The Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) on Saturday approved country’s first Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic (CRISPR) Covid-19 test for commercial launch. This is developed by Tata and powered by CSIR-IGIB (Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology) FELUDA (an acronym for FNCAS9 Editor-Limited Uniform Detection Assay).

“The approval for the Tata CRISPR test for COVID-19 will give a boost to the country’s efforts in fighting the global pandemic. The commercialization of the Tata CRISPR test reflects the tremendous R&D talent in the country, which can collaborate to transform India’s contributions to the global healthcare and scientific research world,” Girish Krishnamurthy, CEO, TATA Medical and Diagnostics Ltd, said.

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What is Tata CRISPR test?

*CRISPR is a genome editing technology to diagnosing diseases.

*Tata CRISPR Covid-19 test uses an indigenously developed, cutting-edge CRISPR technology for detection of the genomic sequence of SARS-CoV-2 virus.

*This is the world’s first diagnostic test to deploy a specially adapted Cas9 protein to successfully detect the virus causing Covid-19.

*The Tata CRISPR test achieves accuracy levels of traditional RT-PCR tests.

* However, it will take lesser time to process the results. The equipment are also less expensive.