BRIN Says COVID-19 Tests With RT-LAMP Can Be Cheaper Than IDR 275 Thousand, What's The Rate?

Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash

JAKARTA - Head of the Chemical Research Center of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Yenny Meliana said the COVID-19 test using the RT-LAMP (reverse transcription loop mediated isothermal amplification) method is likely to be cheaper than RT-PCR (reserve transcription polymerase chain reaction) . What's the fare?

"Compared to the antigen swab test, this (RT-LAMP) is an estimate above. Compared to RT-PCR, RT-LAMP can be cheaper," Yenny said, Monday, January 17, as reported by Antara.

The price is estimated to be cheaper, because RT-LAMP does not use expensive PCR equipment, and the price of the RT-LAMP kit is cheaper.

The target gene amplification reaction using the RT-LAMP method takes less than an hour, so that the diagnosis of COVID-19 results can be obtained faster, with results as accurate as RT-PCR.

The PCR method has become the gold standard for detecting COVID-19 and is the most accurate, but the test results take longer and are relatively expensive.

For this reason, the RT-LAMP created by the research team at the BRIN Chemical Research Center is here to complete the need for a method for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 in the country.

RT-LAMP already has a Circulation Permit Number for Medical Devices from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, namely the Indonesian Ministry of Health AKD 2030322XXXX. Distribution license for products with the Qi-LAMP-O trademark which is valid until January 2027.

"We hope that with this distribution permit, Indonesia will have a new alternative for COVID-19 detection other than RT-PCR," said Yenny.

RT-LAMP uses RNA extract samples from nasal swabs which can be detected qualitatively by observing the presence of precipitation with good accuracy.

Yenny said that her party has mastered the key technology RT-LAMP which is useful for molecular tests, so that in the future it will be more prepared with new innovations if there are new challenges other than the COVID-19 pandemic.