Non-Invasive Screening Device Developed by SNBNCBS Scientists for Screening Bilirubin Levels in Infants
A team of scientists led by Prof. Samir K Pal, at the SN Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS) has developed a device called ‘AJO-Neo’ in order to detect the bilirubin levels in the new-born babies. This will be helpful in measuring the levels of bilirubin levels in preterm and term neonates irrespective of gestational or postnatal age, sex, risk factors, feeding behaviour or skin colour.
This device has been found to deliver an almost instantaneous report to a concerned doctor. This is a significant achievement compared to the conventional method which takes around 4 hours to generate the result.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, careful screening of bilirubin levels is compulsory in order to check the incidents of a type of brain damage called kernicterus that can result from high levels of bilirubin in a baby’s blood. There are already capillary methods for this but non-invasive methods have added advantages.
Also, development of convenient, non-invasive diagnostics based on a deep understanding of physicochemical sciences is taking place all around the world at a very fast pace and this invention is going to enable India to make a mark in that arena.
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Month: Current Affairs - July, 2020