IIT Kanpur develops bilirubin detection device; Hyderabad firm roped in for manufacturing

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) has signed an agreement with Sensa Core Medical Instrumentation for manufacturing and sales of a device, which analyse bilirubin in blood.

The device was developed at the National Centre for Flexible Electronics (NCFlexE), IIT Kanpur, by Siddhartha Panda, a professor in the department of chemical engineering, and Nishant Verma. The IIT Kanpur said the team has developed a non-enzymatic electrochemical sensing strip that can simultaneously detect the direct and total bilirubin in a single drop of blood and provide the concentrations within a minute.

The IIT Kanpur said the non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor is designed for accurate detection of bilirubin levels in clinical samples. Detection of bilirubin, a pigment in the blood, can assist in diagnosis of various health problems such as neonatal jaundice, which affects roughly 60% of full-term and 80% of preterm new-borns in the country.

The technology licensing agreement was formally signed between IIT Kanpur and Sensa Core in the presence of Abhay Karandikar, director of the IIT Kanpur, and Ravi Kumar Meruva, CEO of Sensa Core Medical Instrumentation.

The company, based in Hyderabad, is a manufacturer of ion-selective based electrolyte analysers, arterial blood gas electrolyte metabolite analysers, glucose test strips and hemoglobin test strips.

Karandikar said, “Developing effective point-of-care technologies for enriching the healthcare system has been a priority at Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. This novel sensor makes detection of bilirubin levels in blood easier, and it would revolutionise the processes leading to the detection of certain health conditions. Through this agreement, we hope to cater to the healthcare sector in effectively marketing this invention for better utility of all.”