IIT Bombay develops affordable device to screen for anaemia and sickle cell

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay have developed a low-cost automated device to screen for anaemia and monitor sickle cell disease, according to reports from The Hindu and Digital Health News. The patented system uses automated smearing to perform simple and accessible blood testing. [1][2]

The Hindu reported that blood viscosity cutoffs vary across different groups of people because specific genetic differences affect how blood reacts when oxygen levels drop. The device automates the smearing process to assist in making diagnoses for sickle cell anaemia and sickle cell disease. [1]

As HEROIC BREAKING NEWS reported earlier, the point of care device uses a single drop of blood spread on a glass slide to perform the screening. Professor Mahesh Tirumkudulu led the research team in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the institute. [9][10]

The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay is a public research university located in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was established in 1958 and was designated as an Institution of Eminence in 2018. [7]