Molbio Diagnostics

Molbio Diagnostics is an Indian medical-diagnostics company headquartered in Verna, Goa. Established in 2000, it began by developing reagents for in-vitro diagnostics and later concentrated on molecular testing technologies intended for use outside centralized laboratories. Its principal platform, Truenat, is a battery-operated, portable real-time polymerase chain reaction system designed to perform nucleic-acid extraction and molecular testing in decentralized settings, including primary-healthcare facilities, rural clinics, mobile units and other locations where laboratory infrastructure or reliable electricity may be limited. The company’s molecular-diagnostics work developed through cooperation with Bigtec Labs, a Bengaluru research organization associated with lab-on-a-chip technologies. Molbio and Bigtec formed a joint venture in 2011 to commercialize Truenat, and Bigtec was subsequently integrated into Molbio in 2015 as a research-and-development unit. This collaboration helped shape the company’s emphasis on compact instruments, assay portability and point-of-care deployment rather than dependence on large central laboratories. Truenat became particularly associated with tuberculosis testing. The platform was validated for India’s National TB Elimination Programme in 2017, and its tuberculosis assays have received recognition from the World Health Organization for the initial detection of tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance. Clinical research, including work reported in The Lancet, supported broader adoption. The platform has also been used for testing related to HIV, hepatitis, malaria, human papillomavirus and COVID-19, with the company reporting more than 40 available assays by 2025. Molbio expanded the platform during a period when health systems increasingly sought decentralized molecular testing. A fully automated version was introduced in 2018 and was deployed by the Indian Council of Medical Research during the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala. Between 2019 and 2020, the company obtained Indian regulatory licenses for several PCR-based assays, including tests for tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis and COVID-19. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Truenat testing was used at transit locations and rural healthcare sites, helping position the company as a supplier of near-patient molecular testing rather than solely a conventional laboratory-equipment manufacturer. The company has pursued international public-health partnerships as part of its global expansion. In 2023, it partnered with the Global Fund and USAID to broaden access to portable molecular tuberculosis testing. Molbio has stated that its products are exported to more than 85 countries, although the supplied material does not provide a complete country-by-country market list. Its public-health positioning centers on shortening the distance between patients and diagnostic results, especially in lower-resource settings. Molbio has also diversified beyond infectious-disease molecular testing. Following the 2022 acquisition of Prognosys Medical Systems, it entered portable radiology through the ProRad Atlas Ultra X-ray system. Investments in the digital-pathology company OptraScan during 2024–2025 extended its interests into whole-slide imaging, while a partnership with UE LifeSciences added distribution of the iBreastExam handheld breast-screening device. In April 2025, Molbio announced indigenously developed HPV test kits for cervical-cancer screening, described in the supplied material as having been validated by AIIMS and the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. In 2022, an $85 million investment from Temasek was reported to value Molbio at more than $1 billion. The company received the Kochon Prize from the Stop TB Partnership in 2025 for its contribution to decentralizing tuberculosis diagnostics in low-resource settings. The award made Molbio the first private-sector recipient according to the supplied reference. Overall, Molbio’s brand is associated with portable molecular diagnostics, infectious-disease programs, technology localization in India and an expansion into adjacent imaging and pathology markets.

Molbio Diagnostics was incorporated in Goa in October 2000. Its early work focused on reagents for in-vitro diagnostics, but the company later moved toward molecular diagnostics and portable testing. A major part of that transition came through collaboration with Bigtec Labs, a Bengaluru-based research firm working on lab-on-a-chip technologies. In 2011, Molbio and Bigtec established a joint venture to commercialize the Truenat platform. Bigtec was merged into Molbio in 2015 and continued as a research-and-development unit, giving the company an internal technology base for molecular testing. Truenat was designed as a compact, battery-operated real-time PCR system capable of automated nucleic-acid extraction and operation in locations without dependable electricity or full laboratory infrastructure. The platform’s initial public-health importance came from tuberculosis diagnosis. In 2017, it was validated for use under India’s National TB Elimination Programme. The company subsequently developed a fully automated version, released in 2018. That system was used by the Indian Council of Medical Research during the Nipah virus outbreak in Kerala, demonstrating the potential for mobile and decentralized molecular testing during an acute outbreak. Molbio secured Indian regulatory licenses for several PCR-based assays between 2019 and 2020. These included tests for tuberculosis, HIV, hepatitis and COVID-19. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Truenat instruments and assays were deployed in decentralized settings such as transit hubs and rural healthcare centers. The company’s tuberculosis work also gained international recognition: the World Health Organization recognized the platform for the initial detection of tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance, while clinical studies, including research published in The Lancet, contributed to evidence for deployment. The company’s international growth has been tied to public-health procurement and partnerships. In March 2023, Molbio worked with the Global Fund and USAID to expand access to portable molecular tuberculosis tests. By 2025, the company reported exports to more than 85 countries. The supplied material does not identify every market or provide a complete breakdown of sales by geography, but the reported footprint indicates that the company’s principal international role is as a supplier of decentralized diagnostic technology for infectious-disease programs. Molbio began broadening its business beyond molecular infectious-disease testing in the 2020s. Its 2022 acquisition of Prognosys Medical Systems brought the ProRad Atlas Ultra portable X-ray system into its portfolio and marked an entry into portable radiology. During 2024–2025, investment in OptraScan expanded its exposure to digital pathology and whole-slide imaging. Through a partnership with UE LifeSciences, Molbio also distributes the iBreastExam handheld device for breast-cancer screening. Capital and institutional recognition followed this expansion. In 2022, Temasek invested $85 million in Molbio in a transaction reported to value the company at more than $1 billion. By 2025, the business had formally converted into a public limited company, although the supplied sources do not establish a public stock-market listing or ticker. In April 2025, Molbio launched HPV test kits for cervical-cancer screening, described as indigenously developed in India and validated by AIIMS and the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. Later in 2025, the Stop TB Partnership awarded the company the Kochon Prize for its role in decentralizing tuberculosis diagnostics in low-resource settings. According to the supplied reference, Molbio was the first private-sector recipient. Its current identity therefore combines an Indian diagnostics origin, a globally deployed portable PCR platform and an expanding portfolio spanning radiology, breast screening and digital pathology.

• 2025

  HPV screening kits launched

  [1]Molbio Diagnosticsen.wikipedia.org

  Molbio launched indigenously developed HPV test kits for cervical-cancer screening.

• 2025

  Kochon Prize awarded

  [1]Molbio Diagnosticsen.wikipedia.org

  The Stop TB Partnership recognized Molbio for helping decentralize tuberculosis diagnostics in low-resource settings.

• 2023

  Global Fund and USAID access partnership

  [1]Molbio Diagnosticsen.wikipedia.org

  Molbio partnered with the Global Fund and USAID to expand access to portable tuberculosis testing.

• 2022

  Temasek invests in Molbio

  [1]Molbio Diagnosticsen.wikipedia.org

  Temasek invested $85 million in the company in a transaction reported to imply a valuation above $1 billion.

• 2022

  Prognosys Medical Systems acquired

  [1]Molbio Diagnosticsen.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition added portable radiology capabilities and the ProRad Atlas Ultra X-ray system.

• 2018

  Fully automated Truenat version released

  [1]Molbio Diagnosticsen.wikipedia.org

  A fully automated system was introduced and used during the Nipah outbreak in Kerala.

• 2017

  Truenat validated for India’s tuberculosis program

  [1]Molbio Diagnosticsen.wikipedia.org

  The platform was validated for use under India’s National TB Elimination Programme.

• 2015

  Bigtec becomes Molbio’s research-and-development unit

  [1]Molbio Diagnosticsen.wikipedia.org

  Bigtec Labs was merged into Molbio, consolidating the technology and development relationship inside the company.

• 2011

  Molbio and Bigtec form a Truenat commercialization joint venture

  [1]Molbio Diagnosticsen.wikipedia.org

  The two companies established a joint venture to commercialize the Truenat molecular-diagnostics platform.

• 2000

  Molbio Diagnostics incorporated in Goa

  [1]Molbio Diagnosticsen.wikipedia.org

  The company was incorporated in October 2000 and initially worked on reagents for in-vitro diagnostics.

A decentralized-diagnostics provider focused on portable, battery-operated molecular testing for infectious diseases and other conditions in settings where conventional laboratory infrastructure is limited. The company combines locally developed technology with public-health partnerships and is extending its portfolio into radiology, breast screening and digital pathology.

• Portable molecular-diagnostics platform

  Truenat

  Truenat is Molbio’s core battery-operated real-time PCR platform. It combines portable instrumentation with automated nucleic-acid extraction and is designed for point-of-care or near-patient testing. The system can operate in decentralized facilities where stable electricity and conventional laboratory infrastructure are unavailable or limited. Its assay menu covers tuberculosis, rifampicin resistance, HIV, hepatitis, malaria, HPV and COVID-19 among other conditions. The platform has been used in national and international public-health programs and is recognized by the WHO for initial tuberculosis detection and rifampicin-resistance testing.

• Tuberculosis molecular tests · 2017

  Truenat tuberculosis assays

  These assays are intended to support decentralized molecular diagnosis of tuberculosis and detection of rifampicin resistance. Their use in India’s National TB Elimination Programme and international public-health programs reflects Molbio’s emphasis on moving molecular testing closer to patients in rural, mobile and other lower-resource settings.

• PCR assay menu

  Truenat infectious-disease assays

  Molbio’s broader Truenat menu includes assays for diseases such as HIV, hepatitis, malaria and COVID-19. The company reported more than 40 assays by 2025, allowing the same portable platform to support different public-health and clinical-testing requirements.

• Portable radiology

  ProRad Atlas Ultra

  ProRad Atlas Ultra is a portable X-ray system associated with Prognosys Medical Systems, which Molbio acquired in 2022. It represents Molbio’s expansion from molecular diagnostics into mobile radiology and complements the company’s wider focus on diagnostic access outside large hospitals.

• Cervical-cancer screening · 2025

  HPV test kits

  Launched in 2025, these HPV test kits were described as India’s first indigenously developed products of their kind. The supplied reference states that they were validated by AIIMS and the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer and are intended to support cervical-cancer screening.

• Handheld breast-cancer screening device

  iBreastExam

  Molbio distributes the iBreastExam handheld breast-screening device through a partnership with UE LifeSciences. It adds a breast-health screening offering to the company’s portfolio of decentralized diagnostic technologies.

• Digital pathology

  OptraScan digital pathology solutions

  Through investment in OptraScan during 2024–2025, Molbio expanded into digital pathology and whole-slide imaging. The investment broadens the company’s diagnostic scope beyond point-of-care molecular testing toward digitized pathology workflows.

• 2025

  Launch HPV kits for cervical-cancer screeningProduct launch

  Background

  Molbio expanded its assay portfolio from infectious diseases into screening for cervical cancer.

  Action taken

  The company launched indigenously developed HPV test kits described as validated by AIIMS and the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.

  Aftermath

  The launch extended Molbio’s decentralized-testing model into women’s-health screening.

  Source

• 2025

  Extend the portfolio into digital pathologyStrategy

  Background

  Molbio sought adjacent diagnostic technologies beyond portable molecular testing and radiology.

  Action taken

  The company invested in OptraScan, a digital-pathology business focused on whole-slide imaging.

  Aftermath

  The investment expanded Molbio’s presence in digital pathology and image-based diagnostic workflows.

  Source

• 2023

  Expand global access to portable tuberculosis testingStrategy

  Background

  Portable molecular tuberculosis testing was being promoted for use in decentralized and lower-resource settings.

  Action taken

  Molbio partnered with the Global Fund and USAID to broaden access to its portable TB tests.

  Aftermath

  The partnership strengthened the company’s role in international tuberculosis-control programs.

  Source

• 2022

  Acquire Prognosys Medical SystemsM&A

  Background

  Molbio wanted to broaden its diagnostic portfolio beyond molecular testing.

  Action taken

  The company acquired Prognosys Medical Systems and added the ProRad Atlas Ultra portable X-ray system.

  Aftermath

  The transaction established a portable-radiology business alongside Molbio’s molecular-diagnostics operations.

  Source

• 2022

  Raise growth capital from TemasekStrategy

  Background

  Molbio pursued capital to support growth in diagnostics and international expansion.

  Action taken

  Temasek invested $85 million in the company.

  Aftermath

  The transaction was reported to value Molbio at more than $1 billion.

  Investment amount. $85 million investment (2022)

  Source

• 2015

  Integrate Bigtec Labs into MolbioStrategy

  Background

  The company sought to consolidate the research base behind its portable molecular-diagnostics technology.

  Action taken

  Bigtec Labs was merged into Molbio and continued as the company’s research-and-development unit.

  Aftermath

  The integration supported further development and commercialization of the Truenat platform.

  Source

• 2011

  Create a joint venture to commercialize TruenatStrategy

  Background

  Molbio’s collaboration with Bigtec Labs provided access to lab-on-a-chip research and a route toward commercializing portable molecular diagnostics.

  Action taken

  The two organizations formed a joint venture focused on bringing the Truenat platform to market.

  Aftermath

  The relationship later became fully integrated when Bigtec was merged into Molbio in 2015 as an internal research-and-development unit.

  Source

1. 1Molbio Diagnosticsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Molbio Diagnostics official websitemolbiodiagnostics.com