Molbio Diagnostics unveils Truenat RT-PCR test for HIV

The company has said that the test works on the existing Truelab infrastructure and will require no additional set-ups and equipment.

Chief Executive Officer and Director of the company Sriram Natarajan said that HIV continues to be a major public health concern impacting people and economies.

"Since the disease is not curable, screening and early testing are critical to stop the spread of HIV. At the same time, WHO has mandated that patients on treatment must be monitored only by viral load testing. Being a point of care platform Truenat HIV 1/HIV 2 will provide universal access to both early detection and viral load estimation," he added.

Read also: Roche to acquire TIB Molbiol Group to expand PCR-test portfolio against infectious diseases

Company's Chief Technical Officer Chandrasekhar Nair said, "We needed an effective means of testing at point-of-care, which is cost-effective and has a short sample-to-result time."

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an infection that attacks the body's immune system, specifically the white blood cells called CD4 cells. HIV destroys these CD4 cells, weakening a person's immunity against opportunistic infections, such as tuberculosis and fungal infections, severe bacterial infections and some cancers.