Bengaluru Startup Cuts Drug Resistance Test Time From Days to Hours

When a patient picks up an infection in a hospital, every hour counts. But finding out which antibiotics will actually work can take days with standard tests, forcing doctors to prescribe broadly and accidentally fueling drug resistance in the process.

CrisprBits, a Bengaluru startup founded in 2020, is changing that timeline. The company uses CRISPR gene-editing technology to detect specific resistance genes in infections, slashing test times from days to hours.

The team behind the breakthrough includes CEO Vijay Chandru, formerly a professor at the Indian Institute of Science and co-founder of Strand Life Sciences. Four other founders joined him: Sunil Arora, Rajeev Kohli, Bharat Jobanputra, and Aditya Sarda.

Their flagship platform, PathCrisp, searches for the exact genetic markers that show whether bacteria will resist certain drugs. The technology works because CRISPR is incredibly precise at finding specific genetic sequences, the same trait that makes it powerful for gene editing.

In November 2025, CrisprBits raised $3 million in pre-Series A funding at a $12 million valuation. Spectrum Impact led the round, with participation from the Vijay Alreja Family Office and the promoter family of HBL Engineering.

The funding will help the company commercialize PathCrisp and expand manufacturing capacity. CrisprBits plans to enter African and Latin American markets within six months, bringing faster diagnostic tools to regions that desperately need them.

The company operates from a 7,300 square foot research facility in Bengaluru that opened in January 2025. Their work extends beyond antibiotic resistance testing to food safety, animal health, and agricultural applications.

In December 2025, JNCASR Bengaluru signed a Letter of Intent with CrisprBits to establish a Centre of Excellence for CRISPR Innovation and Translation. The partnership signals India's growing investment in cutting-edge diagnostic infrastructure.

The Ripple Effect

Faster infection testing does more than help individual patients recover quickly. It tackles one of medicine's biggest threats: antibiotic resistance.

India records some of the world's highest rates of drug-resistant infections. When doctors prescribe broad-spectrum antibiotics while waiting for test results, resistant bacteria get more opportunities to spread.

CrisprBits' rapid tests let doctors choose the right drug immediately, using only what's needed and preserving antibiotic effectiveness for future patients. The company already proved its technology works, building a test that distinguished Omicron from other COVID variants and winning the AMR-Quest 2023 competition.

Their approach represents what Chandru calls "patient capital," focusing on long-term impact over quick returns. The company partnered with Molbio Diagnostics in 2023 and receives ongoing support from the Bengaluru research center C-CAMP.

Every hospital that adopts faster resistance testing becomes a firewall against superbugs, protecting not just its own patients but communities worldwide.