NATIONAL: SCIENCE & HEALTH : VACCINES: Chhattisgarh scientists develop new biomarkers to predict Covid severity

The new biomarkers have been designed to diagnose early stages of infection in patients who are affected with severe COVID-19 illness.

In a major breakthrough, the scietist of the Multi-Disciplinary Research Unit (MRU) in Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar hospital, Raipur, have introduced the country’s first-ever bio marker kit that could provide early-stage severity assessment of Covid.

The research, published in Scientific Reports, a journal by the Nature Publishing Group, holds promise for enhancing patient care during the pandemic. The new biomarkers have been designed to diagnose early stages of infection in patients who are affected with severe COVID-19 illness. With the help of an invented kit, doctors will be able to decide whether it is necessary to hospitalise the patient or he can recover at home through medicines.

Under the headship of Dr Jagannath Pal, the team utilising leftover samples from routine Covid-19 tests, has developed a method with impressive accuracy-boasting a sensitivity of 91 per cent and a specificity of 94 per cent in non-comorbid.

The MRU’s research also aligns with the Prime Minister’s “Make in India” initiative. The project was supported by the health administration of Chhattisgarh and funded by the Department of Health Research (DHR), Government of India.

How the kit works

The test results determine the response of adaptive immunity to new virus infection. The test required input of leftover RNA followed by the routine COVID-19 diagnosis by RT-PCR. Complementary DNA is prepared from RNA samples by reverse transcription.

The complementary DNA is used for subsequent qPCR reactions to determine the expression of the signature genes. By analyzing the level of the genes we determine a “Severity Score”. If the score is lower than a cut-off value it indicates the good immune response (T-cell) suggesting low risk and the patient could recover without the requirement of advanced medical facility or extra drug treatments. If the score is higher than a cut-off value it indicates a poor immune response (T-cell) suggesting high risk and patients may require advanced medical facility or extra drug treatments for recovery. The same test could be used for other virus infection also.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)