‘New gold nanoparticle-based kit can detect dominant Hepatitis genotypes’

The recently discovered gold nanoparticle-based diagnostic kit for early-stage detection of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection has been augmented with technology to differentiate HCV 1 & 3 geno

The recently discovered gold nanoparticle-based diagnostic kit for early-stage detection of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection has been augmented with technology to differentiate HCV 1 & 3 genotypes without the time consuming and expensive Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain reaction (RT-PCR), said researchers from BITS Pilani, Hyderabad campus, and Bioviz Technologies, following a collaboration with Deccan College of Medical Sciences, on Tuesday. HCV is a lethal virus causing liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma if left undiagnosed and/or untreated. It has 8 genotypes, among which genotype 1 (46.2%) and 3 (30.1%) are the most prevalent worldwide. In India, the HCV genotype 1 is more than 24% and genotype 3 is more than 54%, said Prof. Jayati Ray Dutta of BITS Pilani. Determination of the corresponding genotype is often required to ascertain the precise medication and the treatment duration, The commonly used RT-qPCR test is used for this and to circumvent this, researchers from the three institutes have come together to diagnose the most prevalent genotypes 1 and 3 using a nanotechnology-based strategy.