IHF announces funding for diagnostic innovations by Ameliorate Biotech and Medprime Technologies

Both the innovations are for faster, more accurate and cost-effective diagnosis of Mosquito-Borne Diseases

India Health Fund (IHF), a Tata Trusts initiative focused on improving health outcomes in infectious diseases has announced funding for two platform tools that can be used for diagnosis of multiple diseases. Developed by Ameliorate Biotech and Medprime Technologies respectively, the innovations, a fever panel to detect dengue, chikungunya, and malaria; and a microscope-agnostic AI-enabled diagnosis software that is applicable across diseases.

Diagnostic innovation by Ameliorate Biotech is an accurate, multiplexed RDT for dengue, chikungunya and malaria (with malaria falciparum and vivax differentiation), the simple 15-min test uses a single test kit and a single blood sample and can be easily used by minimally trained workforce at primary level. The process eliminates the need of serum/plasma samples, is instantaneous, doesn’t need cold chain facility/ biosafety lab; ensures minimal medical waste generation. The 12-month funding from IHF will enable prospective, multicentric performance and cost-effectiveness evaluation of the RDT, to be made available at a discounted price of Rs 200/pc to the public health system for government procurements. This is far less than existing fever panel priced at Rs 3000-4000.

Diagnostic innovation by Medprime Technologies is an artificial intelligence-powered software for faster, more cost-effective and more accurate microscopy for disease diagnosis deploys an algorithm, locally trained by machine learning, which automatically detects, identifies and differentiates between malarial parasites (P. falciparum and P. vivax). This tool will be microscope, disease (communicable and non-communicable) and sample (blood, urine, stool, pus) agnostic and will slash- by third- the time taken for slide viewing, image processing and result reporting. The algorithm will also overcome the need for trained manpower and will prove important for training and research for medical, paramedical and allied health staff that need remote collaboration and interoperability. IHF’s 24-month support to Medprime will enable the development and pilot testing of this AI/Machine Learning (ML)-led multiplex diagnosis software.