Sascan is an emerging healthcare innovation company founded in 2015 by Dr Subhash Narayanan, a laser scientist with interest in the development of Biophotonics products. He was supported by a diverse and experienced team of doctors, engineers and design thinkers who were passionate about making a difference to the lives of people. The name Sāscan is derived from two words – सांस in Hindi pronounced as ‘Saanz’ meaning breath and ‘can’ stands for cancer. The oxygen in the air we breathe or ‘Sās’ is transported throughout the body in the form of oxygenated hemoglobin. At Sāscan we use oxygenated hemoglobin absorption maps to locate potentially malignant transformation in tissue.
The primary objective of the company is to develop affordable healthcare products and solutions for cancer care based on Biophotonics and allied technologies. Our focus is to make these products available through sustainable business models and create impact among the population at the base of the pyramid. Oral cavity cancer has high prevalence among the rural population in the country. Our first product is a hand-held screening camera for screening and early detection of oral cancer.
We place “Saving lives” as our core mantra and have a strong conviction that the products we design will support this objective. Thanks to the vision and R&D experience of our founder Dr Subhash Narayanan in biomedical research, Sāscan is at the forefront to develop affordable solutions to improve the quality of life of people in rural India with limited access to healthcare.
OralScan is the first multimodal image capturing device that uses multi-spectral imaging technology at its core for non-invasive and real-time screening of oral cancer and biopsy guidance. The proprietary software we have developed to operate OralScan is intuitive and easy to use. Even health workers can be trained to operate the instrument, gather patient data and share the screening report to clinicians for follow up.
Sāscan is continually innovating and adapting its core technology for management of cancers of the cervix, colon and the aero-digestive tract. CerviScan is a forthcoming product developed to replace the conventional digital colposcopy. Next in line is a laser device to treat hyperplastic and dysplastic tissues of the oral cavity by photodynamic therapy (PDT). We are also working on the development of a high-power LED based device for targeted killing of drug resistant pathogenic bacteria in diabetic foot ulcers using antimicrobial PDT.
The world is experiencing a powerful and harmonious convergence of science, technology and commerce. Innovative minds are in action and organizations worldwide are seeking the insight and competitive advantage that technology can provide to solve various issues affecting mankind. Sāscan is also at the forefront of this concept by designing innovative, affordable and holistic solutions for better management of cancer, making sure that these solutions bring solace to the masses through novel marketing concepts.
Sascan is ISO 13485:2016 Certified Company, with its R&D unit recognized by Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Govt of India. The company is also recognized as a Startup by the Department for Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Govt of India; KBITS, Govt of Karnataka and KSUM, Govt of Kerala.