Thiruvananthapuram: Startup company Sascan Meditech Pvt Ltd has designed and developed a handheld imaging device for screening, detection and biopsy guidance of oral cancer. The company was incubated at TiMED, technology business incubator of Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology,
Dr Subhash Narayanan, CEO of Sascan, said oral cancer is a growing concern in India with more than 80,000 fresh cases reported every year. The disease has a high mortality rate because of the delay in detection. Current practice relies on oral examinations using a torch light to detect early stage cancer of the oral cavity.
The studies have demonstrated that this screening technique is not reliable and often oral potentially malignant lesions (OPMLs) go undetected in the early stages. Even experienced clinicians find it difficult to locate the optimal site for a biopsy based on conventional oral examination. This leads to multiple biopsies, increased expenditure and false negative reports which can delay diagnosis and outcome. “It is in this context that OralScan, a handheld imaging device developed by Sascan for screening, detection of OPMLs and biopsy guidance, becomes relevant,” he said.
A proprietary software assists the surgeon in taking biopsy from the most appropriate site, which is likely to confirm the diagnosis of malignancy. This will avoid multiple biopsies and false negative reports. The device will be marketed at a price of Rs 5.9 lakh. This will be a one-time investment for hospitals and laboratories without any additional costs on consumables.
Oral Scan is a make-in-India initiative with seed funding from the scheme National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations (NIDHI) of the department of science and technology (DST). Oral scan was designed and developed entirely in India and supported by biotechnology ignition grant of Biotechniology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), INVENT (DST) and Kerala Start Up Mission. The company has received investment from Unicorn India Ventures.
Health minister K K Shailaja will launch OralScan on Wednesday.