GUWAHATI: The IIT-Guwahati on Monday said
it is working on developing a drug for treatment of COVID-19 patients and planning to set up a dedicated centre for research on the deadly virus.
The premier institute also said it has developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine, which can analyse 1,000 samples in 12 hours, and two such units have already been supplied to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).
“As there are no approved drugs presently available for the disease, the faculty members are in the process of developing small molecules inhibitors for the treatment of COVID-19 using modern biotechnological tools,” the IIT-G said in a statement. The overall idea is to develop safe, efficacious and affordable drug for the treatment of COVID-19 patients and other dreadful viral infections, it added.
Multiple efforts are being made for developing vaccine at the department of bio-science and bio-engineering, while other departments are involved in finding multiple routes to have a diagnostic and therapeutic approach for early detection of various viral infections, the statement said.
“The faculty members of bio-science and bio- engineering and chemistry departments and Centre for Nanotechnology have also initiated research to combat COVID- 19,” it added.
The institute is in the process of setting up an advanced research centre for COVID-19 analysis, which will help the North East to test coronavirus infection and detection of other such deadly virus.
IIT-G Director TG Sitharam said that they have provided two real-time PCR machines, which have been developed in-house and patented, to the GMCH for the diagnosis of coronavirus. “These machines will help in ramping up the testing process by analysing 1,000 samples if run for 12 hours continuously and 2,000 samples in 24 hours,” the statement said. (PTI)
