RT-PCR kit makers tweaking kits to detect new coronavirus strains

With mutations of the Sars-CoV-2 virus on the rise, the makers of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test kits are now working on adapting them to be more sensitive and detect the mutant strains from samples. The country’s apex health research body, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), is receiving proposals from kit makers in this regard.

ICMR Deputy Director-General Nivedita Gupta told Business Standard, “RT-PCR manufacturers have started coming with differentiated kits. There is a World Health Organization (WHO) advisory on this saying that there are some kits, which miss the S-gene (spike protein), and then we know