Two Bangalore based Engineering students, Arjun B S and Ajay Krishnan A, have been announced as ‘National Winners’ of the prestigious James Dyson Award 2022; for their unique innovation EpiSHOT – a reusable epinephrine autoinjector for patients suffering from a severe and potentially fatal systemic allergic reaction that occurs suddenly after contact with an allergen. The James Dyson Award encourages students across 28 countries to design something that solves a problem.Clever yet simple engineering principles that address clear problems are what a winning James Dyson entry looks like.

The latest edition in India saw the participation of numerous young and bright engineers with innovative entries, trying to solve real-life problems. The national winners, Arjun B S and Ajay Krishnan A will receive prize money of approximately INR 4.6 Lakhs (£5,000) and will also represent India in the International round where final winners will be handpicked by Sir James Dyson, giving a life-changing chance to talented young innovators to give life to their disruptive concepts.

With the help of the prize money, the national winners aim to further modify EpiSHOT further for commercialization. This step will enhance the manufacturability, reliability, and portability of EpiSHOT while reducing the cost of the device.

Arjun says, “Allergies are prevalent among the Indian population, but no one believes that a simple allergic reaction could be life-threatening if not treated immediately. India, till-date, does not have an immediate solution to anaphylaxis, which shows preponderance for the age group 20 – 40 years. Due to existing market monopolies, huge price tags of single-use autoinjectors and safety concerns for self-use, there remains a greater need for a safe and cost-efficient solution. EpiSHOT aims to bridge this gap. The challenge of developing such a much-needed device was given to us by Dr. Paramesh H, a paediatric pulmonologist who had spent decades trying to popularize epinephrine as an emergency response medication. We strongly believe that the James Dyson Award will be our stepping platform to get recognized, educate and mass materialize our lifesaving innovation.”