The future of non-invasive Vitamin B12 screening.
A rapid, point-of-care diagnostic strip detecting functional B12 deficiency via urinary Methylmalonic Acid (MMA)
SensiCue Strip
A silent epidemic — and a diagnostic accessibility gap.
Subclinical Vitamin B12 deficiency is common and consequential, yet the only routine tests are invasive, expensive and lab-bound.
Indian adults affected
A silent epidemic across diets, ages and regions — most never know.
Cost of a blood test
Invasive, lab-bound and expensive — a real barrier to repeat monitoring.
At-home options today
No affordable, non-invasive point-of-care way to screen or track B12.
The accessibility gap: current B12 testing requires a phlebotomist, a lab, and a 2–3 day wait. For rural clinics, elderly patients and at-home monitoring, that's a screening tool that effectively doesn't exist.
A paper strip. Three simple steps.
SensiCue detects urinary MMA — a functional biomarker that rises when B12 is low — using colorimetric paper chemistry. No instruments, no power, no lab.
Dip
Hold the strip under the urine stream.
Watch
A distinct colour develops on the reaction zone.
Match
Compare against the reference chart for your B12 status.
From bench to bedside.
Proof-of-Concept
- Colorimetric chemistry validation in synthetic urine
- Detection range covering clinical MMA thresholds
- Determining Sensitivity and Specificity
Prototype & Clinical Pilot
- Strip optimisation for real urine samples
- Pilot validation with partner hospital
- Regulatory pathway scoping
Manufacturing & Launch
- CDSCO regulatory submission
- Scaled manufacturing partner onboarding
- Commercial launch — pharmacies & at-home channels
References & further reading.
Peer-reviewed work underpinning B12 epidemiology, MMA as a functional biomarker, and diagnostic algorithms.
Risk factors and prevalence of Vitamin B12 deficiency in rural north-western Rajasthan
Rakesh K, et al. J. Contemp. Clin. Pract. 12(1), 2026: 276–283.
https://jccpractice.com/article/risk-factors-and-prevalence-of-vitamin-b12-deficiency-in-rural-population-of-north-western-rajasthan-a-cross-sectional-study-1883/
Vitamin B12 Deficiency is Endemic in Indian Population: A Perspective from North India
Singla R, et al. Indian J. Endocrinol. Metab. 23(2), 2019.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6540890/
Proportion and associated factors of Vitamin B12 deficiency — a retrospective lab-based study
Sowndarya K, et al. Curr. Res. Nutr. Food Sci. 7(3), 2019.
https://www.foodandnutritionjournal.org/volume7number3/proportion-and-associated-factors-of-vitamin-b12-deficiency-a-retrospective-laboratory-based-study/
How prevalent is vitamin B12 deficiency among vegetarians?
Pawlak R, et al. 2013.
https://r.jordan.im/download/b12/pawlak2013.pdf
Population status of Vitamin B12 in the general population and in Type 2 Diabetes, southwestern Colombia
PMC10221874, 2023.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10221874/
Vitamin B12 deficiency and its impact on healthcare: a population-level analysis and call for action
Front. Nutr. 12, 2025.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1701661/full
B12 deficiency in India
Arch. Med. Health Sci. 5(2), 2017.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322213729_B12_deficiency_in_India
Identification of vitamin B12 deficiency in vegetarian Indians
Naik S, Mahalle N, Bhide V. Br. J. Nutr. 119(6), 2018: 629–635.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/identification-of-vitamin-b12-deficiency-in-vegetarian-indians/6ECD341730990806699BF0EC26326181
Cobalamin (Vitamin B12) deficiency detection by urinary methylmalonic acid quantitation
Blood 59(6), 1982: 1128–1131.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006497120760222
Population reference values for serum MMA — age, sex, race-ethnicity, kidney function and B12
Ganji V, Kafai MR. Nutrients 10(1), 2018: 74.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5793302/
Use of fasting urinary MMA to screen for metabolic vitamin B12 deficiency in older persons
Nutrition 20(9), 2004: 764–768.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0899900704001595
Urinary MMA as an indicator of early B12 deficiency and its role in polyneuropathy in Type 2 Diabetes
J. Diabetes Res. 2014: 921616.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3955587/
Role of serum holotranscobalamin in low serum cobalamin — comparison with MMA and homocysteine
Ann. Hematol. 2013.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00277-013-1905-z
Urine MMA measurements for assessment of cobalamin deficiency related to neuropsychiatric disorders
Clin. Biochem. 36(4), 2003: 275–282.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S000991200300033X
Vitamin B12, MMA and all-cause mortality in heart failure populations (NHANES)
Front. Nutr. 12, 2025.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1597305/full
Pseudo-Methyl Malonic Acidemia in Indian babies secondary to maternal B12 deficiency
Kumar K, Nagar N, Girish SV. J. Clin. Paediatr. Child Health Care 1(1), 2024.
https://bioresscientia.com/article/pseudo-methyl-malonic-acidemia-in-indian-babies-secondary-to-maternal-vitamin-b12-deficiency
Biomarkers and Algorithms for the Diagnosis of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Front. Mol. Biosci. 3, 2016: 27.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-biosciences/articles/10.3389/fmolb.2016.00027/full
Meet the people behind SensiCue.
Shreshta Jain
Founder & Director
M.Sc. Stem Cell & Regenerative Biology, Manipal Institute of Regenerative Medicine.
Padmapriya
Operations & Finance
Leading operations and accounting.
Pratik Tawade
Technical Advisor
PhD Biosensing, TU Delft · M.Tech Chemical Engineering, IIT Madras.
Padma Prasad
Business Advisor
30+ years in strategic partnerships and go-to-market for tech ventures.
Mentors
Prof. Vedavyas
External Business Advisor
30+ years in IT strategy and entrepreneurship; ex-Senior VP, Mahindra Satyam.
Dr. B. E. Pradeep
Scientific Mentor, SSSIHL
Translational biosciences, AI-enabled healthcare and point-of-care diagnostics.
Dr. Shyam Vasudev Rao
External Technical Advisor
Founder, Forus Health & Renalyx Health Systems. Pioneer in medical devices.
Incubated at Sri Sathya Sai Research and Innovation Foundation · Part of the WE-BIO C-CAMP cohort.
Partner, pilot or invest with us.
We're looking for clinical pilot partners, manufacturing collaborators and mission-aligned investors.
jain.shreshta@sensicue.com jain.shreshta11@gmail.com