Odisha startup BabyCue wins national challenge with its rapid diagnostic test for children

A child with diarrhoea may need antibiotics, but not every infection is bacterial.

Without a quick way to identify the cause, doctors often have to make treatment decisions before test results arrive. This can lead to unnecessary antibiotic use, particularly in areas where access to diagnostic facilities is limited.

Odisha-based healthtech startup BabyCue Private Limited is working to address this gap with DiaCue, a rapid diagnostic test designed to distinguish bacterial from non-bacterial infections in children under five.

The startup recently won first prize at the Tribal Business Conclave Open Grand Challenge, organised by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in association with Startup India and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). The award carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.

BabyCue Founder Manish Kumar Swain and Co-founder Saumyashree Swain received the award from President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

Building a diagnostic tool around a healthcare gap

BabyCue's journey towards developing DiaCue began with fieldwork in rural Odisha. According to the company, its founding team spent time at primary and community health centres during a BIRAC SPARSH Fellowship in 2022.

The team found that healthcare workers often had the clinical knowledge to treat patients but lacked access to diagnostic tools that could help them identify the cause of diarrhoeal infections quickly.

Conventional stool testing can take 24 to 48 hours, leaving doctors to make treatment decisions while waiting for results. In such situations, antibiotics may be prescribed even when an infection is not bacterial.

BabyCue began developing DiaCue in 2024 to address this problem.

The point-of-care test uses a rapid diagnostic format to help distinguish bacterial from non-bacterial diarrhoea. The company's website says the test delivers results in 15 to 20 minutes and is designed to work without complex laboratory equipment or cold-chain storage.

Taking diagnostics closer to underserved communities

The idea behind DiaCue is to make diagnostic support more accessible in healthcare settings that may not have advanced laboratory infrastructure.

By helping clinicians identify whether an infection is bacterial, the test aims to support more targeted treatment and reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions.

This is particularly relevant for rural and tribal communities, where access to timely diagnostic facilities can be limited.

The national recognition adds to BabyCue's growing list of milestones. The company is incubated at KIIT Technology Business Incubator and has also received support from the Technology Development Board under the Department of Science and Technology for developing its rapid diagnostic platform.

With the Rs 5 lakh award, BabyCue has another opportunity to take its work forward. Its focus remains on making diagnostic solutions more accessible, so that a child's treatment does not have to depend on guesswork or delayed test results.