The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the US government will soon embark on a collaborative programme in the area of low-cost medical devices. The Indo-US collaborative programme is aimed at encouraging joint activities between Indian and US scientists, engineers and scientific organizations for the development of low-cost medical devices to address the medical needs in low-resource settings and also to take advantage of opportunities and technological advances through the development of appropriate, low-cost medical devices.

Medical technologies developed through Indo-US collaboration will benefit low-resource settings globally. Emphasis will be placed on technologies that increase healthcare access, address global health disparities and/or address the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the poor.

According to sources, the DBT had signed a joint statement way back in October, 2007 with National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) of DHHS, USA in this regard and the DBT and the NIBIB reviewed and finalised the programme recently. A 2008 workshop in Hyderabad had earlier examined the opportunities for collaboration and the needs for low-cost diagnostic and therapeutic medical technologies for use in under-served settings.

The focus of the programme would be on devices that address chronic disease and conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer screening, endocrine disorders, maternal/neonatal/infant health, trauma and injury needs, diagnostic technologies and translational research.

In the area of cardiovascular diseases, the focus will be on detection and monitoring of cardiovascular diseases in low-resource settings and new devices for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. In cancer screening, the focus will be on screening technologies simple enough to be operated by people with minimal education (10th grade) and quantitative tools for monitoring therapy.

The focus of the collaboration on endocrine disorders would be on diagnostic and therapeutic technologies for endocrine disorders, and specifically diabetes. Besides, focus will be on new or re-engineered low-cost technologies for the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) tract diseases.

In the maternal/neonatal/infant health area, focus will be on technologies to screen newborns for treatable conditions with high morbidity and mortality such as haemoglobinopathies, hypothyroidism, and other metabolic or inherited disorders to help prevent hypothyroidism. In trauma and injury segment, the focus will be on developing low-cost prostheses and prosthetic materials; low-cost imaging for tertiary care hospitals; mobile or portable imaging devices; low-cost EMS technologies such as a “trauma backpack”; improved, low-cost telemedicine technologies; low-cost haemostats, surgifoam, gelfoam, implants, sutures, pre-loaded syringes, fixative; low-cost C-arm, ultrasound, and CT; rehabilitation technologies, particularly for children who have been injured; low-cost wheelchairs; technologies for airway clearing; and technologies for CNS assessment.

The focus of diagnostic technologies will be on glucose monitoring for diabetics; low-cost platform technologies for multiple (multivalent) diagnostic tests; a multiplex, lab-on-a-chip technologies; point-of-care diagnostics for screening infant diseases; technology and assay development related specifically to screening newborns for heritable disorders; and appropriate, low-cost diagnostic imaging devices for low-resource settings.

In the area of translational research, the focus will be on developing technologies developed in the West to be re-engineered to suit local needs in India. For example, technologies such as the flow cytometers, insulin pumps could be made using readily available standard components.