IIT Madras Develops Breakthrough Low-Cost Technology for Rapid Antibiotic Testing

IIT Madras Researchers have developed a low-cost, chip-based device that enables rapid testing of antibiotic susceptibility.

IIT Madras Develops Breakthrough Low-Cost Technology for Rapid Antibiotic Testing

Researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Madras have developed an innovative and affordable microfluidic device that can find bacteria are resistant or susceptible to antibiotics. Unlike advanced techniques depend on expensive metals, complex fabrication, or highly trained personnel, this lab-on-chip device, called ‘ε-µD’, uses screen-printed carbon electrodes integrated into a simple microfluidic chip.

Engineered for speed, sensitivity, and simplicity, ε-µD device offers strong potential for early diagnosis and improved treatment of bacterial infections to advanced laboratory facilities. Powered by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, it can deliver reliable results in under three hours. The device aligns with criteria set by WHO: affordability, speed, ease of use, and reliability. With this, ε-µD represents a major step toward making antimicrobial susceptibility testing accessible in low-resource areas.

This has been published in Nature Scientific Reports and was co-authored by Saranya Gopalakrishnan (Director of Technology Innovation, Kaappon Analytics India Pvt Ltd, a startup incubated at IITM Research Park), research scholars Diksha Mall and Saranya Gopalakrishnan from IIT Madras, along with IIT Madras faculty members Prof. Subramaniam Pushpavanam and Dr. Richa Karmakar.

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