India Health Fund Announces Its Support For OmiX iAMP, A LAMP-Based Platform For Combined Testing Of Covid-19, TB & Influenza

* OmiX iAMP is a multiplex platform-based test that can accurately detect Covid-19, TB, Influenza and, thereby, address detection dilemmas faced by physicians in diagnosing diseases with similar symptoms

* OmiX iAMP is able to report 10x more tests in the same time at 1/10th the combined cost of existing tests, and is 4x lower in capex making vast scale adoption more feasible 

India Health Fund (IHF), seeded by Tata Trusts, with strategic assistance from The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, today announced its support for OmiX Laboratories for its OmiX iAMP platform. IHF will support OmiX Laboratories towards manufacturing of devices, clinical validation and enable linkages, and support for regulatory approval, certifications, and CE submission. 

The OmiX iAMP platform is a Multiplex Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) innovation-based solution, that does combined testing of Covid-19, TB, and Influenza. OmiX iAMP has automated sample handling using Robotics and an AI algorithm that accurately detects and interprets the sample by identifying it through colour, as either negative or positive, thereby reducing the need for skilled workforce to interpret test results, while making the test error-free. Additionally, the innovation reports 10x more tests in the same time, and costs a tenth (1/10th) of the existing combined tests.

The World TB Report has stated that TB affects 2.7 million lives in India, annually. Influenza burden is estimated at 0.6 -1 million, and Covid-19 has affected a lot of lives, already. Accordingly, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, has recommended combined testing for Covid-19, TB, and Influenza as it will help physicians in accurately diagnosing infectious diseases with similar symptoms, thereby reducing turn-around time in detection, increasing accessibility of tests, and addressing limited skilled workforce.

Mr. Madhav Joshi, CEO - India Health Fund, believes, “The application of the latest developments in science & technology to develop solutions which can help improve outcomes in the diagnosis, treatment & prevention of communicable diseases has lagged behind developments in non-communicable diseases. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted this gap, and the health system had to make do with tools which were inadequate to meet the need for accurate and low-cost solutions which could be used at scale without putting an additional burden on healthcare workers. Since inception 4 years ago, India Health Fund has focused on helping bridge this gap by de-risking the development of promising technology-led solutions and enabling their growth. We believe OMIX iAMP can be a game changer by enabling low cost, accurate, differentiated diagnosis of Covid19, TB and Influenza at scale which will significantly improve patient outcomes and public health with early & accurate diagnosis, initiation of the right treatment and reducing the risk of undetected infection spreading.”

Dr. Sudeshna Adak, Co-founder OmiX Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., said, “Poor healthcare outcomes are directly correlated with socio-economic status, and it begins with lack of access to accurate and early diagnosis. Imagine being sick and the nearest laboratory is 50 kms away or the cost of a test is equal to a week’s wages. The COVID-19 pandemic was yet another reminder where access to RT-PCR diagnostic laboratories in smaller towns and cities in India lagged well behind the metros. OmiX’s journey is to revolutionize diagnostics to enable access to accurate and affordable molecular diagnostics not just for COVID-19, but also other debilitating infections such as Tuberculosis and Influenza.  

Founded by Dr. Sudeshna Adak & Dr. Abhinanda Sarkar, OmiX Labs is Bangalore based and primarily involved in developing rapid, cost-effective, molecular diagnostics for detection of infections at the last mile. Dr. Sudeshna, who has a PhD from Stanford, has worked in Harvard as an Assistant Professor before returning to India, noticed that there was a stark difference in the availability of advanced health care in the metros vis a vis smaller towns and rural areas. This led her to set-up OmiX Laboratories along with Dr. Abhinanda Sarkar who is a well-known professional in the field of statistics, AI and Machine Learning. He has a PhD from Stanford, and has worked at MIT, IBM, and GE. Their vision through OmiX is to transform healthcare with solutions for molecular diagnostics to the last mile.

About India Health Fund:

India Health Fund (IHF) was conceived to accelerate India’s progress towards the elimination of infectious diseases. IHF does this by addressing the gaps in funding for product development, in mentorship and in market access that are often faced by small and mid-size entities with powerful ideas that have the potential to significantly improve outcomes in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases.

IHF also works to develop effective business models, implementation partnerships and financing mechanisms which help to significantly scale up these solutions - enabling impact at scale.

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About Tata Trusts:

Since inception in 1892, Tata Trusts, India’s oldest philanthropic organisation, has played a pioneering role in bringing about an enduring difference in the lives of the communities it serves. Guided by the principles and the vision of proactive philanthropy of the Founder, Jamsetji Tata, the Trusts’ purpose is to catalyse development in the areas of health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, livelihood, digital transformation, migration and urban habitat, social justice and inclusion, environment and energy, skill development, sports, and arts and culture. The Trusts’ programmes, achieved through direct implementation, partnerships and grant making, are marked by innovations, relevant to the country. For more information, please visit http://tatatrusts.org/

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