TrueNat test

Subject: Science and tech

Context:

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) approved the use of TrueNat machines, manufactured by a Goa-based company, for carrying out confirmatory tests for Covid-19 disease.

Concept:

• The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, does not have a DNA, but an RNA molecule. The reverse transcription process (the RT in RT-PCR) converts the RNA into the DNA molecule before the gene can be captured in the test.

PCR working

• The reverse transcription process (the RT in RT-PCR) converts the RNA into the DNA molecule before the gene can be captured in the test.
• Then, researchers can amplify certain regions of the genome by using a technique known as polymerase chain reaction.
• This, in effect, gives researchers a large sample that they can then compare to the new coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2.

TrueNat working

• TrueNat is a chip-based, battery-operated RT-PCR kit
• In this process RNA is extracted. In the miniature well, the reagent activates the RNA, it is the chip that is fed with all the calculations of the viral load that helps in detecting whether a person is carrying the virus or not.
• Unlike in the conventional RT-PCR tests, the reagents do not require extreme temperatures in this process, and the quantity of swab required for testing is also much less.