IIT Delhi Develops Two Pioneering Healthcare Technologies under NNetRA supported by MeitY

Two cutting-edge indigenous healthcare technologies developed by the scientists of IIT Delhi under the Nanoelectronics Network for Research and Applications (NNetRA) project supported by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) were transferred to industry.

During an event organised at IIT Delhi on July 31, 2024, a technology named “Photonic Chip-based Spectrometric Biosensor” for pathogen detection was transferred to Mr Nitin Zaveri, UNINO Healthcare Private Limited, Mumbai, India.

This technology will enable quick and accurate detection of the pathogens, thereby aiding in the prevention of infectious diseases and also reducing the cost of diagnostic tests. It has been developed by a team of IIT Delhi researchers led by Prof Joby Joseph, Optics and Photonics Centre & Physics Department.

Another technology named 'DNA Aptamer for Prostate Cancer Detection' has been transferred to Dr Swapnil Sinha, HUMMSA Biotech Pvt Ltd, Kolkata, India. This technology will enable quick and accurate prostate cancer detection. It can be integrated into point-of-care (PoC) devices and can also act as a novel drug.

The aptamer is developed by a team of IIT Delhi researchers led by Prof Prashant Mishra from the Department of Biochemical Engineering and Biotechnology.

Shri S Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, who was present at the technology transfer ceremony, congratulated the teams for the successful transfer of these technologies and stated, “We envision a future where technology transfer continues to drive innovation, collaboration, and sustainable development. Measures are needed to be taken to ensure the successful adoption, implementation, and commercialization of the technology.”

Prof Rangan Banerjee, Director, IIT Delhi, congratulated the researchers for developing the two promising healthcare technologies and hailed MeitY for the NNetRA initiative and their continued support.

On this occasion, along with S Krishnan and Prof Rangan Banerjee, several other distinguished dignitaries were present, including Bhuvnesh Kumar, Additional Secretary, MeitY; Sunita Verma, Senior Director & Group Coordinator (R&D in Electronics and IT), MeitY; FITT Team; Prof Neeraj Khare, the project's CI; and Dr Sangeeta Semwal, Scientist E, MeitY.

The Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT) at IIT Delhi has played an instrumental role in fostering this technology transfer.