IIT Develops Device Performing CBC At Rs 10

I n an effort to reduce the cost of routine CBC, researchers from IIT Kharagpur have developed a motor-run spinning disc-based portable device that performs a CBC test at a nominal cost of Rs. 10. The average clinical cost of a CBC performed routinely to assess a wide range of diseases is approximately ₹200. Furthermore, the existing methods for this test are expensive because of the requirement of sophisticated instrumentation and trained personnel.

With this in the background, a group of researchers at IIT Kharagpur developed a device that performs CBC at a fraction of the cost incurred during a regular CBC. With simple design and fabrication techniques, the device is built to perform hematocrit, hemoglobin, RBC, WBC, platelet count and several other blood parameters with 95% accuracy. Interestingly, the disc used in the device is biodegradable, replaced and disposed after several…