- exploring alternative pledge initiative
As previously shared on Signal and Whatsapp, I fully support funding the Sports Complex initiative, for our Dec 2022 Ruby reunion pledge.
However, there is an ongoing discussion on chat groups to explore other initiatives through
crowd-sourcing of our ideas.
In the spirit of contribution, I share below a straw-man proposal for an alternative funding initiative, along with an example on how this might work.
I propose that we incubate an
IITM Center for Medical Devices & Diagnostics
IITM Center for Medical Devices & Diagnostics
The domain is big and important - imaging, radiation therapy,
diagnostic kits and more.
Most equipment including CT and MRI scanners, Nuclear
Magnetic Resonance imaging (NMR), sensors and other devices are expensive. They
are either imported or manufactured in India with foreign collaboration (GE,
Siemens, Hitachi and others). Proton radiation machines for advanced cancer
treatment are currently imported in India. The COVID pandemic has demonstrated
the need for countries to quickly research and develop diagnostic kits and not
rely on others. Lately, we have seen emergence of full body scans and other
wellness feedback systems.
The opportunity to build low cost, indigenous
solutions is huge.
My proposal is based on a few tenets -
- Should be multi-disciplinary.
- Minimal dependency on government to fund research and build prototypes.
- Should create IP for industry collaboration and adoption.
- Broad impact at a national level.
Our reunion pledge could include funding for
- a facility (do we need a separate building or can we use the CFI infrastructure?)
- equipment and tools for research and prototypes.
- licensing IP to industry to bring to market.
A sample project to showcase success:
I am sure there are many projects that are candidates to showcase success with this Center.
Here’s one:
The Center could build a low cost indigenous Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) kit and system for in-home diabetes testing.
This is a low
hanging fruit that can create impact at a national level. After China, India is
the diabetes (mostly type 2) capital of the world, an estimated 134 million
people by 2024 (wikipedia). It is generally agreed that for the most part, type 2 diabetes can be reduced with medication and lifestyle changes.
With continuous
monitoring, CGM provides real-time data to the patient and their support system
of doctor, nutrition and fitness advisors to make lifestyle changes.
However, CGM devices are prohibitively expensive and deter adoption. In India,
CGM kits cost $150 (one time for transmitter and receiver) and $50 for sensors
that need to be replaced every 14 days. The top 4 global players in the market
are Dexcom, Medtronics, Eversense and Abbott (recently introduced Libre in
India).
CGM requires a sensor (typically a piece of wire) that is injected
through the skin and replaced every 14 to 90 days. The sensor is attached to a
transmitter that sends data via bluetooth to a receiver, typically an app on a
mobile phone. The data can be uploaded to the cloud and shared with the patient
support team (doctor, nutritionist, fitness) and optionally, with a national
registry.
A CGM project will:
- be interdisciplinary - materials science (sensor), mechanical (transmitter), electronics (transmitter), computer science (hardware, apps, cloud, security, privacy), etc.
- license IP.
- create impact at a national level.
It took nearly 50 years for India
to be self-sufficient in low cost drugs and also become the pharma capital of the world, especially for generics and pharma ingredients.
Today,
knowledge sharing, funding and research has become easier. The opportunity is
for India to quickly become the leader in low cost medical devices for both for
health diagnostics and wellness.
Please note that I am not a domain expert in
the medical devices and diagnostics industry.
Your guidance and insights are
most welcome and important!
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute.
