Chulalongkorn University has developed a 3-gene RT-LAMP method to detect COVID-19 infection. The first invention of its kind in Thailand guarantees accuracy, user-friendliness and low costs for convenient use in communities.
As head of the university’s RT-LAMP test development team, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Naraporn Somboonna from the Department of Microbiology of the Faculty of Science at the university said the team added a special capability to the testing method so that it could detect 3 genes of the novel coronavirus and cover its whole life cycle.
Consequently, the testing method was highly effective, did not require any sophisticated instrument, could detect the disease from nasal cavity, throat, saliva and object samples and thus was suitable for mass testing in communities, schools and workplaces. Moreover, the testing method could show results in an hour, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Naraporn said.
The new testing method was jointly developed by the Department of Microbiology and the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Medicine and the CU Innovation Hub of Chulalongkorn University.
Each kit of the 3-gene RT-LAMP testing method costs five times less than an RT-PCR testing kit, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Naraporn said. (TNA)
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