The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sensa Core Medical Instrumentation Pvt. Ltd. for mass manufacturing and sales of a novel point-of-care technology developed at IIT Kanpur for rapid analysis of bilirubin in human blood/serum along with its three variants. The inventive technology developed at the National Centre for Flexible Electronics (NCFlexE), IIT Kanpur, by Prof. Siddhartha Panda, Department of Chemical Engineering, and Dr. Nishant Verma, discloses the fabrication of 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 technology licensing agreement was formally signed between IIT Kanpur and Sensa Core on 11th September 2023, in the presence of Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur; Prof. Ankush Sharma, PIC, Innovation & Incubation; Prof. Siddhartha Panda (Inventor), and Dr. Ravi Kumar Meruva, Licensee & Founder/CEO of Sensa Core Medical Instrumentation Pvt. Ltd. The company, based in Hyderabad, has been a leading manufacturer of Ion-selective Based Electrolyte Analyzers, Arterial Blood Gas Electrolyte Metabolite Analyzers, Glucose Test strips and Hemoglobin Test Strips. With this MoU, they plan to expand their portfolio by including Bilirubin Test strips as a part of point-of-care testing and screening.

Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director, IIT Kanpur, said, “Developing effective point-of-care technologies for enriching the healthcare system has been a priority at IIT Kanpur. This novel sensor makes detection of bilirubin levels in blood easier, and it would revolutionize the processes leading to the detection of certain health conditions. The incorporation of a unique five-electrode configuration would allow the detection of direct and total bilirubin on a single strip, simultaneously. Through this MoU, we hope to cater to the healthcare sector in effectively marketing this invention for better utility of all.”

The non-enzymatic electrochemical sensor is specifically designed for accurate detection of bilirubin levels in clinical samples. Bilirubin is a pigment in our blood, detecting the level of which can help diagnose certain health conditions, such as Neonatal jaundice. It is a prevalent clinical condition, affecting roughly 60% of full-term and 80% of preterm new-borns with a mortality rate of 7.3 per 1000 live births in India. The conventional methods of detection have limitations. The developed sensor is portable, affordable and can be directly applicable for blood sample analysis without the need for any preliminary processing steps. This sensor is expected to be used for bedside testing, in diagnostic laboratories, and even in health screening centres.

The sensor incorporates a unique five-electrode configuration that allows simultaneous detection of direct and total bilirubin on a single strip. The sensor comprises a novel material called a ‘trimetallic nanocomposite-based catalyst’, which can detect bilirubin effectively despite the presence of other components in the sample. In simple terms, this novel technology is a clever tool that would help doctors quickly and accurately measure bilirubin in your blood, which would make diagnosis of certain medical conditions easier.