Meet the Filipino scientist who invented the low-cost COVID-19 testing kits

The GenAmplify COVID-19 rRT-PCR Detection Kit will help in the early detection and effective treatment of COVID-19.

As soon as news on the novel coronavirus or COVID-19 broke, microbiology and biotechnology expert Dr. Raul Destura knew he was confronted with a tough but important mission for his fellow Filipinos.

“He already knew that this day will happen,” UP Manila Chancellor Dr. Carmencita Padilla reveals at the media briefing on UP’s reponse to COVID-19 held at the Philippine Genome Center in UP Diliman. As early as February, Padilla was taking note of the rising number of COVID-19 cases around the world. “So when UP was summoned at the Senate and was asked what the UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) and UP Manila-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) can do, our executive director Dr. Eva Maria C. Cutiongco-dela Paz and our scientist Dr. Raul Destura already informed the Senate that we shall ready the testing kit.”

The SARS-CoV-2 PCR detection kit was developed through the funding from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD). It took over two weeks of sleepless nights for Dr. Destura and his team of 15 UP scientists to develop it.

As the Deputy Executive Director of the Philippine Genome Center, Destura likens himself to being the conductor of a symphony. “Kailangan meron kang idea, meron kang experimental design. Bawat proseso, may team of scientists. This is the part you will do, this is the part he will do. And then we convene—umaga tanghali, gabi, madaling-araw—kasi we lack time!” he says. 

Like any scientific study, Dr. Destura says the whole process of developing the kit was very tedious. One simple test clearly was not enough; they had to keep repeating every step of the way, 40 to 60 times, to prove the technology’s sensitivity and specificity. Dr. Destura’s role to the team is to validate their findings, challenge the results, and “give solutions when they’re hitting a wall.”

In the process of developing the kit, putting the acid together was the biggest challenge. “Yung nanduon na lahat ng components. Titimplahin mo kasi lahat ng conditions isa-isa. Aside from that, gagawan mo ngayon ng perturbations yung mga conditions mo. Maapektuhan ba sya pag tumaas ito? Maaapektuhan ba sya pag binawasan mo nito? Lahat yun kailangan mong gawin. Nakakaubos sya ng buhok,” says the doctor, eliciting some laughter from the audience. In the media briefing, Dr. Destura seems to be a mild mannered man, has a cheerful disposition, is well-loved by those around him, and yes, there’s not very much hair on that head anymore. 

Filipino technology

At the same media briefing attended by scientists, academicians, and health experts from UP, PGC, DOST, and UP-PGH, Dr. Destura presented the result of his and his team’s hard work: the GenAmplify COVID-19 rRT-PCR Detection Kit, which will help in the early detection and effective treatment of COVID-19. 

The testing can be done in two ways—via nasopharyngeal brush and throat swab, wherein samples are taken from inside the nose and from the back of the throat. The specimen is placed in a sealed container and sent to the laboratory where it will be examined by the medical technologist.

Dr. Destura explains that like the existing COVID-19 kits, the GenAmplify COVID-19 rRT-PCR Detection Kit uses the same PCR (polymerase chain reaction) technology. But unlike the others that require the test to be done thrice (for a total of about six hours), this version employs a single step multiple detection system, which has a turnaround time of 1 to 2 hours. “Pag tech developer ka, iisipin mo ang sitwasyon ng lugar na mag-aadopt ng tech—kulang sa tao, kapos sa oras,” says the doctor, describing our local healthcare system under the challenge of the COVID-19 outbreak. “Yung ibang platform, kailangan mong gawin yung test ng tatlong beses. Ito, ginawa nating isang beses.”

Known for developing low-cost, low-technology driven diagnostic platforms for the control of infectious diseases in the Philippines, Destura made the local GenAmplify as affordable as he can: it will cost only around P1,320 per test, in contrast to the foreign kit which costs around P8,500 per test.

Around 200 GenAmplify kits can be produced in a week, and enough kits are in stock now for around 6,000 tests, with more orders for around 20,000 tests already expected. These are being manufactured and stockpiled by the Manila HealthTek Inc. (MTek Inc.), a private Research & Development company with a robust diagnostic technology pipeline.

But the scientist is asking for a little more patience until they have completed the standard protocols needed in developing the technology. “Hindi puwedeng bara-bara, hindi pwedeng shortcut. Our intention is to protect the public by developing technology. Ano ba ang mga criteria na kailangang sundin? Una, sensitivity at specificity—lahat yan kailangan paulit-ulit mong gagawin,” he stresses.

The Food and Drug Administration has already greenlighted the field validation testing for the kit, which will be done on selected centers representing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. He says it will probably take about 2 to 3 weeks to complete the needed sample size to calculate the diagnostic clinical sensibility. “Ito na yung final phase para maging commercialized version na sya,” he says.

The scientist is happy to note that many clinician-infectious disease specialists have volunteered to become side validators of the technology, which will help monitor its behavior in the field. Meanwhile, the genome sequencing technology, which is done at the PGC, can verify the findings of the test. “Pag nakumpleto natin ang data na yan, masasabi nating dumaan ito sa proseso na tinatanggap ng buong mundo,” he notes. “I know we need the testing kit very badly, but we have the moral responsibility to make sure that the technology we’re putting out there is of excellent quality. Pag gawa ng Pinoy, para sa lahat, para sa buong mundo ang kalidad. Kailangan lang natin ng kaunti pang pasensya para lang matapos itong validation. At the end of the day, our main intention is public safety and service to the community.”

According to Dr. Destura, the UP scientists are also currently developing the technology for leptospirosis, schistosomiasis, salmonella, African swine fever, chikungunya, and the Zika virus testing.

More inventions underway

The COVID-19 testing kit is only one in Dr. Destura’s long list of inventions. One of his pioneering works, the “Lab in a Mug” Project, a portable multi-infectious disease device about the size of a mug, generated its first ever spin-off company for the University of the Philippines, the MTek Inc. This technology is being rolled out to 100 primary and secondary hospitals all over the country and was given recognition in the inter-academy medical panel during the World Health Summit in Berlin as Top 20 Young Physician Leader. 

Currently, the UP scientists are also developing the technology for leptospirosis, schistosomiasis, and salmonella testing, which hopefully will be finished by end of the year. They are finishing the African swine fever test for veterinary medicine. Also in the pipeline are the tests for chikungunya and the Zika virus, which will likely be completed next year.

Dr. Destura is aware of the importance of his profession, helping to nurture young, innovative, and hardworking scientists. “For me, a good mentor inspires and steers his team to the right direction. Nothing beats a very inspired team. The best part of being the leader is you get to see young minds unfold right in front of you. I believe in my team, kasi kung hindi ako naniniwala sa kanila, bakit pa kami nagki-create ng ganito,” he quips.

Asked if our local scientists are bound to develop a vaccine for COVID-19, he says he’s leaving it to the European teams and that he’s praying for their success. “Hopefully in the future, the Philippines will also have its own vaccine development capacity. The investment for that is humongous—in the billions of dollars. We rely on rich countries to develop those vaccines. But I’m still hoping and praying that someday, we’ll get there,” he says with optimism.

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Dr. Mediadora Saniel, an infectious diseases specialist and former head of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), and Dr. June Lopez, a psychiatrist at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center and the president of the Balik Kalipay Psychosocial Response Inc., have started a fundraising campaign for the soon-to-be deployed COVID-19 local test kits developed by Dr. Destura and his team. The fund will be used to provide the Protective Personnel Equipment (PPE) for PGH personnel who will be collecting samples, and for poor patients who need financial assistance to avail of the test. Those who wish to help may send their donations to:

The U.P. Medical Foundation, Inc

Bank: BDO, Bocobo-Pedro Gil Branch

Account No:  353-0094-018.

Email address is <upmf1980@gmail.com>

Receipts can be furnished upon request

Photographs by Chris Clemente