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XCyton develops JEV CheX for Japanese Encephalitis

Our Bureau, BangaloreTuesday, December 14, 2004, 08:00 Hrs  [IST]

XCyton Diagnostics has developed a diagnostic kit for Japanese Encephalitis. The new kit, 'JEV CheX', is a rapid ELISA kit for the detection of IgM antibodies against JEV in Human CSF and serum. The kit was developed in collaboration with National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Science (NIMHANS). This is the first-ever diagnostic product that is being manufactured for commercial use replacing the methods of diagnosis for Japanese Encephalitis which is developed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), AMP Bangkok, NIV Pune, and the National Institute of Mental health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS). The new kit will provide the much-needed relief for the diagnosis of Japanese Encephalitis, potentially severe viral disease which is a post-monsoon annual epidemic that affects around one lakh of people in the paddy cultivation zones in the South Asian countries. In India, the mosquito borne disease which affects child population living in the paddy plantation areas of West Bengal, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu (North Arcot district), Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka (Kolar, Mandya and Bellary districts) and Kerala (Kollam), Dr Banda Venkata Ravi Kumar, chairman & managing director, XCyton Diagnostics Limited told Pharmabiz.com The product research was conducted at Department of Neuro-Virology, NIMHANS, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi and K.G. Medical College, Lucknow under the DBT umbrella programme, he stated. No detail on the cost of kit was disclosed. JEV CheX is IgM capture ELISA, which eliminates competition with IgG and thus helps in diagnosing recent infection. The kit uses cell culture antigen and avoids preparation of antigen in suckling mice. It is a stabilized kit which can be stored at 40C for 6 months unlike the conventional test conducted at medical Institutes which required storage of reagents at -700C. More over, JEV CheX has an assay time of 3 hours when compared to the 36 hours of time taken by the conventional test conducted at public health institutes. The disease is specifically caused by only outdoors mosquitoes and it affects only children as adults have the immunity to fight it. The disease pattern shows that one third of the cases succumb, while another one third suffer from permanent neurological damage and the remaining one third survive and continue normal lives. The company plans to enter the domestic market first. It has also offered the kit for an international scientific analysis under the 'Programme for Applied Technology for Health' which is an international non-government organisation engaged in conducting massive community vaccination programme in the South Asia region. The latest response from that has been on a positive and hence the company is confident of making a mark in the Japanese Encephalitis regions in these countries.

 
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