Context

Recently, the device called “AJO-Neo” is developed by researchers from S.N. Bose National Centre For Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS), Kolkata for non-invasive screening of bilirubin level in new-borns.

About

• SNBNCBS developed a “No-touch” & “Painless” device for non-invasive screening of bilirubin level in new-borns.
• The operation of the device is based on non-contact and non-invasive spectrometry-based techniques for measurement of neonatal bilirubin level as an alternative of total serum bilirubin (TSB) test without limitations of other available bilirubin meters.
• The newly developed device (AJO-Neo) is reliable in measuring bilirubin levels in preterm, and term neonates irrespective of gestational or postnatal age, sex, risk factors, feeding behavior or skin color.
• The device is found to deliver an almost instantaneous report (about 10 seconds) to a concerned doctor, who is sitting 10000 km away from the point of care.

Significance of the achievement

• This is a significant achievement compared to the conventional “blood test” method, which may take more than 4 hours to generate the report.
• It has to be noted that detection of neonatal blood bilirubin (Hyperbilirubinemia) faster is extremely important for therapeutic management in order to avoid Kernicterus leading to Neuo-psychiatry problems in neonatal subjects.
• Careful screening of bilirubin level in new-borns is mandatory as per American Academy of Paediatrics (2004), to reduce incidents of a type of brain damage called kernicterus that can result from high levels of bilirubin in a baby's blood.
• Although invasive capillary collection of blood and the subsequent biochemical test is considered a gold standard for jaundice detection in neonates, transcutaneous bilirubin measurement using non-invasive instruments has obvious added advantages.
• AJO-Neo also shows several advantages compared to other similar imported devices in the market.
  
  

  Bilirubin It is a yellowish substance in the blood. It forms after red blood cells break down, and it travels through liver, gallbladder, and digestive tract before being excreted. It is a necessary process in the body's clearance of waste products that arise from the destruction of aged or abnormal red blood cells. S.N. Bose National Centre For Basic Sciences (SNBNCBS) It is an autonomous research Institute under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. The institute is also hosting one of the Technical Research Centres (TRC) funded by DST and in scientific collaboration with Nil-RatanSircar (NRS) Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata.