New Delhi : BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) announced a collaboration with Sight Diagnostics Ltd. (SightDX), to introduce the Parasight Malaria Detection Platform in India. Through this agreement BD will market the Parasight Platform in the Indian diagnostics market, adding to BD's extensive infectious disease diagnostics portfolio. The collaboration will represent the first malaria diagnostics offering from BD.

Varun Khanna, managing director, BD India and South Asia said, "Our collaboration with Sight Diagnostics is aligned with our purpose of advancing the world of health by bringing technology solutions for malaria diagnosis to India. I am confident that this strategic collaboration equips us better than ever before in disease diagnostics and will catalyse BD's role in reducing the global malaria burden."

The SightDX Parasight Malaria Detection Platform uses ground-breaking computer vision technology to analyse blood samples for malarial parasites. The state-of-the-art technology combines innovative software algorithms, specialized optics, and a new sample preparation method, allowing patient samples to be prepared quickly, easily and reliably. The instrument automatically analyses the sample and provides a diagnostic result within only four minutes. The device also provides information on the species of the infecting malarial parasites and provides information that may be used by clinicians to aid in determining the severity of the illness. The diagnostic information is displayed on the instrument's screen and integrates into the facility's lab information management system. The Parasight Malaria Detection Platform has undergone field testing at a number of Indian and international laboratories, during which it demonstrated a high degree of sensitivity and specificity even at very low levels of infection.

Yossi Pollak, CEO of SightDX said, "We are excited that Sight Diagnostics and BD are joining forces in the fight against malaria. Our collaboration with BD provides us with an established and experienced partner in the field of infectious disease, and together we can better serve the Indian healthcare market."

The SightDX Parasight Malaria Detection Platform will be BD's first step into the Indian malaria diagnostics market. BD currently markets a wide variety of diagnostic systems in India with numerous offerings in the area of sepsis (blood culture systems), tuberculosis, pathogen identification, and blood cell morphology (flow cytometry systems).

Neeraj Raghuvanshi, business director of Diagnostic Systems at BD added, "Working with Sight Diagnostics now gives us the unique opportunity to closely address the clinical needs of improving the quality of malarial diagnosis in India. In partnership with Sight Diagnostics, we would be able to play a definitive role in early and accurate diagnosis of malaria in India which has been long affected by this tropical disease."

In 2013, approximately 880,000 cases of malaria were reported in India with over 128 million tests performed. The Parasight Malaria Detection Platform will be marketed in pathology labs and hospitals across India. The technology could also have an application in blood banks, where malaria testing is mandatory on all blood donations.