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Maharashtra

Mumbai startup develops India’s first universal gene test for infectious disease

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Mumbai-based health-tech startup HaystackAnalytics has developed the first of its kind universal infectious diseases (ID) gene test to identify existing and emerging infections, the company said on Monday.

The company is supported by the Department of Science and Technology, as well as several private healthcare players.

To identify infections, the company deploys Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and also provides information on drug resistance to support and identify correct treatment options for patients.

The new Universal Infectious Diseases test will be rolled out with their current partners in a phased manner over the next three months, the company said in a statement.

It will initially be targeted at identifying and treating sepsis in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients, but gradually be made available to anyone suffering from a fever of unknown origin, by eradicating the need to conduct multiple tests.

The test comes at an opportune time, as Covid-19 pandemic highlights the need for better diagnostic technologies, appropriate antibiotic use, and the renewed importance of infection prevention strategies.

“The test enables rapid (within hours) and comprehensive (covering nearly all known bacterial and fungal pathogens) screening in a near to point of care deployment. Leveraging the power of next generation sequencing and AI, the team of scientists and engineers at Haystack has been able to eliminate the need for a redundant and expensive battery of tests, with a single test,” Dr. Anirvan Chatterjee, Co Founder and CEO of HaystackAnalytics, said.

“Our single point focus is to prevent each and every death caused due to treatable infections. Genomics has the potential to reduce trial and error in disease management and bring equality of access to high quality healthcare,” he added.

In the past, HaystackAnalytics had partnered with various diagnostic centers and over 20 hospitals including AIIMS, to introduce their sequencing-based clinical products for Tuberculosis and Covid in the past.

It is while working on two of the most debilitating infectious diseases — Tuberculosis and Covid — the company said it recognised the true burden of inaccurate diagnosis of infections in India and the world.

While the novel coronavirus infected and killed millions of people across the globe, there are various other infectious diseases that continue to plague India.

In particular, India accounts for the largest number of sepsis cases (11.3 million) and sepsis-related deaths (2.9 million) in the world, as per a global study published in the Lancet in 2020.

Despite having a wide range of antibiotics and antifungal medicines, sepsis is a life-threatening organ failure. It occurs when the body ends up injuring its own tissues and organs, in response to an infection, leading to shock, disability, multi-organ failure, and even death if left untreated in the early stages.

“A large proportion of these deaths can be avoided by early and accurate identification of the pathogen causing the infection. Haystack’s UID test has been developed to solve this exact problem,” Chatterjee said.

Maharashtra

Byculla Redevelopment Site Accident Claims Two Lives

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Mumbai: A tragic incident occurred on saturday afternoon at the proposed redevelopment site of Habib Mansion in Byculla (West). During piling work, the ground suddenly caved in, resulting in the death of two labourers on the spot.

Two to three other workers suffered serious injuries and were rushed to a nearby hospital. The accident took place at the Sundar Galli stretch between Haines Road and Tank Pakhadi Road, where redevelopment work is being undertaken by Ibrahim Jusab Sopariwala & Others. The project is linked to architects A2 Associates and Rajpurkar Associates, with ZZ Consultants reported as the structural advisors.

Local residents claimed that adequate safety measures were missing at the worksite, raising concerns about negligence. Police and BMC officials have cordoned off the area and launched an investigation.

Authorities said a detailed probe will determine whether safety protocols were violated during the redevelopment work.

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Maharashtra

NCB seizes city drugs, sets them on fire

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Mumbai: The Mumbai Zonal Unit of the Mumbai Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has disposed of about 1835 kg of Mephedrone along with 341 kg of other substances which were seized from various places in Maharashtra and Delhi. 16 persons were arrested in this case. A thorough investigation into the massive drug seizure led to the arrest of several persons including foreigners from various places, resulting in the elimination of close associates of the drug peddlers with international links.

As per the guidelines prescribed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, a high-level Drug Disposal Committee was constituted comprising Deputy Director General (SWR) of NCB, Additional Director, NCB Mumbai Zonal Unit and Additional Commissioner of Pune Police. The case was reviewed and it was selected to dispose of the drug hoard. Accordingly, all legal conditions were complied with after which the seized drugs along with other chemicals were finally destroyed by incineration in the presence of HLDCC on 14th November 2025 at Maple, Ranjangaon, Pune, Maharashtra.

This significant seizure of drugs followed by disposal of the sub-judices, indicates the continuous efforts of NCB in dismantling organised drug syndicates and targeting drug offenders who pollute the drug ecosystem. The Bureau is steadfast in its mission to protect public health and uphold the vision of “Nisha Mukt Bharat” by 2047.

NCB is firmly committed to ensuring a drug-free society under the guidance of which it has curbed drug trafficking, broken financial nexus and curbed inter-state and international drug syndicates.
Citizens are urged to play their role by reporting any information related to drugs through the MANS – National Narcotics Helpline (Toll Free Number: 1933). The identity of the informants is kept strictly confidential.

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Maharashtra

Three men accused of robbing a youth have been arrested The main accused was apprehended in Titwala.

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Mumbai: A young man returning home on a motorcycle in the Asalpha area of ​​Ghatkopar was attacked and forcibly robbed by three men who brandished a chopper. A case was registered at the Ghatkopar police station under sections 309(4), 3(5) of the Indian Penal Code, sections 4, 25 of the Indian Penal Code, and sections 37(1) and 135 of the Indian Penal Code.

The complainant, Suraj Mahadev Dethe (24), and his friend, Yash Kamble, were passing near the Home Guard Training Center at approximately 1:30 a.m. on November 12th when three unidentified individuals in a three-wheeled tempo stopped them. The accused, using the chopper as a pointer, assaulted them, abused them, and stole their Honda Dio scooter and mobile phone.

As soon as the case was registered, the Assistant Commissioner of Police and Senior Police Inspector of the Ghatkopar Division inspected the scene. Based on technical and traditional investigations, the accused identified Hussain Aslam Memon, alias Genda. Upon receiving information that he was hiding in the Titwala area, the police apprehended him. During interrogation, he revealed the names of his accomplices – Munna Ramvilas Sharma and Dilshaduddin Sitabuddin Shaikh – who were subsequently arrested.

On November 13, the three accused were produced in court, where they were remanded to police custody until November 17. The investigation also revealed that Genda is a notorious criminal with more than 13 cases registered against him in various police stations.

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