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Indigenous hormone kits

Indigenous hormone kits  researchers from the Delhi-based National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (nihfw) have developed hormone estimation kits to carry out investigations relating to infertility, pregnancy and certain diseases. Till date, such kits had to be imported.

The scientists have prepared five kits, which monitor different hormones that remain active even at room temperature. Whereas imported kits tend to denature with time at warmer temperatures, the nihfw kits are stable at high temperature, making them suitable for use even in remote areas. Also, the latter will be cheaper: each kit is estimated to cost Rs 1,000, while an imported hormone kit costs Rs 8,000-10,000.

All the five kits are based on elisa , a diagnostic technique that uses enzymes linked to an antibody or antigen that serve as markers for a specific protein. Four of the kits developed are meant for single hormones