Primary Healthtech, an alumni-led start-up from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has developed a new point-of-care-testing (POCT) device. This indigenous technology is expected to test 25 parameters in blood to diagnose early chronic diseases related to kidney, liver, heart, and pancreas malfunctions.
The device, which is titled MobilabTM, uses Internet of Things (IoT) technology and can be operated through an Android application to perform about 150 tests with a single charge of the battery. The device is backed by a digitally connected ecosystem, which enables its usage even for the remotest locations of the nation, Primary Healthtech's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sahil Jagnani said on Tuesday, October 10.
PTI reports that the device is expected to perform early screening of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which contribute to around 41 million (74%) deaths globally, as per the recent reports of the World Health Organization (WHO).
"The vision of MobilabTM is to make diagnosis available to fellow citizens at an affordable cost, along with generating instant results to speed up the early screening, disease management, and treatment," Jagnani said.
He further added that MobilabTM is expected to perform import substitution under the Central government’s Make-in-India initiative, and will also enable testing at the patient’s site at a low cost to enable both early screening and long-term disease management.
National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited government laboratories have validated 11 parameters, including heart profile – cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), Triglycerides; liver profile – total bilirubin, albumin and total protein; Kidney profile – creatinine, glucose and uric acid; haematology - haemoglobin and diabetic in glucose.
In 10 minutes, the device generates data, which is then followed by a digital report and the patient's electronic health record, which can be easily shared with doctors.
MobilabTM has been validated at multiple levels in hospitals including Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, Guwahati Neurological Research Centre, Nemcare, Army Hospital, and the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) New Delhi, and has been deployed in Assam, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat, Delhi, and Arunachal Pradesh.
MobilabTM's mass production is planned by developing a vendor network at a cost that is both affordable and sustainable, according to Jagnani.
Primary Healthtech, established in IIT Guwahati's Research Park and Centre for Nanotechnology, has a team of 30 engineers and researchers working to make diagnostics cheap, portable, economical, and accessible.
