Kolkata :: The world’s first CRISPR Cas-9 based diagnostic test, to help & looking to increase testing for COVID-19 across the country, Apollo Hospitals Group, Asia’s and Tata Medical and Diagnostics (Tata MD), the new heath care venture of the Tata group, now jointly operating has announced a collaboration to introduce TataMD CHECK. TataMD CHECK, powered by FELUDA, is the world’s first COVID19 diagnostic test based on the DNA genome editing tool CRISPR Cas-9. The FELUDA diagnostic technology platform has been developed by Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology (CSIR- IGIB). TataMD CHECK has been approved by Indian Council of Medical Research and Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). It is a viral detection test with high accuracy and a quick result turn around time. Apollo Hospitals Group is the first healthcare institution in the country to adopt the test.
Apollo Hospitals, along with its subsidiary, Apollo Diagnostics will offer the Tata MD CHECK testing in the National Capital Region from the first week of December 2020 and shortly thereafter, it will be rolled out across all major centres, namely Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Pune, followed by a second phase into other cities. During the next few weeks, Apollo Hospitals group will ensure the availability of TataMD Check testing in eight hospitals in phase 1 and the location-wise quantities will be ramped upbased on the demand and need for expanding this to other centres. The primary care clinics and Diagnostics Lab and Collection centre network of Apollo Diagnostics in all these cities will also support the collection, home collection as well as testing to support this initiative. The process of collecting patient samples, RNA extraction and amplification remain same in TataMD CHECK as in other viral detection tests. However, the use of CRISPR-Cas9 Technology ensures quicker results due to a more agile process and AI-based automated result detection methodology. TataMD Check test kits are being manufactured at a quality-controlled production facility near Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Commenting on this initiative, Dr. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals (AHEL) and Managing Director, Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited (AHLL) said, “We at Apollo are happy to partner with the Tata Group in what is potentially a revolutionary advancement in the Covid Testing Landscape. Apollo Hospitals Group has always been at the forefront in pioneering initiatives, adoption of new technologies for delivery of care, testing and prevention and we are happy to further the cause of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat in providing the launch pad for adoption of this indigenously developed testing as a new addition to the array of Covid testing. To create seamless anytime anywhere access for booking, individuals can download Apollo 24/7 app with the benefit of availing reports within 2 hrs.
