IIT-B startup HaystackAnalytics plans to take genome testing to EU, US

Srivastava says that in the next five years they need to invest another $40-50 million or so to build the business, and there are plans to take the infexn test to the US and Europe as well

A 75-year-old man from Kerala was suffering from months of persistent body pain and fatigue. Despite taking numerous conventional diagnostic tests, no conclusive diagnosis was made. Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, then validated to infexn – a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based assay developed by IIT-Mumbai-incubated startup HaystackAnalytics. Within 24-hours of sample collection, the infexn test could accurately identify the pathogen (a rare infection transmitted by fleas known as Murine Typhus, and caused by an intracellular bacteria, Rickettsia typhi). The diagnosis helped the medical team to administer the appropriate antibiotic, leading to the patient’s rapid recovery.

 

NGS is the way forward for