Agilent Unveils Next‑Gen Lab Technologies to Boost India’s Testing Efficiency and Compliance

India's pharmaceutical, food, environmental and industrial testing laboratories are under increasing pressure to process higher testing volumes while maintaining quality, compliance and operational efficiency. From safeguarding the quality of medicines and food to supporting environmental monitoring and advanced manufacturing, laboratories are expected to deliver reliable results faster while meeting increasingly stringent quality and regulatory requirements.

To help laboratories meet these challenges, Agilent Technologies today announced the India launch of the Agilent 9500 Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS, the new 8890B and 8860B Gas Chromatography Systems with GC Assist, and OpenLab Sync, Agilent's new Lab Execution System (LES) that brings guided digital workflows directly to the bench.

“India's laboratories play a critical role in ensuring the quality of medicines, food, water and manufactured products that people rely on every day,” said Nandakumar Kalathil, Country General Manager, India, Agilent Technologies. “As testing requirements continue to grow across industries, laboratories are looking for ways to improve productivity without compromising quality. These new technologies are designed to make advanced capabilities easier to adopt while helping laboratories operate more efficiently and grow with confidence.”

Together, the solutions address three critical areas of laboratory operations: analytical performance, instrument productivity and workflow execution.

The Agilent 9500 Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS helps laboratories generate reliable results across complex sample matrices. Designed for applications ranging from pharmaceutical testing and food safety to environmental analysis and advanced materials research, the system simplifies elemental analysis through new technologies that reduce analytical interferences and streamline operation.

The new Agilent 8890B and 8860B Gas Chromatography Systems with GC Assist help laboratories keep instruments running efficiently through built-in monitoring, diagnostics and guided maintenance. By identifying potential issues earlier and simplifying routine upkeep, the systems help reduce downtime, improve productivity and support data quality.

OpenLab Sync digitizes laboratory procedures that are traditionally managed on paper, creating guided digital workflows that improve consistency, traceability and audit readiness. The solution helps laboratories standardize operations, reduce manual processes and address workforce and training challenges.

The products were unveiled today at a customer event in Mumbai that brought together scientists, laboratory leaders and quality professionals from the pharmaceutical, food, environmental, chemicals and research sectors. Mike Zhang, President, Applied Markets Group, Agilent Technologies, and Bharat Bhardwaj, Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific, Agilent Technologies, joined customers and industry stakeholders to discuss evolving laboratory needs, workforce trends, and opportunities to make advanced analytical capabilities more accessible to a broader range of users.

“Innovation has the greatest impact when it makes life simpler,” said Bharat Bhardwaj, Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific, Agilent Technologies. “The pace of science continues to accelerate, and customers want solutions that help them spend less time managing complexity and more time focusing on scientific discovery. Our goal is to help laboratories unlock the full value of their technology investments so they can focus on delivering meaningful scientific outcomes.”

The new products are now available across India. As part of its ongoing efforts to make support and expertise more accessible, Agilent has also introduced WhatsApp for Business in India, providing customers with an additional channel to connect with Agilent for information, service and support.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global leader in analytical and clinical laboratory technologies, delivering insights and innovation that help our customers bring great science to life. Agilent’s full range of solutions includes instruments, software, services, and expertise that provide trusted answers to our customers’ most challenging questions. The company generated revenue of $6.95 billion in fiscal year 2025 and employs approximately 18,000 people worldwide. Information about Agilent is available at www.agilent.com. To receive the latest Agilent news, subscribe to the Agilent Newsroom. Follow Agilent on LinkedIn and Facebook.

LuNGS Alliance Launches Free Lung NGS Biomarker Testing for Lung Cancer Patients in India

An Initiative by Cancer Research and Statistic Foundation, Supported by AstraZeneca, Pfizer & Roche and lab partner 4baseCare

In a significant move to drive awareness about precision oncology as an essential, accessible and affordable treatment plan for lung cancer treatment, LuNGS Alliance, an initiative led by the Cancer Research and Statistic Foundation (CRSF), has announced free Lung NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) biomarker testing for lung cancer patients across India. This initiative is backed by leading pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Roche, with 4baseCare serving as the official lab partner.

The TARGT First Solid test by 4baseCare offers a comprehensive analysis of 72 commonly mutated genes, identifying actionable biomarkers that enable personalized treatment plans based on a patient’s unique genomic profile. This cutting-edge test identifies mutations corresponding to approved therapies by FDA and NCCN (National Comprehensive Cancer Network), empowering oncologists to provide tailored, more effective treatments that can significantly improve patient outcomes.The primary goal of this initiative is to bridge the gap between innovative cancer care and its accessibility. By offering zero-cost biomarker testing, LuNGS Alliance ensures that financial constraints do not prevent patients from receiving the most advanced cancer treatment available.

According to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health, lung cancer accounts for an estimated 72,510 new cases and 66,279 deaths annually in India. The high mortality rate highlights the urgent need for personalized treatment approaches over the conventional one-size-fits-all methods. Biomarker testing addresses this challenge by offering targeted therapies based on a patient’s unique genetic mutations.

Dr. Kumar Prabhash from Cancer Research and Statistic Foundation said, “We are committed to ensuring lung cancer patients in India have access to effective, targeted treatments. With precision oncology, we aim to make life-saving innovations accessible and transform cancer care nationwide.”

Hitesh Goswami, CEO and Co-Founder, 4baseCare, said, “Advanced NGS-based biomarker testing should be standard for every lung cancer patient. This initiative brings us closer to democratizing precision medicine and making a real difference in patients’ lives !

How to Avail the Free Test

Lung cancer patients are eligible to receive one free NGS biomarker test through the initiative.

For more information or to arrange a sample pickup, patients can contact the toll-free helpline at 1800-202-2455.

Oncologists can visit www.CRSF.in to prescribe the test.

Diagnostics Platform Curelo Raises Funding from IIMA’s CIIE.CO

Curelo has partnered with 1350+ labs, processed 125,000+ orders, achieving INR 55 Lacs monthly with 30% month-on-month growth

Curelo, founded in 2022 by Dr. Arpit Jayswal, which enables patients to book at-home blood sample collection and receive timely blood reports from any labs of their preference, announced that it has raised $100k from IIMA’s CIIE.CO. The platform is powered by a fleet of phlebotomists that can collect samples within 60 minutes of booking and deliver them to the selected lab. Patients can also discover a lab on the platform based on test availability, pricing, and turnaround time.

In the last 10 months of operations, Curelo has partnered with 1350+ labs, processed over 125,000 orders, and is currently generating a monthly run rate of INR 55 Lacs at a month on month growth of 30%. Curelo also aims to expand its footprint in radiology and blood bank aggregators in the near future.

Mr. Vipul Patel, Partner - Seed Investments at CIIE.CO, said, “The fragmented diagnostic market, commanding an 85% market share, is composed of standalone and hospital-based labs. Whereas, the top four corporate diagnostics chains in India hold a mere 6% share. Arpit’s experience in running a chain of multi-specialty hospitals and diagnostic labs gives him deep insights into the customer pain points. We are excited to partner with the Curelo team and look forward to helping them scale their business.”

Dr. Arpit Jayswal, Curelo’s Founder and CEO, remarked ”We are excited to have CIIE.CO back Curelo. Their conviction reflects the immense potential in our platform and the diagnostic aggregator sector. Our primary focus is scaling nationwide, optimizing user experience, and standardizing sample collection, aiming to serve 1000+ home samples daily by year-end. We are keen to have CIIE.CO support us in this journey with their exceptional sector understanding and network”

This investment marks a significant milestone for Curelo and positions the company to continue its growth trajectory in the highly competitive Indian healthcare market.

About IIMA-CIIE.CO

IIM Ahmedabad's CIIE.CO is the Innovation Continuum that studies, educates, incubates, accelerates and invests in early stage technology startups. It is recognized as a Centre of Excellence by the Department of Science and Technology. In its 15+ years of investing, IIMA-CIIE has been a prolific investor in early-stage ventures in India, equity funding over 350 startups with 40+ profitable exits. For further information, please visit: https://ciie.co/

About Curelo

Curelo is an aggregator platform for diagnostic labs in India. Founded in 2022 by Laparoscopic Surgeon, Dr Arpit Jayswal, Curelo aims to disrupt the diagnostic market by onboarding all the Diagnostic labs on its digital platform and standardizing the home sample collection process for patients.

BioTech Startup CrisprBits Launches CRISPR-based Point-of-Care Tests in Partnership with Molbio Diagnostics

CrisprBits announces a strategic collaboration with Molbio Diagnostics to launch innovative CRISPR-based Point-of-Care tests

CrisprBits, a biotech start-up specializing in CRISPR gene-editing technology, is excited to announce a strategic collaboration with Molbio Diagnostics, a pioneer in point of care diagnostic solutions. The intent of this collaboration is to revolutionize point of care diagnostics by the introduction of CRISPR in Point-of-Care (POC) tests.

The strategic partnership between CrisprBits and Molbio Diagnostics represents a significant milestone in the advancement of accessible, cost effective and accurate diagnostic testing in the frontline. The collaboration is set to identify and capitalize on market opportunities, bringing together their respective strengths and expertise. By harnessing the unprecedented sensitivity and specificity of RNA guide-based target identification of nucleic acid, and the presence of both cis and trans-cleavage property of certain Cas enzymes, CrisprBits has developed a platform to build rapid, precise, and affordable POC tests for a wide range of disease and health conditions. CrisprBits will spearhead the development of its platform, PathCrisp, for Point-of-Care testing. Simultaneously, Molbio Diagnostics will leverage its large-scale manufacturing capability and well-established sales and marketing network to promote and distribute the developed POC tests worldwide.

Crispr and Molbio MoU Ceremony 

"The reimagination of health systems in India has to ride on a central role played by “pervasive” diagnostic tests POCTs (Point-of-care tests) that are light on instruments, affordable and designed for ease of use by community health workers. This would enable better preventive care and early detection interventions in treatment. This innovation has to be driven in the LMICs (Low and Middle Income Countries) as developed economies have legacy infrastructure that addresses these issues with access to labs or clinics at a different scale. By teaming up with Molbio Diagnostics, we are combining our innovations in instrument-light CRISPR POCTs to develop and distribute a new generation of tests that are pervasive and will enable early detection and timely treatment," said Dr. Vijay Chandru, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-founder, CrisprBits

The collaboration will focus on building POCTs for swift and accurate detection of various pathogens and genetic markers at the site. The tests will be made available in diverse settings, including clinics, hospitals, and resource-limited areas, where access to reliable diagnostic tools is crucial.

Dr. Chandrashekar Nair, Chief Technical Officer of Molbio Diagnostics, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, "We are very excited about this partnership with CrisprBits. The coming together of their innovation and Molbio’s strengths in translation, manufacturing and distribution has the potential to rapidly provide cutting edge diagnostics solutions where it is required the most. This collaboration aligns perfectly with our overarching mission to provide reliable and accessible point-of-care diagnostic solutions that empower healthcare professionals globally."

“CrisprBits was established with a clear mission to tackle crucial healthcare challenges by harnessing the groundbreaking potential of CRISPR technology. By partnering with Molbio diagnostics we strive to bring to these tests that impact real-time decision-making that leads to enhanced patient outcomes and more effective public health management,” Sunil Arora, Co-Founder and CEO, CrisprBits, said in a statement.

This strategic alliance aims to streamline the development, manufacturing, and distribution processes, ensuring the swift availability of these transformative POC tests to healthcare facilities and communities around the world.

About Molbio Diagnostics

Molbio Diagnostics is India’s first ‘unicorn’ in the medical technology sector that brings to healthcare professionals worldwide the Truelab® Real-Time Quantitative micro PCR system comprising Truenat® technology that makes Real-Time PCR testing possible in all laboratories, in the field and near-patient settings, thereby decentralizing and democratising access to molecular diagnostics. With a large and growing menu of Truenat® assays for infectious diseases, including TB, COVID-19, HIV, HCV, HBV, HPV, Influenza, etc., this rapid, portable and infrastructure agnostic technology enables early and accurate diagnosis and initiation of correct treatment right at the first point of contact. So far, this automated platform is deployed in over 6,000 PHC/CHCs in India and over 1500 testing centers in more than 40 countries around the world.

For more information, Please visit the website

https://www.molbiodiagnostics.com/

About CrisprBits

CrisprBits is one of the first Indian companies using CRISPR, a breakthrough gene-editing technology, to develop high-quality solutions in the life sciences that all Indians can afford. The company was founded by a team of entrepreneurs and scientists with vast experience in both the industry and academic sectors. They have a proven track record in developing diagnostics, precision medicine, and clinical-research solutions used by clinicians, pharmaceutical companies, and biotechnology firms globally, including in India.

CrisprBits operates under three key principles: using deep science to deliver high quality products; adhering to the highest ethical standards, including in the choice of products they offer; and developing an organization that draws exceptional individuals with diverse backgrounds and affinities.

With offices in Delhi and Bengaluru, their laboratory is located in C-CAMP, a premier incubator for biotechnology innovation in Bengaluru.

Website: https://crisprbits.com/

TrueMedix Launches National Reference Laboratory in Bengaluru

L to R  Shri M.D Lakshmi Narayana MLA, Shri Sharad KJ Chief Financial Officer TruMedix, Shri Darshan DB Founder & Managing Director TrueMedix, Shri Dr K Sudhakar, Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education, Government of Karnataka, Shri Dr Palaksha S Chief Technology Officer (CTO) TrueMedix, Shri B.N Manjegowda Director TrueMedix, at the Inauguration of TruMedix National Reference Laboratory.

The Bengaluru-based company has branches in all 36 districts of Karnataka

New-age medical diagnostics chain TrueMedix launched its operations with the inauguration of the company’s main branch office in Kodigehalli, Bengaluru, in the presence of the Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education, Government of Karnataka, Dr K. Sudhakar, on 15 December 2022.

The inauguration officially signals TrueMedix’s beginnings as a National Reference Laboratory and drives the company into the spotlight amidst the medical diagnostics sector’s shift toward quicker testing and reporting methods driven by next-generation technology. TrueMedix aims to spearhead this trend as it works with various partners in the ecosystem, including clinics, micro labs, nursing homes, hospitals, medical colleges, research organizations, corporates, and NGOs. TrueMedix will provide patients with a comprehensive list of cost-efficient services that are always consistent and up to global standards.

L toR  Shri Darshan DB Founder & Managing Director TrueMedix, Sri Dr K Sudhakar, Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education, Government of Karnataka lighting the lamp at the inauguration of TruMedix National Reference Laboratory

As part of its launch, TrueMedix is offering the following special rates for applicable individuals*:

• All Health packages are designed with a 70% discount.
• Senior citizens a 20% discount on every order.
• All healthcare professionals, army and ex-army personnel, and auto, cab, truck, and bus drivers can avail 20% discount on every order.

To avail of these discounts, contact TrueMedix customer care at 080-55554468.

Founder and Managing Director of TrueMedix, Darshan D B, said, “Today marks a momentous day in our hopefully long and remarkable journey to revolutionize the Indian diagnostics sector. Our idea of transformation is built on the principle of making the best technology as accessible as possible, creating a more transparent and welcoming system that prioritizes care and world-class standards. We are grateful to be here and will keep pushing innovation in technology and patient experience on our way ahead.”

TrueMedix has 1 processing centre in Shimoga, and 40 collection centres in all 36 districts of Karnataka, and in other neighbouring districts of states like Kasaragod, Hosur, Hindupur, Anantapur, Solapur, and Kolhapur. The company already has plans to increase this number and envisions processing over 10 million annual tests and serving in excess of 10,000 laboratories and hospitals.

About TrueMedix

TrueMedix is established as a leading National Reference Laboratory, offering a range of cutting-edge diagnostics services for patients and healthcare partners.

Based in the start-up capital of Bengaluru and with various centers in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra, TrueMedix was founded in 2022 to address diagnostic challenges and improve workflows through software-enabled solutions, providing better clinic-patient connectivity and faster sample processing. Besides clinical diagnostic services, TrueMedix will offer end-to-end solutions for clinical and diagnostic laboratory services, hospital laboratory management, central laboratory services, clinical trials, awareness drives, and more.