Highlights
- COVID-19 testing kits developed by NUST Researchers cost one fourth to the ones already available.
- These COVID-19 testing kits have been efficiently tested on laboratory controls and patient samples.
The coronavirus COVID -19 pandemic that had Emerged in the city Wuhan, China and has spread to over 150 countries. The cause of COVID-19 is a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) and COVID-19 testing kits are developed to detect the virus.
As of March 19, it has 219,000 cases have been reported globally and more than 8,900 people have already died due to this pandemic.
According to findings published in the journal Nature Medicine, the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that emerged in the city of Wuhan last year and that has caused a large scale epidemic is the product of natural evolution.
The coronavirus COVID-19 is spreading rapidly and the number of patients is increasing day by day. Thus, creating a shortage of expensive COVID-19 testing kits.
Researchers at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Atta ur Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB) have successfully developed a kit for testing the existence of novel coronavirus COVID-19.
The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented situation and scientists and researchers are trying their best to find remedies. I such circumstances the researchers from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) Atta ur Rahman School of Applied Biosciences (ASAB) developed Molecular Diagnostic Assays for the detection of novel coronavirus COVID-19.
The COVID-19 testing kits were established in collaboration with DZIF Germany, Columbia University USA, Wuhan Institute of Virology China and Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) Rawalpindi.
These COVID-19 testing kits that are developed locally will cost only Rupees 2000 i.e. only $13.
The Molecular Assays for the detection of novel coronavirus COVID-19 include conventional as well as real-time PCR-based methods of Sybr Green and Taqman.
According to the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) officials, the COVID-19 testing kits developed have been efficiently tested on laboratory controls and patient samples. These Molecular Assays for the detection of novel coronavirus COVID-19 are robust and sensitive to the target.
Researchers are striving to discover remedies to this incurable disease all over the world. In this time of need when the whole world is in the grips of an unprecedented pandemic virus outbreak, the National University of Science and Technology (NUST) develops cheap Molecular Diagnostic Assays for the detection of novel coronavirus COVID-19 that is cheaper than any other iterations.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain while participating in Global Development Workshops organized by the UK-Pakistan Science Innovation Global Network (UPSIGN) said that the kit will cost only Rupees 2000 instead of those kits being imported those cost Rupees 8000.
Fawad Chaudhry revealed that Pakistan has prepared a cheaper kit for corona detection, making it conveniently affordable to detect devastating Covid-19 virus in Pakistan. (Kit by NUST ll cost 2000 Rs instead of imported kit that costs 8000 Rs) https://t.co/u01H4WPItx
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 9, 2020
These made in Pakistan COVID-19 testing kits will cost one fourth as compared with the ones being imported.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain also praised the new generation revealing that COMSATS University Islamabad has developed artificial skin and now this artificial skin will be marketed at the commercial level soon.
Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhary also added that the government plans to introduce electric buses to reduce transportation in Pakistan.
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