Sascan is an emerging healthcare innovation company founded in 2015 by a diverse and experienced team of scientists, doctors, design thinkers and business developers who are 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’ that stands for cancer. The oxygen in the air we breathe or our ‘Sās’ is transported throughout the body in the form of oxygenated hemoglobin and we at Sāscan 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 CancerCare based on Biophotonics and allied technologies and to make these products available to all through sustainable business models and create impact among the population at the base of the pyramid. Our first product is a hand-held screening camera for early detection of oral cancer, which has high prevalence among the rural population in the country.
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 experience of our founder Dr Subhash Narayanan in cancer research, the focused R&D initiatives of the company and a committed team of Scientists and professionals, Sāscan has been able to develop affordable solutions with potential to improve the quality of life of millions of people living in the rural areas of 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, so that even health workers can be trained to operate the instrument, gather patient data and share the screening report to clinicians in any part of the world 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, which is presently used to identify biopsy sites with limited success. Next in line is a “See and Treat” intra-oral device that locates oral precancers from 5-ALA-induced PpIX fluorescence and to treat hyperplastic and dysplastic tissues at the point of care by photodynamic therapy.
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.