Mumbai: At the Fifth Annual Symposium and Medical Device Expo on April 12 and 13, IIT-Bombay’s BETiC (Biomedical Engineering and Technology incubation Centre) unveiled 20 low-cost medical device innovations that it fostered over the last year.
Three of the best innovations—Ayulynk Smart Stethoscope, which records and send heart and lung sounds of rural patients to urban doctors for accurate diagnosis; Diabetic Foot Scanner, which prevents long-term ulceration and amputation, and Hybrid Plaster Splint that immobilises fractured bones to prevent further damage during transportation — walked away with Rs50 lakh Biotechnology Ignition Grant Award from Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), New Delhi.
The money will be used for pilot production, testing and marketing of the products, informed Dr Rupesh Ghyar, Senior Executive Officer, BETiC. BETiC was established at IIT-B in 2014, followed by satellite centres at VNIT Nagpur and COE Pune in 2015.
The innovation centres are funded by Rajiv Gandhi Science & Technology Commission (RGSTC), Government of Maharashtra, and Dept of Science and Technology (DST), Govt of India, and aims to boost indigenous medical device innovation and entrepreneurship.
The 36-year-old Aneesh Karma, who was afflicted by polio in his childhood and a native of Bulandshahr in UP, had his Knee Ankle Foot Orthosis (KAFO) as one of the 20 novel medical devices showcased at the expo. According to participating doctors, KAFO is required by those affected by polio, paralysis and accidents.
Some organisations provide similar callipers for free to poor patients, but these have issues related to comfort and convenience while imported devices are highly expensive. KAFO is both user-freindly and inexpensive. Innovators at BETiC work closely with each other, guided by top doctors and mentors, to bring innovative ideas to life.
Many start their own company with the help from Society for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (SINE), the technology business incubator of IIT-B to take the products to market. BETiC at IIT-B and 10 partner institutes in Maharashtra have over 100 researchers working closely with doctors to develop novel and affordable medical devices. In the last five years, they have filed 50 patents and licensed 12 technologies to start-up companies and industry partners.