Now, with the existence of the PCR kit standard to diagnose colorectal cancers, it can reach Rp2 millionJakarta (ANTARA) - The Health Ministry on Tuesday unveiled the BioColoMelt-Dx Molecular Diagnostic Kit, which, the ministry claims, can cut the cost of diagnosing colorectal cancer and screen for mutated genes in people with cancer.
The kit has been developed in collaboration with state-owned enterprise PT Bio Farma.
"Earlier, if we wanted to diagnose a patient with quality like this, it could take up to Rp10 million per patient," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said during the unveiling event here on Tuesday.
"Now, with the existence of the PCR kit standard to diagnose colorectal cancers, it can reach Rp2 million," he added.
BioColomelt-DX is a PCR kit with high resolution melting (HRM) analysis that produces profile information of cancer mutation.
This information can be utilized by doctors or medical workers to determine the types of medicines that provide the most optimal therapeutic response in patients with colorectal cancer, a type of cancer that attacks the colon.
The device requires an infected issue sample to conduct the analysis.
"The DNA is extracted from tumor patients' tissue from operation or biopsy result. Then, the DNA is analyzed using PCR, and we can know which genes have mutated," Sadikin explained.
In addition, BioColoMelt-Dx can be utilized to screen for Lynch syndrome, a condition that can increase a person's risk for various types of cancer and hereditary diseases, he informed.
"It can also be used to know whether the patient suffers from cancer due to hereditary genetic disorders," he added.
Thus, the family of a patient suspected to have Lynch syndrome can undergo monitoring to prevent or handle cancer as early as possible, he added.
BioColomelt-Dx is a collaborative innovation between Bio Farma and PathGen. Its development and commercialization involved various industries, research and education institutions, and national and international health facilities.
The product was granted a distribution permit (KEMENKES RI AKD 20306220065) from the Health Ministry on July 1, 2022.
BioColoMelt-Dx is expected to have a positive impact on the economic optimization of the health system in Indonesia, the minister remarked.
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), colorectal cancer was ranked as the third most frequently occurring cancer in 2018.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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