Bengaluru start-up aims to solve cold chain logistics for healthcare

In India, a country characterized by its tropical climate, the challenge of maintaining reliable cold chain logistics for healthcare is critical, especially for transporting temperature-sensitive medical supplies to remote areas. Bengaluru-based start-up Enhance Innovations is addressing this issue with Phloton, a portable, battery-powered cooling device designed to deliver medical supplies to regions with limited electricity access.

Ankita Mittal, CEO of Enhance Innovations, highlights the urgent need for effective solutions, particularly for storing insulin, which is crucial for diabetes management. "In places where refrigeration is scarce, safely carrying insulin is a significant challenge," she states.

The World Health Organization estimates that 50% of vaccines are wasted globally each year due to inadequate temperature control and poor cold chain logistics. Mittal explains that while public health centers have proper refrigeration, transporting vaccines from these centers to rural areas poses a major hurdle. "Many cannot reach the health center, and ASHA workers must ensure they can carry vaccines safely."

Currently, vaccines are often transported in iceboxes, which lose 50% of their cooling within the first hour of being removed from refrigeration. This can render vaccines ineffective by the time they reach distant locations. The urgency of the situation became even clearer during the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting Mittal and her brother Prerit to explore solutions for secure vaccine transportation.

Working with scientists at the National Physical Laboratory of India, they developed Phloton, a modular device with a 2-liter chamber that can maintain a temperature of 4-6 degrees Celsius for up to 10 hours. The device includes live temperature monitoring and a solar panel for recharging, allowing it to remain functional in high-temperature conditions. "Three hours of sunlight can fully charge the battery," Mittal notes.

Phloton utilizes an active cooling method based on the thermoelectric effect, commonly found in everyday devices. While the technology itself is not new, the design and circuitry are proprietary to Enhance Innovations. The company is currently awaiting approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) and plans to seek World Health Organization (WHO) endorsement.

Beyond healthcare, the potential applications for Phloton are vast, including use in public health programs, private hospitals for high-value medications, diagnostics, biomedical research, and even agriculture and cosmetics. Currently, the start-up is testing the device with animal husbandry organizations to address vaccine spoilage for livestock.

Supported by grants from USAID and other organizations, Enhance Innovations is preparing for active fundraising to expand production. They aim to explore international markets and further product development, addressing cold chain challenges in developing countries.