IIT Guwahati Develops Kit to Transport COVID-19 Tests

The Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati has launched sterile viral transport media kits, or VTM kits, which are used to collect nasal and oral swabs from the source to the laboratory for testing.

During this period, if the virus is present in the samples, it should still be there until testing is carried out.

Officially launched by the Health Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma, the kits were developed according to the standards of the Guwahati Medical College Hospital.

About the kits, Sarma said, “We want to identify and contain this disease at an early stage and it is vital that we have all the crucial kits and materials so that our frontline healthcare workers and doctors who are doing a commendable job do not face any hurdles.”

The research team was led by Parameswar Krishnan Iyer, Siddhartha Sankar Ghosh and Labnyamoy Kole. Iyer and Ghosh are professors at IIT Guwahati while Kole hails from RR Animal Healthcare Ltd. The kits have now been authenticated.

Named ‘SPILD’, these VTM kits are built with a unique solution to collect and transport coronavirus safely. The transport medium that they contain has been validated by the Centre for Diseases Control. In addition to this, each kit contains one nasopharyngeal specimen collection swab and one oropharyngeal specimen collection swab. The package is suitable for collecting, transporting, maintaining and freezer storing viral specimens.

The unique formulation of the transport medium preserves the virus up to 72 hours. The swabs have been designed ergonomically with a pre-moulded breakpoint on their shaft for secure sampling.

The ‘SPILD’ VTM kits comply with the CDC-recommended configurations for collecting viral specimens and come in user-friendly packs.