Molbio collaborates with SigTuple to build next-gen diagnostic testing devices

New Delhi: In their joint effort to aid in decentralising diagnostics, Molbio Diagnostics announced on Thursday its collaboration with SigTuple, a MedTech startup in the field of artificial intelligence for diagnostics. The partnership aims at building, in Molbio’s own words, "next-generation AI-enabled portable devices for many routines but critical diagnostic tests."

These devices, as per the company’s assertion, will enable testing to be performed at the point-of-care—a doctor’s chamber, a public health centre, or an emergency room of a hospital—without having to send samples to central laboratories.

Speaking about the collaboration, Sriram Natarajan, CEO, Director, and Co-Founder, Molbio Diagnostics, said, "Truenat, our point-of-care molecular platform, is already playing this role in the area of infectious diseases. However, there is still a gap in other critical areas. We are delighted to join with SigTuple in our Universal Access Mission and accelerate the development of next-gen devices that will not only fill this gap but also provide instant reports through artificial intelligence to enable immediate intervention and create a positive impact on patient and societal well-being."

The aim of the partnership is to bridge this gap and enable most basic tests to be performed in near-patient settings. Both companies are collaborating on the development of AI-powered, battery-operated, portable devices for many diagnostic tests in the fields of haematology, biochemistry, electrochemistry, and others.
Molbio informed in its press statement that the testing process will be extremely simplified and will not require a trained laboratory technician to perform the tests. In addition, accurate, laboratory-quality test results will be available to the patient within a few minutes.

Emphasising that SigTuple is truly honoured and excited to partner with Molbio in building the product, Tathagato Rai Dastidar, Founder and CEO, SigTuple, said, "SigTuple started in 2015 with a singular goal: to make quality healthcare more accessible, more accurate, and more affordable with the help of AI, robotics, and microfluidics. While our other products are meant for clinical laboratories, with this new product, we will be able to push the boundaries of diagnostics much nearer to the end patient. Together, we will be able to bring this revolutionary technology into the market faster. The partnership is also a strong vote of confidence in the technological prowess of SigTuple."

Currently, clinical laboratories perform the majority of diagnostic testing. According to the experts, there is a global movement to decentralise diagnostics and bring testing closer to the patient. Decentralisation is being done to speed up testing turnaround times, cut down on errors, and aid in early diagnosis and proper treatment commencement. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the growth of point-of-care COVID testing technology. For other common diagnostic tests, such point-of-care testing is still trailing.