Chennai firm to make saliva-based screening kits for TB, cancer -

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By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, November 1: Saliva collection kit with a Molecular Transport media (MTM) promises to advance molecular diagnosis of infectious diseases and cancer screening. The MTM enables the laboratory to skip RNA isolation protocol and facilitates DNA isolation.

The current conventional collection method for viral pathogens, VTM, keeps the virus alive during lab manipulation. The Chennai-based Kriya Medical Technologies Private Limited’s novel media inactivates the virus at the time of collection, thus avoiding the accidental spread of infections, which is inherent with conventional VTM. Furthermore, this new technique aims to improve both testing reach and patient comfort during the sample collection process.

“MTM does not require preserving the sample at stringent temperature conditions during transportation. KRIYA’s collection kit relies on self-collection, which allows for significantly improved transport of samples from remote / rural areas and is less invasive compared to nasopharyngeal swabs,” said the Ministry of Science and Technology in a statement on Tuesday.

Technology Development Board is supporting Kriya Medical Technologies Private Limited for development and commercialization of Saliva Direct Sample Collection Kit. TDB has inked an agreement to provide Rs 4 crores loan assistance out of the total project cost of Rs 9 crores.

“KRIYA came out with India’s first domestic, ICMR-approved nasopharyngeal swab-based sample collection kit along with an innovative Safe Viral Molecular Transport Medium. The company successfully manufactured the kits and supported government hospitals and leading lab chains during times of international crisis,” added the Ministry.

KRIYA is led by Anuradha Moturi. KRIYA’s goal is to create an ecosystem of medical solutions that integrates diagnostic devices with digital platforms to target high-occurrence and high-impact diseases, ultimately elevating basic healthcare available to marginalized markets.

Rajesh Kumar Pathak, secretary, TDB, said: “Time and again India has shown capability to deliver innovative solutions when required the most. The time couldn’t be more right for companies and start-ups to come forward with more such innovative technologies at affordable cost. The decade has been termed as ‘Techade’, which shall provide requisite boost to India’s innovation sector through self-reliance among private entities and harnessing strength at the grassroots, true to the slogan of Jai Anusandhan by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”