IIT Bombay Develops Low-Cost Device to Screen for Anemia and Sickle Cell Disease

Under controlled conditions, researchers found that blood samples from different individuals spread to different lengths, providing information about blood viscosity and potentially indicating disease.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has developed a low-cost device that can screen for anemia and sickle cell disease using a drop of blood. The technology, developed by researchers from the institute’s Department of Chemical Engineering, uses blood smear length to identify differences associated with the two conditions.

The research team is led by Professor Mahesh Tirumkudulu, who developed an automated device to create uniform blood smears on glass slides. Under controlled conditions, researchers found that blood samples from different individuals spread to different lengths, providing information about blood viscosity and potentially indicating disease.

More viscous blood spreads less easily, producing a shorter and thicker smear under the same conditions. The researchers found that anemia reduces red blood cell concentration and hemoglobin levels, while sickle cell disease causes red blood cells to become rigid.

The approach could offer a simpler screening option in areas where conventional diagnostic laboratories are difficult to access.

“This makes our technique particularly useful in places where conventional diagnostic laboratories are difficult to access, and it doesn’t require any special expertise to use,” said Dr. Mahrukh Mir, a former PhD scholar in Tirumkudulu’s laboratory and the first author of the study.

Device Designed for Low-Cost Testing

According to the researchers, the automated smearing device is patented and can be manufactured cost-effectively. The test requires a pipette, glass slides, an inexpensive chemical, vials for sickling treatment, and a ruler or imaging device to measure the smear length.

However, the researchers noted that blood viscosity thresholds can vary across population groups because genetic differences affect how blood responds when oxygen levels fall. The anemia screening method may also miss some cases in which the usual relationship between blood viscosity and anemia does not hold, including rare conditions such as hyperviscosity syndrome.

Rheoheme Private Limited, an IIT Bombay startup, has licensed the technology. The research team is working with the National Institute for Research in Tribal Health in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, and the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Nagpur to pursue regulatory approval.

Researchers are also exploring potential applications of the device for measuring clotting time and glucose levels.

“Our initial aim was to understand the physics of spreading blood drop, and that led to the medical applications,” Professor Tirumkudulu said.

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