DHAKA: Gonoshasthaya Kendra asked Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) to postpone Antigen testing of its kits invented by the effectiveness test of Rapid Dot Blot as faults found in kits.

The kit has two parts- Antigen and Antibody.

Gonoshasthaya Kendra on Tuesday sent a letter to the BSMMU authorities to postpone the test of Antigen part as its results are not coming to the expected level.

Coordinator of the GR Covid-19 Dot Blot Project Dr Muhibullah Khandaker confirmed the matter to Banglanews on Wednesday.

He said: “We requested BSMMU to complete the Antibody test of the kit and submit the report as there is no problem. But the specimen of the antigen kit is saliva. According to a joint monitoring team with BSMMU, we found problems in collecting saliva. When people go to provide saliva (sample), they are giving various dirty things in the mouth along with saliva. The saliva is not being found properly.”

Gonoshasthaya-RNA Biotech Limited, a sister concern of Gonoshasthaya, with the help of experts from Singapore developed the method named ‘Gonoshasthaya Rapid Dot Blot.

On March 17, Gonoshasthaya Kendra declared that they had developed a testing kit that can examine samples to detect Covid-19 within 15 minutes.

BDST: 2210 HRS, JUN 03, 2020
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