Dr Pooja Bhardwaj Honoured with Phoenix Award at Health AI Con 2026 for Rapid Infectious Disease Diagnostic Innovations

Scientist Dr Pooja Bhardwaj was honoured with the prestigious Phoenix Award at Health AI Con 2026 for her contribution to rapid infectious disease diagnostics and affordable healthcare innovation. The award was presented by Dr Abhijat Sheth, Chairperson, National Medical Commission (NMC) and President, NBEMS, along with Dr Anil Kohli, Former President of the Dental Council of India, and Dr Sanghamitra Pati, Additional Director General, ICMR, during the event held at Hotel Eros, New Delhi, on May 17, 2026.

Currently serving as Scientist-C at ICMR-National Institute of Health Research (Formerly, Regional Medical Research Centre) Gorakhpur, Dr Pooja Bhardwaj specializes in molecular diagnostics, infectious disease research, and point-of-care testing technologies. Her research focuses on developing rapid, affordable, and field-deployable diagnostic platforms for infectious diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, scrub typhus, and rickettsial infections, especially for low-resource and rural healthcare settings.

Dr Bhardwaj has been working on advanced CRISPR/Cas-based diagnostic systems and multiplex molecular testing technologies capable of providing accurate disease detection in under an hour without sophisticated laboratory infrastructure. Her innovations combine CRISPR/Cas12a technology, Recombinase Polymerase Amplification (RPA), and microfluidics to create portable testing systems for remote healthcare settings.

Among her major innovations are CRISPR/Cas-based diagnostic platforms for dengue and chikungunya that can detect infections within 30–50 minutes and can be integrated with AI tool for result interpretation. Unlike conventional RT-PCR systems that require expensive laboratory infrastructure, these tests are designed for field-level use and can function at constant temperatures.

She is also working on multiplex molecular testing platforms capable of simultaneously diagnosing scrub typhus and spotted fever group infections, along with integrated 3D-printed microfluidic devices for multiplex dengue detection.

The Phoenix Award recognises transformative healthcare innovation, and Dr Bhardwaj’s work highlights the growing importance of rapid, affordable, and AI-integrated diagnostics in strengthening India’s public health preparedness and outbreak response systems. In a conversation with Health Dialogues Managing Editor Deshbandhu Singh, Dr Bhardwaj spoke about outbreak preparedness, point-of-care testing, and the future of rapid diagnostics in public healthcare. Excerpts:

Que: What inspired you to focus on rapid diagnostics for infectious diseases in resource-limited settings?

Ans: Many infectious diseases already have effective treatments, but delayed diagnosis due to dependence on well-equipped laboratories often leads to severe complications and poor outcomes. I felt that rapid tests deployable in resource-limited settings could help initiate early intervention and improve patient outcomes.

Que: How are your CRISPR/Cas-based diagnostic platforms different from conventional RT-PCR testing?

Ans: CRISPR/Cas systems work at isothermal temperatures and do not require sophisticated laboratory infrastructure. They are highly sensitive and specific, while also being faster. Our CRISPR-based diagnostics can provide results within 30–40 minutes, whereas RT-PCR usually takes 1–2 hours and requires specialised instruments and trained personnel.

Que: Can you explain in simple language how CRISPR technology helps detect diseases like dengue and chikungunya?

Ans: Certain CRISPR/Cas systems can recognize specific viral genetic material and trigger a detectable signal. By designing guide RNA specific to viruses like dengue or chikungunya, the system identifies the virus and produces a visible colour or fluorescence signal, enabling rapid and accurate detection

Que: How quickly can these diagnostic tools provide results compared to current systems used in hospitals?

Ans: These diagnostic tools can provide results precisely within 30-40 minutes, compared to standard diagnostics which can take hours to provide results.

Que: What were the biggest scientific or technical challenges while developing these platforms?

Ans: As, these technologies are upcoming cutting-edge technologies, the biggest challenge lies in ensuring stability outside the lab, achieving high sensitivity and specificity in real-world samples, and making the technology affordable and easy to use in resource-limited settings.

Que: How can these innovations improve healthcare delivery in rural and underserved regions of India?

Ans: Innovations like CRISPR-based diagnostics can transform healthcare delivery in rural and underserved regions of India by enabling rapid testing with minimal instrumentation and expertise, ease of result interpretation and accessibility outside advanced laboratories. Traditional molecular tests such as RT-PCR require expensive equipment, trained personnel, and centralized labs, which often means delays in diagnosis for patients in remote areas.

Que: Many infectious diseases show similar symptoms. How important is rapid differential diagnosis in such cases?

Ans: Rapid differential diagnosis is critically important when infectious diseases present with similar symptoms because it directly impacts patient outcomes and public health response. For instance, Clinical diagnosis of diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, malaria, scrub typhus, leptospirosis is challenging because of overlapping clinical presentations. Without rapid and accurate differentiation, patients may receive the wrong treatment, which may lead to complications, prolonged illness, or even death. For example, antibiotics are effective for bacterial infections but not for viral ones, while supportive care for dengue differs from the management of chikungunya or malaria.

Que: Could these platforms help India respond faster during outbreaks or future pandemics?

Ans: Yes, CRISPR-based diagnostic platforms can significantly strengthen outbreak response by enabling rapid and portable testing outside centralized laboratories. They can help healthcare workers act quickly during outbreaks and public health emergencies.

Que: Do you see point-of-care molecular testing becoming more common in district hospitals and primary healthcare centres?

Ans: Yes, point‑of‑care molecular testing is very likely to become more common in district hospitals and primary healthcare centres in India, because it directly addresses the gaps in timely diagnosis and therapeutic interventions. With newer platforms such as isothermal amplification integrated CRISPR‑based assays, and portable devices, testing can be performed bedside, without the need for well-infrastructure laboratory.

Que: How can artificial intelligence improve diagnostic accuracy and outbreak surveillance in the future?

Ans: Artificial intelligence can improve diagnostic accuracy by interpreting test results more precisely and reducing human errors. It can also support real-time outbreak surveillance by integrating decentralized diagnostic data with larger healthcare databases.

Que: What has been your most rewarding moment as a researcher working on infectious disease diagnostics?

Ans: As a researcher in infectious disease diagnostics, the most rewarding moments often come when a technology you’ve worked on moves beyond the lab bench to real world field settings leading better outcomes for patients especially in underserved communities. For me, one of the most fulfilling experiences would be seeing a diagnostic platform developed through countless hours of assay design, optimization, and validation successfully detecting infections in real-world field settings reaching end-users.

Que: How important is interdisciplinary collaboration in developing next-generation healthcare technologies?

Ans: Interdisciplinary collaboration is absolutely vital for developing next‑generation healthcare technologies because no single field can solve the complex challenges of modern medicine on its own.