Tomorrow's tools

Founder: Ravikrishnan Elangovan 
Year: 2024
Big idea: AI-assisted automated diagnostics platform

The idea took shape at a lab in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. Professor Ravikrishnan Elangovan was part of a group studying molecular motors and looking at more accurate optical methods to examine molecular phenomena. Hoping to build something specifically relevant to India, the team created a diagnostic tool using magnetic-particle-based enrichment technology for detecting typhoid cells. It formed a start-up, but the venture later shut down because of delays in commercialising the technology.

Elangovan's brush with medical devices led him to set up Ayukriyam Innovations, a spin-off from the Molecular Imaging & Diagnostics Lab at IIT Delhi. The start-up uses automated artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted disease diagnosis to improve diagnostic workflows. The company is developing an automated sample preparation platform and cartridge-based point-of-care solutions. The platforms cover a range of molecular assays, including antimicrobial resistance detection, says Elangovan, who did his Master's in Biotechnology from IIT Delhi and earned a PhD in Biophysics from Italy before becoming a faculty member at his alma mater.

Fortunately for him, the regulatory process for medical devices became clearer as the sector developed. He plans to develop diagnostic solutions targeting smaller hospitals and standalone diagnostic laboratories in Tier-1 cities, where the lack of trained personnel often results in inaccurate test results. According to Elangovan, the venture started by working on solutions supported by the Indian Council of Medical Research for diagnosing tuberculosis and cervical cancer, two widely prevalent problems. Ayukriyam Innovations came up with a manual microscopy solution, but the data failed when it was sent for multi-centre evaluation because of factors such as the multiple-step sample preparation process, lack of quality control while preparing the sample, long analysis time, and human fatigue. To overcome these drawbacks, Ayukriyam developed an automated sample preparation solution (Autostain) and an automated slide scanner (Autoscope), which substantially reduce human intervention and thus improve the quality of diagnosis. The images are digitised, and the company uses AI-based classification algorithms to identify and classify the cells; he says the results came out promptly and were highly accurate.

Ayukriyam worked with hospitals to validate the technology. The products have been built and await regulatory approval before being commercially launched. Similar technologies are available, but most are imported and expensive. Ayukriyam plans to offer its diagnostic solutions through cheaper subscriptions to smaller hospitals and diagnostic labs. "We will be replacing manual technology, which is error-prone... Our solutions can be easily deployed and are automated, thanks to which you do not need high capital expenditure and trained manpower," says Elangovan.

Founders: Murari R. and Nagesh Kini
Year: 2018
Big idea: An advanced materials start-up building membranes for different applications

As a materials scientist in the U.S., Murari R. had worked on technologies that integrate advanced materials onto devices for multiple uses. Murari, who did his Master's from the University of Pennsylvania, knew Nagesh Kini, a PhD in Materials Science from the Indian Institute of Science with a corporate and research background. The two came together to set up Vimano, which is developing membranes to be used in electrochemical devices for energy storage and distribution, as well as thermal management. Vimano — 'vi' from viriya in Sanskrit for energy, 'ma' from materials and 'no' from nanotechnology — has developed a proprietary ion-selective membrane platform for multiple uses, including thermal management in satellites and in-flow batteries.

Vimano, which recently raised its first institutional equity funding, has set up a laboratory for research and a mini-production facility. Initially, Murari and Kini planned to focus on flow batteries but soon realised the features of the membranes would help in other sectors, such as hydrogen production and satellite thermal management. They pivoted from a product-focused technology to a platform-focused one. They are at different technology readiness levels (TRLs) for diverse sectors; the highest TRL is for space thermal management in satellites. The company will supply a leading space and satellite-launching organisation with membranes to be used on the outer layers of satellites as a heat shield. Vimano is working closely with this organisation and supplied a few hundred batches before the order was placed.

The membranes are made of polymers and nanomaterials. Their thickness will be between 15 and 50 microns and can go up to 100 microns. Over the past four years, Vimano has been making membranes of larger dimensions and can now make membranes measuring 0.5 m x 0.5 m. Their production capacity is one membrane a day, and since their partners want at least 100 pieces a day, the company has to set up a larger laboratory and production facility.

According to Murari, apart from global multinationals such as DuPont, a handful of start-ups in the U.S. and Canada can make these membranes and have received substantial funding from venture capitalists. He reckons Vimano is the only Indian company offering these membranes. He says their go-to-market strategy will be to sell in the global market to original equipment manufacturers — such as device makers and satellite companies — that require these membranes for charge transport and efficient thermal management.