IITG-developed device helps Assam-based healthtech startup win big

Guwahati: An AI-enabled portable biochemistry analyzer for early diagnosis of diseases of vital organs developed at IIT Guwahati has helped a health startup from Assam to become the only one from the Northeast to be declared a winner at the National Startup Awards, 2022.

Primary Healthtech Private Limited, a rapidly growing startup with a vision to develop next-generation healthcare predictive diagnostics, was declared a winner in the ‘Special Category – Startups from Northeast’ at the recently concluded National Startup Awards.

The new category has been added to encourage startups from the region further.

“Using nanotechnology, advanced optics, and optimized algorithms, our patented technology can perform diagnostic tests at low volumes with better accuracy, thus reducing each test cost by 1/10 of existing costs. This IoT-enabled platform generates real-time data, electronic health records, and patient data profiles. After analysis and using predictive algorithms, this patient data profile provides vital health insights for disease management,” Ankit Chowdhury, Co-Founder of Primary Healthtech Private Limited, told EastMojo.

Chowdhury, who hails from Tripura, and the founder of Primary Healthtech Private Limited, Sahil Jagnani both passed out from IIT Guwahati.

The device, ‘Mobilab,’ is capable of analyzing more than 25 parameters for the diagnosis of kidney, liver, pancreas, heart problems, and others. The device is multilingual, with the goal of helping technicians understand and use the device easily.

“We want to build health-tech products not only for India but for the entire globe,” Chowdhury said.

The device has been entirely built from scratch in the Northeast over the last 4 years, with everything from the software to the hardware developed at IIT Guwahati.

A staggering 2,667 applications were received from startups, incubators, and accelerators from 31 states and union territories across the country. These applications were rigorously screened and evaluated by a panel of more than 50 esteemed jury members, comprising senior government officials, venture capitalists, startup CEOs, industry leaders, and renowned educators.

In the third edition of the National Startup Awards, 41 startups, two incubators, and one accelerator were recognized as winners in their respective categories. Winners have emerged from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, demonstrating the far-reaching impact of the entrepreneurial and innovative spirit across the nation.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) had conceived the National Startup Awards to recognize and reward outstanding startups. It recognizes exceptional startups across various categories that provide innovative solutions leading to large-scale employment and sustainable economic development.

Chowdhury said the target audience is people with low access to healthcare facilities and emergency care in hospitals where instant results are of paramount importance. He added that accessibility of healthcare at the doorstep will be crucial for non-communicable disease detection, which will be a much-needed paradigm shift from the costly, bulky, and difficult-to-handle semi-auto-analyzers to a device that can be used with the same ease and offers more features, saves time, and money for the patients.

He said quality healthcare is still available for less than 15% of the population, and with an increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the burden of out-of-pocket expenses is going to significantly increase for marginalized people.

“As for NCDs, there are very few symptoms, so regular and accessible diagnostic solutions should be available at the village level. Our portable device has the potential to diagnose early symptoms even in rural areas, and our aim is to improve the quality of life for these people,” he said.

Trials for the device are ongoing at AIIMS New Delhi, GNRC, GMCH, among other locations.

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