Tamil Nadu universities to divert equipment for tests

Julie Mariappan & K Sambath Kumar | TNN | Apr 15, 2020, 06:29 IST

Madurai Kamaraj University (File photo)

CHENNAI: Universities in the state are joining the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic by diverting sophisticated real time polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) equipment to state medical colleges and hospitals to enable PCR tests.
The public health department is sourcing the equipment from University of Madras, Bharathiar, Bharathidasan, Periyar, Manonmaniam Sundaranar, Madurai Kamaraj and Alagappa universities, TANUVAS and TN Agriculture University (TNAU).
The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has approved 16 laboratories to test for Covid-19 through RT-PCR method, but there is an urgent need for additional equipment to increase the testing capacity. “At least 17 Quant Studio RT-PCR equipment and other models from the biomedical science departments of seven varsities have been identified and two each from Tanuvas and TNAU have already been diverted in the last few days,” said a senior official. Health department sources said the state now has 50 pieces of RT-PCR equipment, including 21 recently procured.
Each piece of equipment can handle 96 samples at one time and give results in four hours. N Kumar, vice-chancellor of TNAU from where equipment was sent to Coimbatore and Madurai medical colleges, said they offered training to technicians too.
The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation received 10,000 PCR kits from the Centre and procured on its own 1.05 lakh kits, including 90,000 on Tuesday.
S Dhanapal, head of microbiology at KAP Viswanathan Government Medical College in Trichy, said two pieces of equipment had been received from Bharathidasan University. “Round-the-clock testing has begun in Trichy government medical college for Covid-,” he said.
M S Mohamed Jaabir, head of biotechnology and microbiology at National College Trichy, said the testing can also be done with basic PCR equipment available in almost all the arts and science colleges in the state, while Bharathidasan University’s biotechnlogy department head S Sivaramakrishnan said the state could utilise expertise of the research scholars from the varsity who are trained in the process.