Startup based in Kerala wins two prestigious national level awards

In order to diagnose oral precancerous lesions early, accurately, and affordably, Sascan Meditech created the OralScan handheld gadget. Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Ayog, announced the prize following a thorough examination procedure.

Key Highlight:

• The Startup India Grand Challenge 2021 in the medical device category has been won by a Kerala-based medical technology start-up.
• Sascan Meditech created the OralScan handheld gadget to diagnose oral precancerous lesions early, accurately, and affordably.
• For the second year running, the firm has been awarded the “AnjaniMashelkar Inclusive Innovation Award 2021” from Anjani Mashelkar Foundation.

The Startup India Grand Challenge 2021 in the medical device category has been won by a Kerala-based medical technology start-up.

Startup India and Investindia.org partnered with the Department of Pharmaceuticals of the Government of India to host the Grand Challenge, which awarded a cash prize of INR 15,00,000 to Sascan Meditech, a Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram-based start-up.

Mr. Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Ayog, announced the award following a thorough review procedure, and “Sascan” was picked from the 310 start-ups that participated in the grand challenge.

OralScan, a handheld scanner developed by Sascan Meditech, can identify precancerous lesions in the mouth early, accurately, and affordably. In a scientific journal, the results of clinical studies using biophotonics technology have been published. In October 2020, OralScan was launched and has already spread to eight Indian states.

There will soon be a new product from Sascan called CerviScan, a non-invasive gadget for screening and detecting cervical cancer early on. For the second year running, the firm has been awarded the “AnjaniMashelkar Inclusive Innovation Award 2021” from Anjani Mashelkar Foundation. This non-profit organization aims to honor those making a positive impact on the world via science, technology, and innovation.

Sascan, founded by Dr. Subhash Narayanan, a biomedical entrepreneur, focuses on developing low-cost healthcare products and solutions for cancer screening and care. OralScan was made possible in part by a Biotechnology Ignition Grant (BIG) from BIRAC and an NIDHI Seed Grant from the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology.