IISc develops unique mobile RT-PCR lab

Karnataka on Wednesday launched the country's only ICMR-approved mobile RT-PCR lab in Bengaluru. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has developed what it calls MITR (Mobile Infection Testing and Reporting) lab, which is capable of conducting 9000 tests per month.

Medical Education Minister K Sudhakar, who launched the lab, said it was a unique lab with all safety features and capable of producing 100% accurate results within four hours.

The IISc-developed lab has been handed over to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS). The mobile lab can also be utilized for molecular diagnostic testing and can be deployed in Corona hot spots quickly. Apart from Covid, the lab can be utilized for testing H1N1, HCV, TB, HPV, HIV etc.