ICMR-RMRCNE in Dibrugarh Develops World's Cheapest TB Testing Technology Using CRISPR, Costs Just Rs 35

DIBRUGARH: The ICMR-Regional Medical Research Centre, North East (ICMR-RMRCNE) in Dibrugarh has developed the world’s cheapest TB testing technology, “A CRISPR case-based TB detection system,” which can detect the TB bacteria using DNA from a patient’s saliva for just Rs 35.

“It can identify the bacteria at the earliest symptoms, testing over 1,500 samples simultaneously within approximately two hours. It is so simple that it can be used even in the primary health centre of a village,” said a researcher at ICMR-RMRC, Lahowal.

This low-cost, ultra-sensitive molecular detection system for Mycobacterium tuberculosis leverages CRISPR-C as a technology for near-point-of-care setups.

“This process embodies a CRISPR Cas12a-based fluorescence diagnostic system for qualitative detection of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex at the nucleic acid level for the diagnosis of tuberculosis using the ‘GlowTBPCRKit’ and ‘RapidGlow device’ (an incubator with a real-time/end-point fluorescence reader) for the result interpretation,” said one of the researchers.  Tuberculosis (TB) remains a global health challenge, necessitating the development of accurate and rapid diagnostic tools for effective disease management. Current diagnostic methods often exhibit limitations in terms of sensitivity, specificity, speed, and cost, emphasising the need for innovative approaches. Conventional diagnostic techniques for TB commonly rely on culture (which requires 42 days to confirm as TB negative), microscopy, and nucleic acid-based methods. These are time-consuming and may require sophisticated equipment. Additionally, some molecular diagnostic methods, while offering improved sensitivity, may lack the desired specificity or face challenges associated with cost and ease of handling.

Considering the above problems, the CRISPR-Cas12a-based molecular diagnostic system “GlowTBPCR Kit,” coupled with an amplification step (using a thermal cycler) and the “RapidGlow device,provides a promising solution.

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