IIT Bombay Team Creates Affordable Anaemia and Sickle Cell Test

Scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay) have created a low-cost screening technique for severe anaemia and sickle cell disease. Led by Professor Mahesh S. Tirumkudulu, the research examines how blood flows and spreads across a glass slide. The team built a device that holds two slides at a specific angle and moves one at a controlled pace, using only a small drop of blood.

According to the studies, the distance the blood travels is linked to its viscosity and haemoglobin levels. A separate color-based method was also created to estimate haemoglobin levels by evaluating dried blood films. Field testing involving hundreds of individuals in Maharashtra showed high percentages of correct screenings for severe anaemia and sickle cell conditions.

For sickle cell screening, the technique compares how a sample spreads before and after introducing a chemical that lowers oxygen. The technology has been licensed to an IIT Bombay start-up, with applications submitted for a regulatory licence. Before commercial availability, the approach still requires independent hospital validation and is intended as a screening tool rather than a final diagnostic test.