Portable Genetic Testing Unit

A month has not passed after unveiling of Tata Nano, and we have news about another such product that is bound to improve quality of life for millions of people.

What is it: A Portable Genetic Testing Unit.

So what?: Well, prior to this innovation, genetic testing meant 2 to 3 days for result on very expensive testing equipments that resulted in cost for single test upto 10000 to 100000 Rs. The new device itself costs 50000 Rs with time for test result at 30 minutes at the time of release of the article. Further innovation has brought down the cost to 4000 Rs. It now gives results in few minutes.

Following is the abstract of the paper titled "An inexpensive and portable microchip-based platform for integrated RT–PCR and capillary electrophoresis" [Reference:Govind V. Kaigala, Analyst, 2008, DOI: 10.1039/b714308g ]:

We present an inexpensive, portable and integrated microfluidic instrument that is optimized to perform genetic amplification and analysis on a single sample. Biochemical reactions and analytical separations for genetic analysis are performed within tri-layered glass–PDMS microchips. The microchip itself consists of integrated pneumatically-actuated valves and pumps for fluid handling, a thin-film resistive element that acts simultaneously as a heater and a temperature sensor, and channels for capillary electrophoresis (CE). The platform is comprised of high voltage circuitry, an optical assembly consisting of a laser diode and a charged coupled device (CCD) camera, circuitry for thermal control, and mini-pumps to generate vacuum/pressure to operate the on-chip diaphragm-based pumps and valves. Using this microchip and instrument, we demonstrate an integration of reverse transcription (RT), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and capillary electrophoresis (CE). The novelty of this system lies in the cost-effective integration of microfluidics, optics, and electronics to realize a fully portable and inexpensive system (on the order of $1000 in component costs) for performing both genetic amplification and analysis – the basis of many medical diagnostics. We believe that this combination of portability, cost-effectiveness and performance will enable more accessible healthcare.

More to follow on possible applications on this.

G. Kaigala, V. Hoang, A. Stickel, J. Lauzon, D. Manage, L. M. Pilarski, C. J. Backhouse, An inexpensive and portable microchip-based platform for integrated RT-PCR and capillary electrophoresis, Analyst, DOI:10.1039/B714308G (Accepted, December, 2007).
http://www.rsc.org/delivery/_ArticleLinking/DisplayHTMLArticleforfree.cfm?JournalCode=AN&Year=2008&ManuscriptID=b714308g&Iss=Advance_Article

University of Alberta (2008, January 29). Lab On A Chip Developed For Cheap, Portable Medical Tests.ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 30, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­/releases/2008/01/080129125449.htm

Lab on a chip developed at University of Alberta for cheap, portable medical tests. Eureka Alert
Retrieved January 30, 2008 from
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/uoa-loa012808.php

Website of Govind V Kaigala, lead author of the article. http://www.ee.ualberta.ca/~govind/

A Week After the Tata Nano

Its now sinking in the effects of Tata Nano. The debate is still on. If one thing that has come to forefront in this debate is urgent need of Public Transport. I was out on the weekend to a small town of Dhule for cousin's wedding and had an opportunity to get in the views from the people of that area. This is what people in small cities feel:

• Sure there is apprehension that it will clog the streets.
• But still people would buy Tata Nano.
• Main reasons are
• To be on Four Wheel
• It provides them more protection than helmet on the Road
• The Price
• Status (In cities Nano may be symbol of reverse status, thats not the case in small towns)
• They will not use Nano as frequently as bikes, given bikes average is much more than Nano.

So it looks like to be Huge Hit is the small towns. Back yesterday night, I had c0mpuslsive feeling to go through the weekend papers to find columns on Nano. And I was not disappointed. Both ToI and IE carried columns on them. Expetedly both the columns were not about the Tata Nano itself, but its impact.

ToI's columns Second Opinion made scathing attack on those who criticized Tata for providing such a cheap car that will worsen the road situations. It said Not elitists but neo-casteists hate the Nano.

IE column was more of post analysis. Nano lessons for change. This encapsulates what I wrote on the night of Tata Nano's announcement. May be the answer lies in better public transport and unsubsidized fuel rates.

Another column I found on net was from HT. It speaks the same as above and some more. Find it here: Not 'either/or' but 'and'!

A rather old NYT column says No, No, No, Don't Follow Us. It brings to light what problem we might face if we go in for US like car-a-person model, and ponders on scale factor in public transport or mass transit system as well.

Tata Nano Fallout: Greater Thrust on Public Transport

Pune is already feeling the heat of the rise in private vehicles. With Tata Nano round the corner, which can convert huge bike population into car, local government is trying to strengthen public transport. Read more here.

Tata Nano: Small Wonder or Big Blunder!

An Article in CNN-IBN puts across interesting view:

Read the article here.

Notably it boils down to core of the issue: Is consumption good or not? Some say it is not as you are depleting resources of Earth, while others say it is fuel to economy and innovation in general.

Tata Nano, Envirinmentlists and Public Transport

Tata Nano, people's car as it promises to be, has brought forward various debates. The topic of this blog is effect on environment.

Environmentalists think that Cheaper car -> More people buy them -> More cars on already crowded roads -> Slower traffic -> More pollution. And rightly so.

Chief Minister of Maharashtra Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh has already aired his apprehensions upon popularity of such vehicles and its effect on traffic. You can read more about it in the following links. http://www.surfindia.com/news/fullstory.php?ref=1192614 http://www.saharasamay.com/samayhtml/Articles.aspx?NewsId=92614

Some people think that this is "Elitist's View". Ratan Tata countered this by pointing out few things:
1. It's worth it because it would make lives safe by moving people from bike to car (and I agree with it overwhelmingly).
2. It can also make some people buy less polluting car (i.e. Nano) than other relatively high polluting cars because of small engine size.
3. Its primarily the Rural India that is target market for this car.


For all those environmentalists and those in power, the Tata has just set a trend and more and more car are expected to become cheap because of Tata Nano. The problem is not the Tata Nano itself, but the pathetic state of Public Transport System. The thing that Nano shall do is convert more people from bikes to car and early.

Who wants to drive? Nobody. But there is no alternative in most of the cities. Public transport is so bad that people risk their lives by commuting a far as 8 meters on bikes. With more Nanos on the road, the situation will become even more bleak, and I am sure people would not take out the cars unless it is absolutely necessary.

The one and only way to move people from using personal vehicles is providing effective public transport. If that is done, people can buy more cars but not use them as much and road can become even freer.

Other measures be taken to curb the usage of personal vehicles like heavy parking fees in cities, city fuel surcharge and non-subsidized fuel. However these are extreme. Without effective transport to back them, this can be nuisance and are always avoidable because of democratic nature of local governing bodies.

Tata Nano Press Release from Tata Motors

Tata has proudly announced the People's Car. Find it here from the horse's mouth.

Tata Nano as an Innovation Platform

In the column of Times of India dated 13th January 2008, C K Prahlad explains how Tata Nano can become platform for new innovations. Please follow original article here.

For your convenience, it is reproduced below:

He's been hailed as the world's foremost thinker. He revolutionized the way corporate chiefs looked at markets through his bestseller, 'The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid'. And now, management mahaguru C K Prahalad writes exclusively for Sunday Times on the Nano launch.

The Nano represents an important inflection point in the global auto industry and in the evolution and maturation of Indian industry. There is great excitement because Tata Motors has introduced the global auto industry to a whole new consumer segment.

This emerging consumer base around the world will be a major engine of global growth. However, this growth will not materialise without fundamental rethinking of the price-performance (value equation) in the entire industry. I believe the Nano will spawn a new debate about manufacturing methods, use of materials, energy efficiency, and transportation.
In India, it lays to rest skeptics who five years ago assumed India cannot compete in manufacturing.

Yes, Indian engineers—given the right challenges and leadership—can out-innovate and out-engineer others. Seldom does a single product introduction challenge the received wisdom in the industry so radically.

The Nano also sheds light on how to leverage emerging markets as innovation hubs. We can constantly complain about constraints. We can also use constraints as levers for breakthrough thinking. I call this process of constrained innovation as working within the Innovation Sandbox. Consider Tata Nano. It starts with clear, self-imposed constraints:

Price: Rs 100,000 (a significant change from the lowest cost car in India and elsewhere in the world). A 3X improvement. This constraint is also critical to create a new consumer market—the emerging middle class in India (and India-like markets).

Scalability: This market is large and scale is critical both to meet the price-performance targets and to satisfy the customer base (Think Model T again!)

Aspirational: The design and features must be such that is aesthetically pleasing and desirable. It must be modern. It must represent smart basics and must not crowd the offering with features that do not represent core value to the customer base.

Resource efficient: It must be efficient in the use of resources—capital, raw materials and energy.

Now consider these four principal constraints as the boundaries of a sand box. Allow managers to innovate within this sand box and not violate these self-imposed constraints. I am sure that Tata Nano represents thousands of small and significant innovations within these constraints. It is this approach to innovation — embracing constraints and leveraging them for breakthrough innovation —that got us the Rs 100,000 car, in spite of the dramatic increases in the price of raw materials.

I consider Tata Nano as an innovation platform. Of course, the features and functions will evolve rapidly based on experiences of consumers and feedback from the market. Both the company and consumers will learn. The challenge for the company and all associated with it is to rapidly and continuously innovate around the platform as an ecosystem of suppliers, and dealers.

The power of this innovation to shape the global auto industry is forcing a debate already; including in India. What about pollution? Congested roads? Poor infrastructure? I think this is the wrong starting point for debate. We should ask ourself: What if we devoted the same energy and ingenuity to solving the problems of discipline in traffic management? In energy efficiency? These problems may lead us to breakthrough innovations. But I am glad that the debate has started. That is a good sign. This innovation is serious.

But now, let us celebrate. I just want to say: Ratan, what an extraordinary New Year gift to India and the world! To ordinary people! Ratan Tata, Tata Motors, and all the suppliers and dealers deserve our thanks for rekindling the innovative spirit of India.

(The writer is the Paul and Ruth McCracken Distinguished University Professor, Ross School of Business, University of Michigan)