Tuesday, 18 October 2022 | PNS | ROORKEE
Institute signs technology transfer with Tata Steel
Considering the importance of early detection of cancer to treat it effectively, a team of professors fromthe Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee and researchers in their groups have developed a simple, easy-to-use breath based cancer detector (BLO detector), which works on the principles of colorimetry. This institute claims that this device is able to detect the presence of breast, lung and oral cancer.
IIT Roorkee has signed this technology transfer with Tata Steel. According to the institute, the BLO detector will be important for screening a large proportion of the population which is susceptible to any of these three types of cancer. A positive result in this test will ensure a quick visit to a doctor for a detailed diagnosis and treatment of cancer. This will have a huge impact on increasing the survival rate of cancer patients – specifically of these three types of cancer. The device has undergone an initial clinical test at a Cancer Research Institute in Dehradun with a sensitivity and specificity of 96.11 per cent and 94.67 per cent respectively.
Taking about the know-how of the device, professor Indranil Lahiri, IIT Roorkee, leading researcher for the BLO detector, said, “This is a quick, handy, pocket-friendly breast-lung-oral cancer screening device and a person just needs to blow into this device. Immediately after the test, the person can match the color of the substrate with a given colour code and understand the chances of having any of the breast, lung and oral cancers.”
Talking about the technology transfer, the institute’s acting director professor ML Sharma said, “The earlier the cancer is detected, greater are the chances of full recovery. And where cancer detection in today’s world is becoming costly, I am humbled to know that this technology transfer will bear fruits for people who suffer from cancer and go on without detection.”
Vice president, Technology and New Materials Business, Tata Steel, Debashish Bhattacharjee said, “Tata Steel is constantly working towards fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement to drive excellence. I congratulate the research team from IIT Roorkee for such an innovative invention. We intend to leverage this opportunity with IIT Roorkee to develop and deploy the BLO detector and further, I am happy to announce that Tata Steel will also be awarding a new project to the institute.”
