Scientists in a Mumbai-based laboratory have developed a rapid test kit, which is said to be the first time in the world, to detect whether a person is suffering from a progressive lung disease called silicosis. The kit, which was made in a collaboration between the Mumbai team of the National Institute of Virology (NIV) and the National Institute for Occupational Health, will test the levels of serum CC16 in blood.
“India has a high burden of silicosis with an estimate of 1.25 crore patients at the moment,” Times of India quoted Dr Shyam Sundar Nandi from the Mumbai lab, who is a part of the team, as saying.
Explaining about it, Dr Nandi said the test, called a point of care test, is similar to a pregnancy test kit and identifies the levels of serum CC16 in a drop of blood. “Based on the concentration of the serum, we can diagnose the patient with severe, mild disease or is likely to develop it in the near future,” he added.
In cases of early silicosis, the value of serum CC16 will be between 6 and 9 ng/ml. A medical journal called Nature Scientific Reports has accepted the research work.
“Every day, eight crore people are exposed to silica in India alone,” TOI quoted Dr Nandi. Silicosis, which is a long-term lung disease caused by inhaling large amounts of crystalline silica dust, is usually detected at an advanced stage when it becomes difficult to treat.
Expressing concern, Dr Nandi said, “India wants to eliminate tuberculosis by 2025, but this is not possible if we cannot control silico tuberculosis and silicosis.”
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which is parent body of NIV, has already transferred the invention to two companies based in Delhi and Chennai.
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