A team of professors from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT Roorkee) comprising of Prof. Indranil Lahiri, Prof. Partha Roy, Prof. Debrupa Lahiri and researchers in their groups have developed a simple, easy-to-use breath based cancer detector (BLO Detector), which works on the principles of colorimetry. This device is able to detect the presence of breast, lung, and oral cancer.IIT Roorkee has signed this technology transfer with Tata Steel.
BLO Detector will be important for screening a large pull of the population who are susceptible to any of these three types of cancer. A positive result in this test will ensure a quick visit to a doctor for a detailed diagnosis and treatment of cancer. This will have a huge impact on increasing the survival rate of cancer patients – specifically of these three types of cancer. The device has undergone an initial clinical test at a Cancer Research Institute in Dehradun, India, with a sensitivity and specificity of 96.11% and 94.67%, respectively.
Taking about the know-how of the device, Prof. Indranil Lahiri, IIT Roorkee, leading researcher for the BLO Detector, said, “This is a quick, handy, pocket-friendly breast-lung-oral cancer screening device and a person just needs to blow into this device. Immediately after the test, the person can match the color of the substrate with a given color code and understand the chances of having any of the breast, lung, and oral cancers.”
Talking about the technology transfer, Acting Director Prof. M.L. Sharma, IIT Roorkee, highlighted, that “The earlier the cancer is detected, more are the chances of full recovery. And where cancer detection in today’s world is becoming costly, I am humbled to know that this technology transfer will bear fruits for people who suffer from cancer and go on without detection.”
Dr. Debashish Bhattacharjee, Vice President, Technology and New Materials Business, Tata Steel, New Materials Business for event, accompanied Mr. Kingshuk Poddar, Head, Medical Materials and Devices, Tata Steel. Prof. ML Sharma, Officiating Director IIT Roorkee, Prof. Akshay Dvivedi, Dean Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy (SRIC), Prof. Rajat Agarwal. Associate Dean Innovation and Incubation (ADII), Prof. Sai Ramudu Meka, Associate Dean Corporate Interaction (ADCI) , Prof. Azam Khan CEO TIDES ,from IIT Roorkee graced this significant event along with the research team leaders Prof. Indranil Lahiri, Prof. Partha Roy, and Prof. Debrupa Lahiri.
