Lord’s Mark Industries, IIT-Bombay partner to advance sickle cell testing in India

Mumbai: Lord’s Mark Industries has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) to revolutionise sickle cell testing in India. The first-ever AI-enabled point-of-sale (POS) equipment in the country, patented by IIT Bombay, will address challenges associated with sickle cell testing, making it more accessible and convenient with 100 per cent accuracy. Lord's Mark Industries will invest Rs 25 crore to develop and distribute the technology-enabled POS equipment, targeting revenue of Rs 100 crore by the year 2026-27.

Lord's Mark Industries will use its in-house R&D team to manufacture the sickle cell POS instrument at its IVD manufacturing facility in Vasai. The equipment will be available in government healthcare centres, pathology labs, and Lord's Mark Industries' pathology labs throughout the country.

Commenting on the collaboration, Sachidanand Upadhyay, Founder, Lord’s Mark Industries said, “Through this collaboration with IIT-B, Lord's Mark Industries is committed to providing innovative and effective solutions to sickle cell testing across India, especially in rural regions. We are also investing in the establishment of 1000 pathology labs across the country, with an initial investment of Rs 50 crores, to provide easy access to sickle cell testing and other healthcare services. With the support of the central government, we aim to make equipment and testing available across government healthcare centres and hospitals.”

The microscopy-based test developed by Prof Debjani Paul and her team from the Dept of Biosciences & Bioengineering at IIT-B can distinguish between healthy, sickle trait, and sickle anaemia blood samples at the point of care. The collaboration between IIT-B and Lord's Mark Industries aims to revolutionise sickle cell testing in India, providing improved disease diagnosis and management for patients across the country at the point of primary care, thereby reducing costs and enabling convenience for the affected population. This is the only microscopy test that can distinguish carriers from individuals with sickle anaemia within 30 minutes. Typically it would take 24 – 48 hours to identify the carriers.

"We are excited to collaborate with Lord's Mark Industries to introduce our licensed AI-enabled sickle cell testing technology in India. Our technology is a game changer in tackling sickle cell screening challenges in the affected regions. We believe that our technology combined with Lord's Mark Industries capabilities will make a significant impact on improving the lives of millions of patients suffering from sickle cell anaemia in the country," said Dr Oshin Sharma, Researcher, IIT Bombay.

In line with these efforts, the partnership between Lord's Mark Industries and IIT Bombay is a significant step towards combating sickle cell disease in India. The collaboration aims to improve the screening and diagnosis process, making it more accessible and convenient for patients. This will promote early intervention and improve disease management, contributing to the efforts of the Indian government to eradicate the disease.