Novel Germicidal Coated Fabric
Fabric mask acts as physical barrier by trapping the droplets where virus remains alive, on the other hand, anti-viral coated fabric masks combat the spread and transmission by destroying the virus. Researchers from InStem developed a technology of coating germicidal compounds into fabrics which neutralizes enveloped viruses (e.g. lentivirus, sendi virus). COVID-19 infection is caused by an enveloped virus and therefore, the germicide coated fabric can destroy the virus. Coating of fabric with germicide using this technology involves a simple, scalable and cost-effective process. The fabric retains germicidal property for at-least up to 45 wash cycles and therefore overcomes the drawback of disposable PPEs. It is highly beneficial for hospitals as they require washable and re-usable masks, protective gears, coats, bodysuits, equipment and other surfaces.
This G-Fab technology has been licensed to Aditya Birla Pvt. Ltd., which is used for their anti-viral mask and athleisure products.
Novel Formulation for deactivating toxic agents like pesticide
A vast majority of farm workers get exposed to pesticides through dermal route, by inhalation, or both. Organophosphate pesticides (methyl parathion, malathion, paraoxon and chlorpyrifos) are acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors. Acetylcholinesterase is found in both central and peripheral nervous system of humans and its inhibition can lead to the accumulation of acetylcholine (a neuro transmitter) which in turn can result in neurological disorders, suffocation, paralysis, and in severe cases, death. Researchers at InStem have prepared a formulation that can deactivate the toxic agents that are organophosphate-based or carbamate-based pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and chemical warfare agents, among others. The formulation is a reactive nucleophilic agent that rapidly cleaves/hydrolyzes toxic agents before they can enter the subject and cause adverse effects. This technology has been licenced to Sepio Health Pvt. Ltd.
Tapestry pooling: A Single-Round Smart Pooling Technique for COVID-19 Testing
Invented by scientists from IIT Bombay, InStem and NCBS, the technology comprises methods and systems for determining viruses in biological samples using a single-round pooling system. Samples from multiple individuals are collected and are assigned to multiple pools according to a pooling matrix while ensuring that the number of pools is far fewer than the number of individuals. The samples are clinically tested (RT-qPCR) and correlated with the pool results. The feedback helps the algorithm learn and to refine the results eventually increasing the accuracy of its predictive value. The immediate benefit of the invention is to be able to reduce the number of tests that will be required to screen populations for Covid19. This may be adapted for testing for other viral diseases like Dengue, Tuberculosis, and HIV too.
This technology has been licenced to Algorithmic Biologics Private Limited for further development, trial, and commercialization