MICROTEST INNOVATIONS PVT. LTD.

Dr. N. Jayasuryan is the first entrepreneur to be incubated at IBAB. He started the company Microtest Innovations Pvt. Ltd. in the year 2002.

Microtest Innovations is a biotech research and development company dedicated to knowledge and technology development in the area of biology and medicine with special emphasis on disease diagnosis. The company is deeply concerned about how biotechnology can be applied to find solutions of problems faced by developing countries both for economic development and technological self-reliance. The mission of this company is to innovate and invent appropriate and affordable diagnostics for existing and emerging health problems through an indigenous effort. Nearly half of the deaths in the developing countries are due to infectious diseases.

HIV and AIDS is now the leading cause of mortality and is estimated to be the leading cause of death worldwide [joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS. AIDS Epidemic Update, December 2001 (UNAIDS/WHO, GENEVA, 2001)]. A global estimation of 42 million people living with HIV/AIDS has been reported by WHO. Diagnosis of HIV infection is central for both treatment and prevention of the disease. Since the introduction of the screening test for this deadly virus in 1985, remarkable improvement towards achieving greater sensitivity and specificity has been achieved. But an ever increasing possibility exists towards achieving this target as knowledge, tools and technologies improves.

Serological diagnosis of HIV infection is based usually on the detection of a specific antibody. This antibody testing is the most commonly used screening method for the diagnosis of the disease. The first test used is the whole HIV virus lysed from infected cells for the purpose of detecting the antibody. Following that, different versions of tests have been developed by systematic study of different molecules and epitopes.

Our aim is to develop a better and cheaper diagnostic kit which can also be utilized in remote regions. We are currently designing and developing combinations of testing possibilities considering the variants of the viruses and the variation of the immune response in the Indian subcontinent by indigenous research and development.