Molbio Diagnostics
Molbio Diagnostics Limited is an Indian medical diagnostics company headquartered in Verna, Goa.[1] Founded in 2000 by Sriram Natarajan and Chandrasekhar Nair,[2] the company develops molecular diagnostic technologies, including the Truenat platform, a portable real-time PCR system used for point-of-care testing of infectious diseases such as tuberculosis,[3] HIV, and hepatitis.[4][5]
In 2020, the World Health Organization included Truenat assays[6] in its guidelines for the initial detection of tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance.[7][8] The company operates manufacturing facilities in India and distributes its diagnostic products internationally.[9][10]
History and operations
Molbio Diagnostics was incorporated in October 2000 in Goa.[11] During its early years, the company focused on the development of reagents for in vitro diagnostics. Its work in molecular diagnostics began through a collaboration with Bigtec Labs, a Bengaluru-based research firm specializing in lab-on-a-chip technologies.[1][12] In 2011, the two entities formed a joint venture to commercialize the Truenat platform,[13][14][15] and in 2015, Bigtec Labs merged into Molbio, functioning as its research and development unit.[16][17]
In 2017, following the acquisition of Tulip Diagnostics by PerkinElmer,[18] Natarajan exited that firm and focused on Molbio's operations.[1] In the same year, Truenat was validated for use under India's National TB Elimination Programme. A fully automated version of the platform was released in 2018 and was deployed by the Indian Council of Medical Research during the 2018 Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala.[1]
Between 2019 and 2020, Molbio received regulatory licenses from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation for multiple PCR-based diagnostic assays, including tests for tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis, and COVID-19.[19][20] During the COVID-19 pandemic, its COVID-19 diagnostic tests were used for decentralized testing at transit hubs and rural healthcare centers.[21][1] In 2022, Molbio reached a valuation exceeding $1 billion following an $85 million investment from Temasek Holdings.[1][22]
In March 2023, the company partnered with Global Fund and USAID to expand access to its portable molecular TB test, Truenat, globally. In 2025, Molbio was converted into a public limited company.[23]
Technology and products
The Truenat platform is a portable, battery-operated, microchip-based real-time PCR diagnostic system that uses automated nucleic acid extraction and amplification with disposable reagents for point-of-care testing.[24] As of 2025, the platform was reported to be in use in over 80 countries, with approximately 40 validated diagnostic assays for infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis, malaria, and HPV.[25] The World Health Organization has prequalified the platform for the initial detection of tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance.[26][27]
Radiology and digital pathology
Following its acquisition of Prognosys Medical Systems in 2022, Molbio entered the portable radiology segment with the ProRad Atlas Ultra X-ray system.[28] In 2024–2025, the company invested in the San Jose-based digital pathology firm OptraScan, expanding into whole-slide imaging technologies.[29] Through a partnership with UE LifeSciences, Molbio also distributes the iBreastExam handheld device for breast cancer screening.[30]
Awards and recognition
- 2024: BusinessLine Changemaker Award; inclusion in the Burgundy Private Hurun India 500 List.[9][31]
- 2025: Kochon Prize, awarded by the Stop TB Partnership.[32]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Jayakumar, P B. "Temasek invests in Covid-19 testing specialist Molbio Diagnostics". Fortune India.
- ↑ Panda, Sushmita (21 October 2022). "FE Exclusive | We will continue to add more disease testing varieties to our Truenat technology: Sriram, Director, Molbio Diagnostics". Financial Express. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
- ↑ Khosa, Celso; Cossa, Marta; Leukes, Vinzeigh; Hella, Jerry; Sabi, Issa; Watson, Mikaela; Larsson, Leyla; Garcia-Basteiro, Alberto; Riess, Friedrich; Schumacher, Samuel G; Nguenha, Dinis; Manjate, Patricia; Elisio, Delio; Ntinginya, Nyanda Elias; Mangu, Chacha. "Implementing the Molbio Truenat platform and tuberculosis assays versus standard of care at primary care clinics for the detection and treatment of tuberculosis in Mozambique and Tanzania (TB-CAPT CORE): a cluster-randomised trial". The Lancet Primary Care. 1 (4): 100028. doi:10.1016/j.lanprc.2025.100028.
- ↑ Purohit, Manju; Ssengooba, Willy; Cox, Helen; Ugarte-Gil, Cesar; Sserubiri, James; Tootla, Hafsah; Velen, Kavindhran; Székely, Rita; Penn-Nicholson, Adam (2025-06-27). "Performance evaluation of the Molbio diagnostics Truenat MTB Ultima/COVID-19 multiplex assay for TB and COVID-19 case detection among people with symptoms suggestive of tuberculosis—a study protocol for clinical trials". Frontiers in Public Health. 13. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1620210. ISSN 2296-2565. PMC 12245902 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 40655205 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ Prasad, R. (2020-01-16). "TB diagnostic test developed in India has high accuracy, says WHO". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Perappadan, Bindu Shajan (2020-07-03). "WHO nod for Truenat rapid molecular assays for TB". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ organization, world health (2022). Manual for selection of molecular WHO-recommended rapid diagnostic tests: for detection of tuberculosis and drug-resistant tuberculosis (Report). World Health Organization.
- ↑ Bigio, Jacob; van Gemert, Wayne; Kaiser, Brian; Waning, Brenda; Pai, Madhukar (2021-12-01). "Asia emerges as a hotbed of diagnostic innovations for tuberculosis". Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases. 25: 100267. doi:10.1016/j.jctube.2021.100267. ISSN 2405-5794. PMC 8408512 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 34485710 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ 9.0 9.1 Krishnan, Janaki (2025-09-15). "Molbio exports Truenat for diagnostic care to over 85 countries". BusinessLine. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Manchanada, Kunal. "Molbio Diagnostics posts Rs 1,020 Cr revenue and Rs 138 Cr PAT in FY25". entrackr.com. Retrieved 2026-02-04.
- ↑ Tyagi, Shivam. "Nobody Would Believe Us That An Indian Company Can Deliver Such Results: Sriram Natarajan - BW Healthcare World". BW Health. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ "Motilal Oswal PE bets on Molbio Diagnostics in new healthcare bet". VCCircle. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Research (India), Council of Scientific & Industrial (2013). Annual Report - Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. Publications & Information Directorate. Search this book on
- ↑ Kaur, Navjot; Michael, Joy S.; Toley, Bhushan J. (2019-10-25). "A modular paper-and-plastic device for tuberculosis nucleic acid amplification testing in limited-resource settings". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 15367. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-51873-8. ISSN 2045-2322.
- ↑ Umarji, Vinay. "Gujarat firm gets licence to make covid-19 test kits". Rediff. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Krishnan, Janaki (2024-09-22). "Taking diagnostics to people's doorstep". BusinessLine. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Podishetti, Akash (2025-08-24). "Diagnostics company Molbio files DRHP with Sebi for an IPO". The Economic Times. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Rao, Rakesh. "US-based PerkinElmer acquires Tulip Diagnostics". Archived from the original on 2018-01-07. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ "Development of 'TrueNat' Innovation System in India for Detection of Tuberculosis and COVID-19: A System Based Perspective" (PDF). Research and Development System for Countries.
- ↑ Singh, Urvashi B.; Singh, Manjula; Rodrigues, Camilla; Christopher, D. J.; Mahajan, Neeraj; Srivastav, Abhinav; Singh, Kh Jitenkumar; Kanswal, Sunita; Rao, M. V. V.; Kazi, Mubin; Sawant, Damini; Thangakunam, Balamugesh; Vijay, Coelho Victor; Shankar, Deepa; Bhatnagar, Anuj (2024-07-08). "Multi-centric evaluation of Truenat MTB and MTB-RIF Dx assays for diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis". Scientific Reports. 14 (1): 15680. doi:10.1038/s41598-024-64688-z. ISSN 2045-2322.
- ↑ "Covid 19 testing specialist Molbio Diagnostics eyes $1 billion revenue in 3 5 years - BusinessToday". Business Today. 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Mathew, Joe (2023-04-05). "Pharma's R&D Ambitions Go Global". Fortune India. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ Husain, Aliabbas A.; Kupz, Andreas; Kashyap, Rajpal S. (2021-04-07). "Controlling the drug-resistant tuberculosis epidemic in India: challenges and implications". Epidemiology and Health. 43: e2021022. doi:10.4178/epih.e2021022. ISSN 2092-7193. PMC 8189845 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 33831293 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ "Odisha Bigyan Academy" (PDF). Odisha Bigyan Academy.
- ↑ Bigio, Jacob; van Gemert, Wayne; Kaiser, Brian; Waning, Brenda; Pai, Madhukar (2021-12-01). "Asia emerges as a hotbed of diagnostic innovations for tuberculosis". Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases. 25: 100267. doi:10.1016/j.jctube.2021.100267. ISSN 2405-5794. PMC 8408512 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 34485710 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ Khosa, Celso; Cossa, Marta; Leukes, Vinzeigh; Hella, Jerry; Sabi, Issa; Watson, Mikaela; Larsson, Leyla; Garcia-Basteiro, Alberto; Riess, Friedrich; Schumacher, Samuel G; Nguenha, Dinis; Manjate, Patricia; Elisio, Delio; Ntinginya, Nyanda Elias; Mangu, Chacha (2025-10-01). "Implementing the Molbio Truenat platform and tuberculosis assays versus standard of care at primary care clinics for the detection and treatment of tuberculosis in Mozambique and Tanzania (TB-CAPT CORE): a cluster-randomised trial". The Lancet Primary Care. 1 (4): 100028. doi:10.1016/j.lanprc.2025.100028. ISSN 3050-5143.
- ↑ Datta, PT Jyothi (2023-02-21). "Molbio Diagnostics inches closer to e-clinic roll-out with foray into imaging". BusinessLine. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ "Goan company invests $30mn in San Jose firm". Times of India. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ www.ETHealthworld.com. "Molbio Diagnostics, UE LifeSciences Partner to Expand Access to Early Breast Cancer Detection". ETHealthworld.com. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
- ↑ "2024 Burgundy Private Hurun India 500" (PDF).
- ↑ Shukla, Shobha; Ramakant, Bobby (2025-11-10). "World's largest TB prize illuminates Indian Molbio's tech innovation reaching the unreached | Highland Post". Retrieved 2026-02-07.
Category:Biotechnology companies of India Category:Companies established in 2000
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