Startup incubated at IISc develops test kit for sickle-cell anaemia

Bengaluru: A health-tech startup incubated at Society for Innovation and Development of Indian Institute of Science, has developed “SickleCert”, India’s first indigenous diagnostic kit for sickle-cell anaemia.

The firm — ShanMukha Innovations — has also developed a screening test kit called “SickleFind”. The technology provides an affordable and efficient solution to screen large populations as a point of care test for sickle-cell anaemia. “The high-performance optical spectroscopy (HPOS) tech consisting of test kits (SickleCert) and portable analyser (HaemoCube) was developed by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The technology has been licensed to ShanMukha for commercialisation,” said a statement.

Further, a companion smartphone application that comes with it enables digital data recording, analysis and integration with various registries, Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) and other cloud-based patient health record systems. “With a tiny amount of blood from a finger prick, the test provides highly accurate results in 15 minutes. In batch mode, more than 40 samples can be tested in an hour enabling a large volume of screenings to be completed in a much shorter time span,” said Prof Sai Siva Gorthi, lead inventor of the technology and associate professor at the Instrumentation and Applied Physics Department, IISc.

Sickle-cell anaemia is caused by a defective gene, Haemoglobin S, which causes flexible red blood cells to become stiff sickle-shaped cells, obstructing blood flow and increasing the risk of organ damage.