Apollo Diagnostics has launched what it calls a cutting-edge Digi-Smart Central Reference Laboratory (CRL) in Chennai, marking a significant advancement in diagnostic technology. Spanning 45,000 sq ft and fully automated, the new facility promises to deliver lab results up to 60 per cent more quickly while ensuring near-perfect accuracy.
This high-tech laboratory will handle all seven key disciplines within pathology, covering every aspect of blood and tissue diagnostics. Powered by a seamless integration of robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, the Digi-Smart Lab unifies core specialties — Clinical Chemistry, Immunoassay, Serology, Hematology, and Hemostasis — on a single continuous track.
Efficient Diagnostics
Designed to handle an initial load of 25,000 samples per day, the lab is built for rapid scaling. It aims to process 50,000 samples daily in the near term, with the capacity to reach up to one lakh samples per day.
“By leveraging advanced robotics, high-resolution cameras, machine learning, and intelligent automation, this facility minimises human error, enhances process efficiency, and significantly improves turnaround time. All of this ultimately leads to better clinical outcomes,” said Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals.
She also emphasised the role of new middleware systems that reduce the need for manual intervention. “These systems streamline interpretation and analysis, helping eliminate delays and errors associated with traditional diagnostic workflows,” she added.
The CRL offers a comprehensive test menu of over 3,000 investigations, including advanced microbiology, molecular biology, and genetic testing. Spread across two floors, the facility currently employs around 360 professionals, including 36 doctors, along with both medical and non-medical staff.
Global mission
Speaking at the launch, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Founder and Chairman of Apollo Hospitals, underscored the lab’s broader mission: “This lab — and the diagnostic ecosystem we’re building — is designed to serve not only India but the entire world. Looking forward, we must confront the most pressing health crisis of our time: non-communicable diseases. As early as 2016, the WHO and UN predicted that heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes would account for 80 per cent of global deaths — a forecast that is becoming a reality.”
“But we can change that. Through preventive diagnostics and early detection, even reducing that figure slightly, from 80% to 78%, would have a profound impact. This lab isn’t just a facility, it’s a frontline tool in the global battle to prevent disease before it takes hold,” Dr. Reddy said.
Targeted therapy
Sangita Reddy also announced Apollo’s entry into the domain of clinical genomics. “We are now offering comprehensive carrier screening for inherited diseases, cutting-edge genetic sequencing, and soon, CRISPR-based diagnostics,” she said. “Our cancer screening panels will be more detailed and personalised.”
She added that Apollo is collaborating with multiple institutions to launch one of India’s most extensive genomic testing programmes, which will include carrier screening, whole genome sequencing, and comprehensive cancer panels.