Context: Recently, the researchers of the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) have developed 'Chitra Magna'.
About Chitra Magna

• It will be used as an innovative technology for isolating RNA from swabs for COVID 19 tests.
• SARS-COV-2, the causative virus of COVID-19 pandemic, is an RNA virus which is a long single-stranded polymeric substance present in all living cells that carries the genetic information of the organism necessary for life.
• The protocol for the kit uses magnetic nanoparticles to capture and concentrate the RNA from the patient sample.
• The kit is of significant advantage because even if some viral RNA disintegrates during storage and transportation of the patient samples, all of it is captured by the magnetic bead-based extraction technology.
• The magnetic nanoparticle beads bind to the viral RNA and, when exposed to a magnetic field, give a highly purified and concentrated level of RNA.
• Chitra Magna can be used to extract high purity RNA from patient samples not only for LAMP testing but also for the RT-PCR test.
• The technology of Chitra Magna has been transferred to the Agappe Diagnostics Ltd Ernakulum.
• The company has already taken the Chitra GeneLAMP-N technology, which uses RT-LAMP for identification of the N gene of SARS-COV-2.
• It is a potential confirmatory test with accuracy matching RT-PCR in its initial validation at NIV by ICMR.
• The test kits are now being validated in larger test samples for ICMR approval, followed by a commercial manufacturing license from DCGI.