Written by Research Scientist at McMaster University
Monsur Ali, Hamilton, Canada
Issue statement: "Government of Bangladesh on Thursday march 19, 2020 granted approval for the production of the locally developed low cost Corona testing kit. The kit requires some chemical reagents which need to be imported. The approval to import raw materials was given by the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) on Thursday, Thursday march 19, 2020."



Comment from Mosur Ali on facebook:



I've been researching diagnostic method development for almost 15 years, at a university in Canada. There's a modern research facility, a million dollar fund.
But I still can't say with the ball in my chest, "I've discovered something that people are going to use right now." In 2011, I developed a new method to easily understand the presence of bacteria, which was published in a famous journal of chemistry.
It's also patented in the US. So far, we have tested more than three hundred samples of food and water and tested its effectiveness, and we have found the results as expected. Many from different organizations around the world have used our sensor slytools to test them like they did. They also published their results in international journals.
I've reviewed some of their work. But we haven't been able to find the real usable product so far, because we think it needs more validation. There's a fda-a-proval issue, which we're not even close to.
I was talking to the boss yesterday. Since the Corona virus is a threat, let's start with its diagnostic method. His answer: Now there's no one in the lab to work for fear, then there's the fund, the sample, the reagent.
It's a long time to get it. So, this idea is now rejected. But today I see that the Corona virus test has been out in Bangladesh!!! It's also capable of giving it back to the 5-15 minute test.
It will cost only Tk 20 to 250 per test!!! The government has approved it again!!!. The names of those who have been behind this discovery should not be in doubt about the effectiveness of the test.
I'm not in any doubt about the test but the experience I have experienced in this field has left me with a lot of questions in my head. Since the test type is called "dot-blot", I can't imagine how it can be done in 15 minutes!!!
Protein is usually detected in this method. The entire test has to be completed at several stages, each step of the stage from half an hour to a few hours. The process of writing it will be long, and many will not understand it, so I'll give up.
The biggest thing is that it requires a specific antibody of the target protein, as well as a signaling secondary antibody. I think i've developed a method with commercial target proteins, but whether you've tested the quality with real samples, how did the sample get, how the government approved it without knowing how much the fruit-positive negative rate was.
From my experience, the dot-blt method is more likely to result in negative results. And this corona virus diagnosis will do more harm than the negative results, creating a more dangerous situation.
Because people will turn around and spread the virus. After watching the TV interview of Zafarullah Chowdhury, I realized that blood will be used as a sample in this test. But I don't know how it works if you do a dot-blot with blood conica.
The potential for a fall negative is even greater here. Is the target of the test viral protein (S protein is the signofer protein of the corona virus) or the antibody that is formed after infection? It's amazing that he's so easily able to get protein or antibodies. Zafarullah Chowdhury says another thing, the FDA doesn't need to be a diagnostic test!!! Then anyone will make a test and leave the market and start trading!!!
I think the drug administration in the country saw it. Can they perform diagnostic tests? I don't know. Anyway, I find it impossible. I hope it works, people benefit. But it has to be remembered that the death of human beings depends on the results of diagnostic tests. It's not a game.