The Defense Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS), a division under the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), has introduced DIPCOVAN (Dipas-VDX Covit-19 IgG Antibody Microwell ELISA) based on a Indigenous COVID-19 Antibody detection Kit.
*It is set to be used for Sero-monitoring. Sero surveillance is performed to detect the spread of COVID-19 in an area and is also used to measure a person’s previous exposure to the virus.
*The Dipcovan Kit was developed in association with Vanguard Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd., a New Delhi-based development and manufacturing diagnostics company.
Important Points:
*Using the Dipcovan Kit it is possible to detect spike and nucleocapsid (S&N) proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with 97% high sensitivity and 99% specificity.
*The Drug Control General of India (DCGI) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have approved the regulation of the Dipcovan kit.
*It is reported that it will be launched in June 2021.
*The DipCovan kit is effective in 75 minutes and lasts up to 18 months.