Achira Labs awarded BIRAC National Award for Indigenous Product Commercialization

Honourable President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, presented the award on the occasion of National Technology Day

Bangalore : Achira Labs, a pioneering Bangalore based start-up, working on innovative point-of-care medical diagnostics platforms, received the “BIRAC National Award for Indigenous Product Commercialization”. Dr. Dhananjaya Dendukuri, Co-founder & CEO of Achira Labs, received the award from the Honorable President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, at an event organized by the Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India on May 11th in New Delhi.

The award, instituted by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a PSE under the aegis of Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & technology, Government of India, was awarded to Achira Labs for developing advanced technology in the field of point of care medical diagnostics. The concept involves the discipline of microfluidics and optics to analyze chemical constituents in blood samples, providing for accurate and immediate analysis. The technology was incorporated into the ACIX-100, a portable device developed by Achira Labs for commercial application.

The event, held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, was also graced by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science &Technology and Earth Sciences and Prof. K. Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology & Chairman, BIRAC, and Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology. Outstanding contributions to the field of Science and Technology by Indian companies were recognized by various government agencies and nominated to be awarded at the occasion. Achira Labs was nominated by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) to receive the award for developing indigenous product based on the microfluidics technology in the field of point of care medical diagnostics and its commercialization.

The commercial application of the new technology allows testing of blood samples at the Doctor’s clinic or a small lab at about half the cost and a fraction of the time taken by large and expensive lab equipment. This is also expected to support the future development of low cost technologies towards personalized health care solutions and management. Soon, point of care solution, which miniaturizes the functions of a diagnostic lab on to a small chip, will empower doctors to undertake informed decisions almost immediately by having access to quantitative and confirmatory results.

On receiving the award, Dr. Dhananjaya Dendukuri, Co-founder & CEO, Achira Labs, said, “I am humbled to receive this prestigious award on behalf of the entire team at Achira. The award means a lot to us as we have braved several challenges to transition a cutting edge technology from the lab to the market. It is a great source of inspiration, not only to us, but also to our valuable partners and collaborators who have supported us through the journey. I am honoured to receive this award from the Hon’ble President of India and am very grateful to BIRAC for their unflinching support.”

The award included a citation, trophy and a cash award of Rupees One Lakh.

Added, Dr. Renu Swarup, Managing Director of Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) and Senior Adviser to the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, “It has been our mission to extend support to domestic companies that are focused on developing innovative technologies that can make a difference to the society. The achievements of Dr. Dendukuri and his team of engineers at Achira Labs is commendable and we are pleased to witness their moment of glory.”