale from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation after validation at Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI), Faridabad, as per the requirements of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)," it said.
The ministry further informed that the novel technology and product was supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, under its initiative on Centre for Augmenting WAR with COVID-19 Health Crisis (CAWACH). "The effort was coordinated through SINE at IIT Bombay and IKP Knowledge Park, Hyderabad," it said.
According to the ministry, the novelty of the technology is based on the measurement of electrochemical redox activity of IgM and IgG antibodies specific to SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein (S1). "The S1 protein hosts the Receptor Binding Domain, which latches to the ACE2 receptors on the cells before infection. Hence the antibody tests targeting S1 spike protein are more representative of an immune response against infection compared to other antibody tests targeting Nucleocapcid (N) protein," it said.
The start-up's technique, the ministry said, is also a major departure from the qualitative rapid antibody tests in the market, which are primarily based on lateral flow ELISA technique. "The technology has been protected through US and Indian patent applications," it ad.
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