Bengaluru: The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) introduced a new platform called OptiDrop for cheaper and more efficient single cell analysis. Featured in Nature Microsystems and Nanoengineering’s recent publication, it offers potential benefits in diagnostics, therapeutics, agriculture, and animal health.
C-CAMP, founded in 2009 under the Department of Biotechnology at the Indian Ministry of Science, is a top biosciences research and innovation centre in India. OptiDrop, unlike expensive traditional flow cytometers, offers affordability, live data visualisation, a smaller data footprint, and a “closed system design.” This makes it suitable for a wide range of clinical applications, according to Taslimarif Saiyed, CEO and Director of C-CAMP and lead author of the study.
Saiyed sees OptiDrop being used for many things, like testing drugs, detecting water contamination, sorting CAR-T cells for cancer treatment, picking CRISPR-modified cells, and high-efficiency clone selection in single-cell genomics.
Existing cytometers are often extremely costly, reaching prices as high as Rs 40 lakh or more. However, C-CAMP anticipates that the OptiDrop system will be much more affordable, likely around Rs 10 lakh, depending on individual needs.
