IISc Develops Low-Cost Diagnostic Test For Sickle Cell Disease

The diagnostic test developed by the researchers is a low-cost alternative to the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The HPLC test is time-consuming and costs between Rs 400 and Rs 700, it said.

A team at the Indian Institute of Science, led by Professor Sai Siva Gorthi along with his collaborator Dr. Nisanth Nambisson at Government Homeopathy medical college (GHMC) Bhopal, has developed a new low-cost diagnostic test that can detect Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and Sickle Cell Trait (SCT). Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is an inherited disorder of the red blood cells, which is characterised by repeated episodes of debilitating pain. Other symptoms include chronic anemia, acute chest syndrome, stroke, splenic and renal dysfunction, pain crises, and susceptibility to bacterial infections, the IISc said. The diagnostic test developed by the researchers is a low-cost alternative to the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The HPLC test is time-consuming and costs between Rs 400 and Rs 700, it said. The HPOS test developed by the IISc team can be performed in 15 minutes. It is an “absorbance spectroscopy-based test” that uses machine learning-based algorithm for classifying the samples, the institute said.