Problem being addressed
Accurate, low-cost, point-of-care diagnostics for pregnant women and newborns are severely lacking in resource-limited rural settings. This is especially true where there are shortages of trained health workers to administer and evaluate diagnostic tests for life-threatening conditions such as pre-eclampsia. Accurate and low cost diagnostics for hypertension (pre-eclampsia) and high blood glucose (gestational diabetes) could help women get access to appropriate life-saving care.
Detailed description of the solution
Two accurate, low-cost (<$0.10) postage stamp-sized paper-based diagnostics for expecting mothers and newborns will be used to detect – and enable proper treatment of – (i) anemia and hyper/hypoglycemia and (ii) hypertensive disorders. These point-of-care diagnostics require only a drop of blood or urine and require no additional steps beyond applying the sample. This means that they can be utilized by minimally-trained individuals in communities or clinics in rural settings to prevent unnecessary deaths during pregnancy and childbirth and improve the health of mothers and newborns through early detection of high-risk pregnancies and better patient management.
Designed by
- Designed by:
Diagnostics for All, 790 Memorial Drive, Suite 104, Cambridge, MA 02138. Home page found here.
- Manufacturer location:
Currently manufactured in Cambridge, MA, but creators emphasize that the "simple process enables these tests to be manufactured in-country and sold by local manufacturers and distributors for profit while still remaining affordable."
When and where it was tested/implemented
Currently in development.
Funding Source
Awarded Saving Lives at Birth Grand Challenge, July 2011, which is sponsored by USAID, the Government of Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and The World Bank.
References
Peer-reviewed publication
Bruzewicz, Derek A., et al. "Low-Cost Printing of Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Barriers To Define Microchannels in Paper." Analytical Chemistry. 2008.
Carrilho, Emanuel, et al. "Paper Microzone Plates." Analytical Chemistry. 2009.
Martinez, Andres W., et al. "Simple Telemedicine for Developing Regions: Camera Phones and Paper-Based Microfluidic Devices for Real-Time, Off-Site Diagnosis." Analytical Chemistry. 2008.
Martinez, Andres W., et al. "Patterned Paper as a Platform for Inexpensive, Low-Volume, Portable Bioassays." Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2007.
Sia, Samuel K., et al. "An Integrated Approach to a Portable and Low-Cost Immunoassay for Resource-Poor Settings." Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 2004.
Externally generated reports
Bourzac, Katherine. "Cheap Electronics on Paper Diagnostic Chips." MIT Technology Review: 19 October 2010. Article found here.
McNeil, Donald G. "Far From Any Lab, Paper Bits Find Illness." New York Times: 26 September 2011. Article found here.