Technology Development Board, a statutory body under the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India has inked an agreement with Telangana-based startup Huwel Lifesciences for validation and commercialisation of Rapid Real time PCR reagents for storage and transport at room temperature. The board has approved a support of Rs 15 crore out of the total project cost of Rs 40 crore.

Current RT-PCR reagents need to be transported and stored at sub-zero (-20) temperatures. Owing to the varied climatic and socio-economic conditions of our country, it is a challenging task for shipping and storage in tier 2 & tier 3 towns. Cost of dry ice shipping and improper storage has been hampering the implementation of RT-PCR testing for disease diagnosis.

The kits developed by the startup holds great market potential, as it may open up the large segment of markets in tier 2 and tier 3 towns and reduce shipment costs significantly. Under this project, the startup aims to set up a cGMP manufacturing facility to produce PCR reagents stabilised at room temperature and also RT PCR kits using such reagents both for domestic and international market.

Based on the products developed and expertise available, the company proposes to manufacture and commercialise rapid real time PCR based room temperature stable kits for detection and quantitation of infections and cancers.