Against the backdrop of transforming healthcare services in India, comes the launch of a diagnostic kit for Celiac disease, an autoimmune intestinal disorder that has slowly become prevalent among Indians. Consuming gluten (present in wheat, barley and rye) leads to damage of the inner lining of the small intestine in individuals who are diagnosed with Celiac disease. And therefore, a correct and quick diagnosis of the disease is extremely important since it requires lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet. This, first of its kind newly launched kit enables its users to do just that.

There was a need for indigenously developing a diagnostic kit that would be affordable and accessible since all currently used kits are being imported from Europe and the US and these are available mostly in larger hospitals. In light of this need and to increase efforts of innovation in the health sector, the Department of Biotechnology in the Union Ministry of Science and Technology sponsored the project for making these diagnostic kits. Thanks to a team of Indian scientists from different institutions, including the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), the kit was developed, enabling the shortening of the time between diagnosis of the disease and its treatment. The responsibility for its commercial availability lies with the project’s industrial partner J. Mitra and Co., a company that prides itself in providing high quality diagnostic services in the field of healthcare.

People suffering from Celiac disease usually have chronic diarrhea, vomiting, anemia, abdominal pain and bloating but since the disease manifests differently in different people, it often goes undetected. Not many diagnostic centres in the country are well equipped to perform the existing tests for detection of Celiac disease. Moreover, these tests are expensive but the newly developed kits overcome these very challenges since they require neither sophisticated technology nor highly skilled staff. Additionally, and most importantly, this kit confirms diagnosis in a mere 20 minutes and so, fits right into an era where everyone seeks immediate results.