India has launched cost-effective, indigenously developed RT-PCR-based HPV test kits for cervical cancer screening. The initiative aims to enhance early detection and align with WHOs goal to screen 70% of eligible women by 2030.

India has launched indigenously developed HPV test kits for cervical cancer screening, marking a major milestone in womens health. Developed under the Department of Biotechnologys Grand Challenges India programme at BIRAC, the kits were validated through collaborative research by AIIMS Delhi, NICPR Noida, NIRRCH Mumbai, and WHO-IARC.

Dr NeerjaBhatla, former head of AIIMS Obstetrics and Gynaecology, highlighted the kits efficiency, noting that they target the seven to eight most common cancer-causing HPV types, making them cost-effective for India.

Post-COVID expansion of RT-PCR infrastructure makes these sensitive kits a practical alternative to Pap smears and HPV DNA tests. With cervical cancer causing 25% of global deaths in India, the WHO-backed initiative aims to screen 70% of eligible women by 2030.

(Source:https://theprint.in/india/indigenously-developed-hpv-test-kits-for-cervical-cancer-screening-launched-in-delhi/2601128/ )