Researchers from the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia (FM UI ) and IMERI FM UI in collaboration with PT Konimex launched an early detection tool for dengue fever called KODC Dengue, on Tuesday (06/09). This kit, licensed by FM UI , uses the principle of Lateral Flow Immunochromatographic Assays (LFIAs) to detect dengue antigen, NS-1 protein, in the patient’s blood, either in whole blood, plasma, or serum.
Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, dr. Dante Saksono Harbuwono, Sp.PD-KEMD, Ph.D., said, “On behalf of the entire Ministry of Health, I would like to express my highest appreciation to the research team and all parties involved. The launching of this early detection kit shows several things, the first is that the quality of our research does not only end in journal publications, but also in the creation of a product that can be used directly in health facilities. Secondly, the product is practical, inexpensive, easy to use and highly sensitive. Third, there is a strong collaboration between researchers at universities, clinicians at hospitals and the private sector, and most importantly, it can be produced domestically.”
The non-specific clinical symptoms in patients infected with dengue make it difficult for clinicians to make a diagnosis. This can cause delays in patient management, which can lead to death. Before entering the critical phase, early management of dengue infection can reduce mortality. Therefore, there is a need for diagnostic tools that can detect dengue infection early in the infection with a short time, without the need for technologically advanced laboratory facilities with high sensitivity and specificity.
The head of the research team, Dra. Beti Ernawati Dewi, Ph.D., shared six advantages of KODC Dengue. First, it works quickly. The process takes 15 minutes to determine the presence or absence of dengue infection. Second, it is sensitive because it is based on the DENV (Dengue Virus) strain circulating in Indonesia. Third, it is specific because it was developed based on DENV epitopes that do not cross-react with other viruses.
“Fourth, it is relatively cheap due to domestic production and can also detect DENV infection with various types of specimens, namely plasma, serum, and whole blood. Fifth, it can be stored at room temperature, eliminating the need for a cool chain in shipping and storage. Sixth, it can detect NS-1 from whole blood samples,” said Dra. Beti.
The research team involved in the development of KODC Dengue are dr. Mirawati Sudiro, Ph.D; Fithriyah, M.Biomed, Ph.D.; Evy Suryani and Hidayati Desti from the Department of Clinical Microbiology FM UI Disease and Immunology Cluster IMERI FM UI , Andriansjah, S.Si, M.Biomed, Ph.D.., from the Department of Clinical Microbiology FM UI , and Dr. dr. Leonard Nainggolan, Sp.PDKPTI. from the Department of Internal Medicine FM UI Disease and Immunology Cluster IMERI FM UI .
Dean of FM UI Prof. Dr. dr. Ari Fahrial Syam, SpPD-KGEH, MMB, in his speech said, “I congratulate Dra. Beti Ernawati Dewi and her team for their extraordinary innovation. This discovery successfully completes the series of innovations and breakthroughs of Indonesian researchers, especially FM UI researchers, in the field of early detection of dengue fever. Indonesia as a dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) endemic country is of course greatly helped by this innovation. Diagnosis of dengue fever is expected to run faster and more accurately so that optimal treatment can be given immediately. I hope that this achievement will be able to attract the enthusiasm of researchers as well as domestic industries to continue to collaborate and innovate in developing the nation’s independence in the field of providing medical devices.”
Meanwhile, President Director of PT Konimex, Rachmadi Joesoef said that the journey of this KODC Dengue product started in 2016 from the desire to strive so that every Indonesian can detect the beginning of general diseases and can take appropriate preventive actions.
“The first step is to collaborate with researchers at the UI Faculty of Medicine so that in 2022 we can launch this product to the public. Our thanks go to the Dean of FM UI and to Dra. Beti Ernawati Dewi, Ph.D, Dr. dr. Leonard Nainggolan, Sp.PD-KPTI and all researchers involved in the process of the birth of this product,” Rachmadi said.
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