Budhaditya Chattopadhyay

Born into a middle class Bengali family, Budhaditya Chattopadhyay was just 15 when he accidentally thought to create an artificial kidney. In 2007, Chattopadhyay’s research on TAK (the artificial kidney) was published in Oxford Journal, and in 2008, was recognized by the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Chattopadhyay is now the founder of IDEAL ORGAN and Elixir Excellenza, and co-founder of several multinational ventures with several IPs already in the market.

Chattopadhyay was born in a middle class Bengali family. When he was in high school class IX; a close relation of his passed away accidentally in renal failure, even after having had a renal transplant. Consequentially, Chattopadhyay became interested in the types of treatments available for kidney failure patients.

Chattopadhyay was studying in Ramkrishana Ashram those days. He was a great fan of the Discovery Channel. After some research he soon discovered that renal failure treatments are all the same: Hemodialysis; Peritoneal Dialysis and HLA matched Kidney transplant. So Chattopadhyay decided to devise a treatment which would filter blood like a natural kidney.

Chattopadhyay devised a machine called the Transplantable Artificial Kidney (TAK); which can be implanted in the body. Chattopadhyay devised a prototype, and also conducted several simulations with very satisfactory results. Chattopadhyay was very fortunate to receive World Bank funding through SPFU-NPIU-Karnataka via his college for conducting research and to protect his IPs.

Chattopadhyay published first in the Oxford NDT Journal when he was in the 2nd year of his Medical Electronics Engineering degree. He received funds from his university (VTU) to present the same at the ERA-EDTA Conference Stockholm, Sweden. Chattopadhyay received much recognition and many MNCs came to take the patent applied innovation to the next level. He also got some funding from a VC based in Bangalore; and started a company called Ideal Organ Pvt. Ltd..

Slowly Chattopadhyay realized that a problem existed with Doctor-to-Patient ratios that should be fixed. So he devised a product called Home Dialysis Equipment. This user-friendly product can be monitored by a doctor remotely. And the doctor similarly can monitor 10 patients at a time and, if needed, can even control the parameters. The Home Dialysis Equipment is in the market now.

Chattopadhyay also devised a machine which cleans the membranes and increases the efficiency of membranes (also already in market). His aim was to take OPD and Hehab centers from hospitals to rural kiosks, and so Chattopadhyay created a mobile dialysis van. As per a time schedule the van moves from one village to other one. In this pilot project Dialysis became eco-effective (Rs.400/session in villages in West Bengal) and can reach 8 patients daily on average. It’s also having an ICT enabled mechanism that allows patients to speak with doctors directly and get their consultations without physically meeting them. So using this Chattopadhyay could take little portion of a hospital to the doorstep of patients; instead of forcing a patient to come to a hospital.

Chattopadhyay is now pursuing his MPEFB in IIM Bangalore.

PERSONAL JOURNEY:

I must mention about my presentation at ERA-EDTA Congress Sweden regarding TAK; as prior to that I used to be considered a junk mad fellow. This gave me a very good platform for doing everything. But prior to all these I visited rural India from childhood and learned that no light of healthcare could have touched these areas. I visited several hospitals, even renowned ones like AIIMS-New Delhi. I saw there patients lying on the floor or even on roads at hospital premises and no treatments available for them as they are not hospitalized ass no more beds available. Then I decided to take hospitals to the doorstep of patients.

I also believe education systems must be changed in India. I am not a great meritorious student; but I believe professional courses like Engg., where we study so many subjects without even having any link of understanding and why should we learn the subject; must be changed. It should be something related to the applied field else it becomes like learning history.