RICOVR Healthcare and IIT Madras have designed COVID-19 test device has won the prestigious ‘Ignition Grants’ award from U.S. India Science and Technology Endowment Fund (USISTEF).

The device developed by RICOVR Healthcare and IIT Madras can provide results in five minutes by using saliva.

RICOVR Healthcare’s patented biosensor platform uses a small drop of saliva to provide high-quality, cost-effective results in approximately five minutes.

RICOVR Healthcare Inc (RICOVR Healthcare) is an US based rapid diagnostics platform company. And, USISTEF, a joint fund established by the U.S. and India to promote innovation through science and technology.

The results were announced recently after a rigorous binational review process of over 400 proposals.

The RICOVR Healthcare and IIT Madras team was selected for its out-of-the-box, innovative idea to address the COVID-19 challenge.

RICOVR Healthcare and IIT-M designed great device wins award

IIT Madras is collaborating with RICOVR Healthcare to bring this novel COVID-19 antigen test to the market.

The innovative approach of detection and simple use of saliva will help bring a cost-effective, accurate, and user-friendly device to global markets in need of more immediate diagnostic tools.

Speaking about the collaboration between RICOVR Healthcare and IIT Madras, Dr. Himanshu Bhatia, founder and chief executive officer of RICOVR Healthcare said they are proud to receive the distinguished award that highlights the strong collaboration with its research and development partner, IIT Madras.

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‘Our scientific approach and methodical steps continue to propel RICOVR Healthcare in the right direction.’

With this recognition and partnership, we are confident we can achieve better outcomes and a robust testing platform for COVID detection, he said.

RICOVR Healthcare and IIT Madras collaboration is intended to support a successful joint U.S.-India entrepreneurial initiative devoted to battle COVID-19.
It focuses on developing and implementing new technologies and systems to satisfy unmet rapid and reliable testing needs.

RICOVR Healthcare is one step closer to bringing the Point-of-care Fiber-optic Biosensor (P-FAB) Device from the lab to the market.

Speaking about the technology that lies behind the diagnostic device developed by RICOVR Healthcrare and IIT Madras Dr. V. V. Raghavendra Sai, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras said this technology is differentiated from the other molecular and antibody-based test in that it can detect the presence of active viral particles on the spot without needing a specialized apparatus.

Our lab has already demonstrated and shown the capability of our technology in other diagnostics fields.

This award will help us rapidly progress our work for this much-needed diagnostics test. This can be a game-changer in the management and control of COVID-19, he said.

USISTEF had called for proposals under the category of ‘COVID-19 Ignition Grants’ in April 2020.

The intent was to support promising joint U.S.-India entrepreneurial initiatives that address the development and implementation of new technologies, tools and systems to address COVID-19 related challenges, including monitoring, diagnosis, health and safety, public outreach, information, and communications.

Reiterating the need for mutual cooperation, US Ambassador to India Mr. Kenneth I. Juster said U.S. Government is pleased to partner with the Government of India’s Department of Science and Technology to provide initial financing to almost a dozen promising technologies, chosen from over 400 proposals, which seek to help the world in its global fight against COVID-19.

This is just one area where American and Indian ingenuity is working together to serve our peoples and the broader international community, he said.

About RICOVR Healthcare

Ricovr is a leader in the oral diagnostics and testing market. The firm boasts a distinguished team of scientists, engineers, and medical professionals committed to making a positive impact in the point-of-care medical device space. In addition to its in-house team, the company has strong partnerships with leading universities around the globe. To learn more about Ricovr, visit https://www.ricovr.com/

About IIT Madras

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) was established in 1959 by the Government of India as an ‘Institute of National Importance.’

The activities of the Institute in various fields of Science and Technology are carried out in 16 academic departments and several advanced interdisciplinary research academic centres.

The Institute offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes leading to B.Tech., M.Sc., M.B.A., M.Tech., M.S., and Ph.D., degrees in a variety of specialisations.

IITM is a residential institute with more than 580 faculty and 9,500 students. Students from 18 countries are enrolled here.

IITM fosters an active entrepreneurial culture with strong curricular support and through the IITM Incubation Cell.

IITM has been ranked No.1 in the ‘Overall’ Category for the second consecutive year in India Ranking 2020 released by National Institutional Ranking Framework, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India.

The Institute has also been ranked No.1 in the ‘Engineering Institutions’ category in the same Rankings for five consecutive years – 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

It was also adjudged as the ‘Top innovative Institution’ in the country in Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) in 2019 and 2020. ARIIA Ranking was launched by the Innovation Cell of Ministry of Education.

S. Vishnu Sharma

S Vishnu Sharmaa now works with collegechalo.com in the news team. His work involves writing articles related to the education... (Full bio)