India Health Fund (IHF), a Tata Trusts initiative focused on improving health outcomes in infectious diseases, announced funding for two pioneering platform tools that can be used for diagnosis of multiple diseases. Developed by Ameliorate Biotech Pvt. Ltd. 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.
Mosquito-borne diseases are rampant in India, with an observed rise in dengue and chikungunya cases between 2015 and 2021. These illnesses often present similar symptoms at an early stage, leading to misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. There is an immediate need for a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) that is real-time, easy-to-use, affordable, user-friendly and equipment free. Microscopy as a diagnostic tool for malaria has evolved little since its first use.
The two IHF-supported “Made In India” tools promise to increase efficiencies and save costs for health systems, while also saving time for patients and allowing for right treatment linkages. Dr Rashbehari Tunga, Managing Director and Founder, Ameliorate Biotech Pvt. Ltd. said, “Ameliorate has a game-changing solution at hand that can help individuals in the remotest corners differentiate quickly between fever illnesses and seek appropriate treatment”.
