GUWAHATI, 10th October 2023: An alumni-led startup from the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, M/s Primary Healthtech Pvt. Ltd., has unveiled an innovative point-of-care-testing (POCT) device known as MobilabTM. This portable diagnostic tool is designed to assess 25 key parameters in blood related to chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), focusing on conditions affecting the kidney, liver, heart, and pancreas.
MobilabTM stands out as a multi-parameter, pocket-sized device, offering a comprehensive approach to the diagnosis of NCDs. It is a portable, IoT-enabled, and battery-operated solution that is digitally connected. Notably, it costs a mere 5% of the auto/semi-auto analyzers typically used in pathological labs.
This indigenous diagnostic tool is developed by M/s Primary Healthtech Pvt. Ltd., an IIT Guwahati alumni-led startup. The company is incubated at the Research Park and the Centre for Nanotechnology within the IIT Guwahati campus. They have received extensive R&D support from SWASTHA Centre for Excellence of MeitY, ICMR-DHR Centre of Excellence, and BIRAC-DBT. With a dedicated team of 30 engineers and researchers, their mission is to make diagnostics more affordable, accessible, and portable.
The MobilabTM device is operated through an IoT-enabled Android app and can conduct approximately 150 tests on a single battery charge. This feature allows for a digitally connected ecosystem, even in the remotest areas of the country, ensuring accessibility for the last-mile population.
Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are a significant global health concern, contributing to about 74% of deaths worldwide, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). The lack of regular testing facilities, coupled with unhealthy lifestyles in low-resource settings, has been a major factor in the prevalence of NCDs. MobilabTM aims to address this issue by enabling cost-effective testing at patients’ locations, facilitating early screening and long-term disease management for millions.
Currently, MobilabTM has been licensed for manufacturing by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). It is capable of screening for several crucial parameters, including those related to heart health, liver function, kidney function, and diabetic conditions.
MobilabTM has been extensively validated in various hospitals, including Guwahati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH), Guwahati Neurological Research Centre (GNRC), Nemcare, Army Hospital, and AIIMS New Delhi. It has been deployed in multiple regions across India, including Assam, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi, and Arunachal Pradesh.
The success of MobilabTM has been made possible through the collaborative efforts of the Centre for Nanotechnology at IIT Guwahati, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Government of India), ICMR-Department of Health Research Centre of Excellence, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, SIIC-IIT Kanpur, AIC-CCMB, KIIT-TBI, CPS-IITI, DBT-BIRAC, IIT Guwahati, and Start-Up India. Plans are in place for mass production through a vendor network to ensure affordability and sustainability.
Mr. Sahil Jagnani, an alumnus of IIT Guwahati and the Founder & CEO of Primary Healthtech, expressed the vision of MobilabTM: “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. MobilabTM is also expected to perform import substitution under the Make-in-India initiative of the Government of India.”
MobilabTM has received various certifications on national and international platforms, including the National Start-Up Award 2022, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485:2016, CDSCO License, EMI/EMC certification, and a Performance Validation Certificate from GNRC North Guwahati Hospital and GMCH. Additionally, the startup holds seven patents related to the development of the device.
Primary Healthtech is an alumni-led startup from IIT Guwahati, founded by Sahil Jagnani (Class of 2013, Department of Chemical Engineering) and Ankit Chowdhury (Class of 2019, Department of Design).
