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C-CAMP national AMR Challenge that was launched in August 2024 received about 200 applications from innovators and startups across India for funding and ecosystem support to enable scale up, production, adoption and societal integration of winning solutions to tackle AMR in the environment.
Prof. Ajay K. Sood, Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, said, that antimicrobial resistance in the environment is a serious issue because of unchecked effluents from agriculture and industry reaching our water bodies, air and land. The problem has assumed alarming proportions across the entire world.
Making the winner announcement at the World Health Summit Regional Meeting in New Delhi from April 25 to 27 2025, Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed, director-CEO, C-CAMP said, “We have 9 solutions addressing critical gaps in point-of-care diagnostics and screening for clinically relevant pathogens in runoffs from farms, fisheries and hospitals, treatment of wastewater and industry effluents and air decontamination in hospitals. The first cohort holds great potential for combating AMR through detection and prevention of the buildup of resistant genes in several environmental harbours.”
The winners are: Foundation for Neglected Diseases Research (FNDR) which developed a device to deplete antimicrobial residues from wastewater, using a cartridge-based device with a patented mixture of activated charcoal and plant-based materials.
Biomoneta Research developed qAMI (Quantitative Airborne Microbial Index), which is a singular technology combining detection of air-borne total microbial load and pathogenic microbes in hospital set-ups, using AI/ML platform and encompassing different microbial attributes, combined with the classic microbiological approach.
D-NOME developed a pocket PCR device for rapid and accurate on-field detection and identification of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (ARB) & Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) in aquaculture farms and other wastewater sources.
Vividew Innovations’ developed removal of residual antibiotics & antibiotic-resistant bacteria from wastewater in hospital sewage treatment plants (STPs).
Diagopreutic Detection developed residual antibiotic and pathogen identification in water samples from aquaculture farm effluents, using a colorimetric method, based on the differential nitro-reductase activity of the bacteria and their ability to grow in presence of the specific antibiotic.
Mylab Discovery Solutions’ rapid detection of pathogens from wastewater samples and detection of environment-related ARGs is capable of identifying a diverse array of pathogens as well as an extensive spectrum of ARGs.
Huwel Life Sciences developed Quantiplus Environmental Surveillance Kit - Real-Time PCR detection for typhoid and ARGs in environmental samples.
Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeeth - Development of affordable POT (Point of Testing) device for monitoring of AMR in the environment, by an impedance-based microfluidic device, using a lytic phage-based detection technology. The innovation, as proposed by Dr. Bipin Nair and his team, is capable of detecting and identifying various pathogens of clinical relevance and can be used for rapid and accurate detection of specific bacteria.
Indian Institute of Science (IISc) had the MONZymes based technology, developed by Dr. Subinoy Rana and his team, . It is capable of effectively degrading residual antibiotics from effluent wastewater and also exhibit antibacterial activity, through advanced (photo)catalytic activity.
With this, C-CAMP joins GAMRIF’s funding portfolio of some of the world’s major AMR stakeholders, such as Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) and Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP).
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