NEW DELHI: Doctors at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have developed a low-cost diagnostic kit that can detect cervical cancer within two hours, a breakthrough that promises to revolutionise screening for one of the deadliest cancers in women.
Unlike conventional tests that require machines worth lakhs of rupees and take several days to deliver results, the new nanotechnology-based visual kit has been priced at under Rs 100.
The innovation has been led by Dr Subhash Chandra Yadav, Additional Professor at the Electron and Microscope Facility, Department of Anatomy, along with Dr Neerja Bhatla, former Head of the Department of Gynecology, and researchers Jyoti Meena, Shikha Chaudhary, and Pranay Tanwar. The team said the kit has already been tested on 400 patients and has shown “100 per cent accuracy.”
“This diagnostic kit gives accurate results in just two hours, something that machines costing around Rs 30 lakh used to do over several days. Our aim was to make it affordable and accessible to everyone,” Dr Yadav told reporters. He added that the current test, if done in a private hospital, costs nearly Rs 6,000.
Even at AIIMS, which operates on a non-profit basis, the cost is about Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000. The device has earned recognition at the National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition (NBEC) 2025, where it was declared the best innovation in the country.
The team has been awarded a cash prize of Rs 6 lakh and has been selected by investors for venture capital support to launch the kit as a startup.
Doctors said the kit, based on nanotechnology, instantly identifies cervical cancer caused by high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV). Its simplicity means that not only doctors but also ASHA workers and nurses at primary health centres will be able to use it. However, they clarified that it is not meant for self-testing at this stage.
“We haven’t examined the self-test aspect of the kit so far, so it’s not recommended for now,” Dr Bhatla said.
Cervical cancer remains a major health challenge in India, with limited access to timely diagnosis in rural areas.
Experts believe that an affordable and rapid test could transform early detection and treatment, saving thousands of lives every year.