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Molbio Diagnostics: Lab On a Chip – MDx platform, The Global First

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Sumit Mitra, Marketing Manager, Global Bussiness, Molbio DiagnosticsSumit Mitra, Marketing Manager, Global Bussiness
“Benefits of Science and technology is for everyone, and not only for the privileged few,” says Sumit Mitra, Marketing Manager- Global Business, of Molbio Diagnostics. Today, cutting-edge technologies, especially in the healthcare space, remain only in the reach of financially sound societies. In trying to end this paradigm, MOLBIO has globally launched its Disruptive, Patented, Truelab Real Time micro PCR platform, a platform that democratizes and decentralizes MDx testing, from the Central laboratories to PHC levels, right to the first point of patient contact.

The research for the product started at the dawn of the new Millenia (2000) and the platform was commercially launched in 2013-14. The idea was to “Innovate to have a real impact”. The MOLBIO team, even while germinating with the concept, were guided by the WHO-ASSURED guidelines. “We have employed state-of-the-art techniques, combining BIOMEMS (Biological Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) with PCR (Nobel) to transition our concept into an MDx product” adds Mitra.

“In India, we have over between 45000- 50000 In vitro diagnostic laboratories – every one of them doing routine CC/IA/CBC, etc. However only a handful, maybe not even 1% of them do MDx testing using the Nobel winning PCR chemistry”. But with the advent of the Tuelab Platform that’s surely changing with regular standalone laboratories, the neighborhood laboratory–who had so far gotten used to outsourcing the MDx tests, now starting to perform the tests themselves.

For the moment MOLBIO has prioritized its assay development largely for Infectious Diseases. This is because this is an area that has pretty archaic and grossly inadequate detection/testing methods and largely neglected. These diseases also cater to a very significant number to the Global mortality percentage, not because they are not treatable, but simply because of faulty/incorrect and more often very late diagnosis of the very treatable disease itself.
Going forward MOLBIO wishes to include assays for cancer detection as well as also assays for the veterinary domain.

The Truelab Platform – is MDx simplified. The Trueprep Auto, a cartridge-based extraction system, is used in extracting nucleic acids from a variety of human and veterinary samples. Using proprietary extraction principle-run matrix, the small handheld portable battery-driven device takes about 20 minutes to extract samples. The Truelab Real Time Micro PCR analyzer is used for amplification, detection, and reporting of test results in 40 minutes. Thus we have a raw sample to data TAT of about an hour, compared to current MDx –TAT of a minimum of 3-4 days. A huge value.

Operated by batteries, this infrastructure-independent device is ideal for any resource-limited (electricity) settings across the globe. Additionally, the firm’s patented Truenat microchips with ready to use reagents and pre-set data for quantization of results greatly eases the work of the operator. The solution, with cloud connectivity, GPRS and Wi-Fi help the company to monitor its instruments from a central hub and to help clients streamline operations. The firm thus helps healthcare agencies in tracking diseases and treating them effectively.

Molbio Diagnostics has leveraged its futuristic platform to address the need for fast and effective TB diagnosis in India. Now, as part of India’s national TB program, the solution is integrated with 225 CHCs in the state of Andhra Pradesh and has exhibited a massive increase in detection cases compared to traditional microscopic systems. The company is now in a position to back the mission in India to becoming TB-free by 2025. Similarly, the company is foraying across neighboring countries such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to assist their Dengue and Nipa virus programmes, respectively.

“The Idea was to have an innovation that created a real impact,” Mitra repeats. We see the paradigms being broken domestically across disease programmes and the all-round value that it is creating across the Healthcare Delivery Chain. We want to see our India experiences being replicated across countries and continents.

MOLBIO will continue to bring in impacting POC technologies and collaborate with technology companies with niche POC/NPT platforms. Its recent MOU with Newcastle based QuantumDx is an example of its commitment in “Innovating to Impact”.