Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. , Photo credit: Sudhakara Jain
A Ph.D. Indian Institute students scienceRepresenting India at the Falling Walls Lab & Science Summit held in Berlin recently, he has been awarded the third prize in the ‘Breakthrough of the Year Emerging Talent’ category.
Ayushi Chauhan of Tole Lab, Department of Chemical Engineering, who won the award, is working on developing a pocket-sized assay with minimal instrumentation for rapid and decentralized detection of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB).
Ms. Chauhan Bhushan J. Toole, assistant professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, and she said the device could provide a much-needed breakthrough in the field of TB diagnostics.
movement against TB
Ms. Chauhan pointed out that two months ago, President Draupadi Murmu launched a nationwide movement to eradicate TB from the country by 2025, five years ahead of the United Nations’ goal of a TB-free world.
“Since India has the highest number of TB and DR-TB cases in the world, with 70% of the country’s population living in rural areas, disease eradication using current centralized tools is difficult. This new device, if it stands the test of time, could be a promising tool for the detection of TB and DR-TB,” said Ms. Chauhan.
“While the entire infrastructure required to detect DR-TB can be fitted into a small briefcase, using our methods, the detection device is only pocket-sized. Detection Device Home Pregnancy Test or COVID Detection Similar to the rapid antigen test used for HIV,” Prof. Tolle said. He added that the method is currently in the development stage.
Awaiting Clearance
“Analytically, the performance looks good, and we are currently waiting to receive human ethical approval to conduct clinical validation,” he said.
The Falling Walls Lab and Science Summit is held every year in November to mark the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. This year, the Falling Walls Lab was held in 54 different countries, and 78 national Lab winners from these countries were invited to represent their countries in Berlin.