The test kits have been developed under the Department of Biotechnology’s (DBT) partnership programme Grand Challenges India (GCI) at the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).
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Indigenously developed (Human papillomavirus) HPV test kits for cervical cancer screening were launched on Wednesday (April 23, 2025).

The test kits have been developed under the Department of Biotechnology’s (DBT) partnership programme Grand Challenges India (GCI) at the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

The DBT supported research coordinated by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi, with testing done at laboratories at AIIMS, National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), Noida; and the National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH), Mumbai, in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

“The key feature of these kits is the inclusion of only the seven-eight most common cancer-causing types that will allow a very efficient and cost-effective screening programme which will be most suitable for India,” Dr Neerja Bhatla, former head of the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at AIIMS, Delhi and chief coordinator of the programme said.

The study titled ‘Validation of Indigenous Human Papillomavirus Tests for Cervical Cancer Screening in India (i-HPV)’ validated indigenously developed, rapid, point-of-care, RTPCR-based HPV diagnostic test kits for screening cervical cancer in premier research and development laboratories of India.

“Given the enhancement of RTPCR-based diagnostic facilities across the nation in the post-COVID era, the introduction of sensitive RTPCR-based HPV testing kits might prove to be cost effective screening method over classical HPV DNA and Pap smear for deployment in the national cancer screening programme,” Dr Bhatla said.

Cancer of the uterine cervix is the second most common cancer among Indian women. According to WHO data, one out of every five women in the world suffering from the disease is an Indian, Dr Bhatla stated.

Besides the high incidence of cervical cancer owing to its late diagnosis and with consequent poor survival, 25% of global mortality due to cervical cancer occurs in India, she said.

Thus, there has been a pressing need for the development of control strategies for the prevention and screening of cervical cancer. The currently available methods of screening of cervical cancer include Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA), Papanicolaou test (Pap test or Pap smear) and HPV DNA testing, she stated.

Regular population screening by Pap smears has been successfully implemented in the developed world. Nevertheless, it is costly, resource-intensive and only moderately sensitive. VIA screening requires considerable training and re-training for quality assurance and has high false positivity rates with programmatic challenges, she said.

HPV testing has the best diagnostic accuracy if it conforms to international standards of validation. As part of the Global Declaration for Cervical Cancer Elimination, WHO recommends a transition to HPV testing in all countries, whereby only two tests in a lifetime, at age 35 and again by age 45 years, will be sufficient. The target is to set up processes to screen 70% of eligible women by 2030, Dr. Bhatla stated.

The study introduced, a school-based, culturally adapted dance program aimed at reducing risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in adolescent girls in India.
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To tackle rising physical inactivity and associated health concerns among adolescents in India, a research team from Chennai conducted a study introducing a dance-based intervention to reduce non-communicable disease (NCD) risks among urban adolescent girls.

Published in Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology on April 21, the study titled A Novel High-Intensity Short Interval Dance Intervention (THANDAV) for Non-Communicable Disease Prevention Tailored to Asian Indian Adolescent Girls assesses the feasibility and efficacy of the THANDAV programme – short for Taking High-Intensity Interval Training And Dance to Adolescents for Victory over NCDs. It was led by R.M. Anjana, managing director of Dr. Mohan’s Diabetes Specialties Centre and president of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation, in Chennai.

Design and delivery of the THANDAV model  

Dr. Anjana explained how this new dance-based program can help young girls in India become more active. She also addressed the cultural barriers often associated with traditional forms of exercise. “This is the first-of-its-kind and culturally appropriate dance intervention designed to boost physical activity among girls. In our country, the term ‘exercise’ often has negative connotations and isn’t always culturally accepted, especially for girls. So we introduced dance to make it more enjoyable and relevant,” she said.

The study was carried out in two government-aided schools in Chennai, involving 108 adolescent girls aged 13 to 15. The participants were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. Those in the intervention group engaged in a 12-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) dance programme, consisting of ten-minute sessions conducted five times a week during school hours. The routine incorporated traditional Indian dance forms and music for cultural familiarity and appeal. The control group continued with routine physical education, which served as a comparative benchmark for physical activity and health-related outcomes. 

“We started with a small pilot study to prove that it was a high-intensity activity. Now, we’ve taken it to schools through a randomised controlled trial, and the results have been very encouraging. The girls loved it, their mothers joined in, and we saw real health improvements — like reduced body fat, better metabolic profiles, increased step counts, and overall lifestyle changes,” Dr. Anjana said.

Key outcomes and statistical insights  

The study reports several statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups across multiple physical and metabolic indicators after 12 weeks. Girls in the THANDAV group showed a substantial increase in physical activity, averaging 1,159 additional steps per day. Reductions in body mass index (BMI), total body fat percentage, and waist-to-hip ratio were also observed, suggesting improved metabolic health. 

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Text neck is a repeated stress injury as well as pain, sustained from excessive watching or texting on handheld devices for long periods of time. The dependence on mobile phones is increasing rapidly, and people spend long hours on their phones, which leads to various musculoskeletal problems. Individuals with this syndrome usually present with neck pain, restricted cervical range of motion, reduced muscle strength and endurance, altered cervical joint position error, along with postural alterations like forward head posture and rounded shoulders as well.

According to recent research, 79% of those aged 18 to 44 have their phones with them virtually all of the time, with only two hours of their waking day spent without them.

In the neutral position, an adult’s head weighs 10-12 pounds. With the flexion of the head, the load increases towards the neck, and the weight is calculated to be 27, 40, 49, and 60 pounds at 15°, 30°, 45°, and 60° respectively. People who use a smartphone frequently have a downward gaze to focus lower, and keep their heads in a forward position for lengthy periods, which can cause neck strain, eventually hastening the process of ageing in the cervical spine. The symptom can result from improper workstations, poor ergonomics, inadequate breaks, and prolonged improper postures.

Common symptoms of text neck

Common symptoms of text neck include headaches, stiffness, shoulder pain, and persistent neck pain. In more extreme situations, tingling or numbness in the fingers or arms could be present, suggesting that nerves are being squeezed.

Text neck, if ignored and untreated, can result in serious long-term consequences, such as flattening of the spinal curvature, early onset of arthritis, spinal misalignment, spinal degeneration, disc space compression, disc herniation, nerve or muscle damage, inflammation of cervical ligaments, nerve irritation, and an increase in spine curvature.

A case study

Take this case of a young IT professional. He came in with severe neck pain radiating to the right arm and to the thumb. He had developed neurological weakness in the form of a poor hand grip and an inability to extend the wrist.

An MRI revealed a huge C56 disc pressing on the right side of the C6 nerve root, leading to this catastrophe. He was immediately taken up for endoscopic removal of disc, decompression of the affected nerve root, followed by replacement by an artificial disc with the aim to retain movements at that level and to avoid adjacent disc degeneration. He regained all of his lost power and was pain-free immediately, and was able to rejoin work in a week.

Not all people however, end up with the above scenario, and not all require surgical intervention unless neurological weakness is detected. A personalised approach, along with community awareness are both factors that can play a vital role in the rationalisation of text neck syndrome.

Integrated postural training in such cases can be a beneficial approach for individuals, combining pain management with a focus on increasing the cervical range of motion, strengthening, stretching, and postural correction.

Physical therapy methods that include a patient-centered approach, home exercises, and postural correction are the prime aspects of managing this syndrome at an early stage to avoid later consequences.

Physiotherapy interventions can be done to treat text neck syndrome, some of which include local ultrasounds, manual traction and manual exercises, cervical muscle stretching, and McKenzie exercises. There is an increasing need for a structured treatment protocol in such individuals to avoid long-term complications, which are mostly seen at an early age.

Treatment options

Simple changes in lifestyle can often be part of the initial course of treatment. Pain can be relieved and further damage can be avoided with physical treatment, posture correction, stretching exercises, and screen time reduction. Also helpful are ergonomic workstations, supportive chairs, and regular pauses when using a laptop or phone.

Surgery might be considered in situations where the spine has sustained structural damage, such as slipped discs or significant nerve compression. To relieve pressure on the nerves, the standard treatment is to remove the injured disc part. A minimally invasive procedure can be used to accomplish this, resulting in a quicker recovery and less discomfort. Surgery is only advised in cases when conservative measures have failed and the problem interferes with day-to-day functioning.

Prevention is better than cure

It’s easier to prevent text neck than to treat it. Maintaining an active lifestyle, holding displays at eye level, and encouraging proper posture can all have a big impact. In the digital age, spinal health can be significantly protected by early awareness and conscious practices. Spinal issues don’t have to be permanent, but smartphones are. Maintaining a strong and healthy spine while being connected is possible with minor adjustments and consistent attention to posture.

(Dr. Mohit Muttha is a consultant spine surgeon at Manipal Hospital, Kharadi, Pune. He can be reached at Mohit.muttha@manipalhospitals.com)