Health Diagnostics

Juan Santiago of Stanford University in the U.S. will develop small, disposable diagnostic device that utilizes isotachophoresis, a technique that separates charged particles, to concentrate a key biomarker of malaria parasites. The goal of this technique is to provide test results within three minutes at a sensitivity much greater than current tests, allowing for detection of malaria at much earlier stages of infection and in asymptomatic individuals.

Christopher Pilcher of the University of California, San Francisco in the U.S. will test the theory that HIV proteins, nucleic acids and antibodies to HIV can be detected in shafts of hair. This possible approach may provide a low-cost tool to determine the timing of HIV infection, which is essential to establish incidence rates in populations.

Changhuei Yang of the California Institute of Technology in the U.S. will evaluate the feasibility of using a "microscope on a chip" along with a hand-held reader to detect and analyze cells and parasites in bodily fluids. If successful; this technology, which does not use traditional lenses, could provide diagnostic capabilities for a wide range of diseases including malaria.

Howard Bernstein of Seventh Sense Biosystems in the U.S. will engineer a skin patch that can detect and measure malaria proteins in interstitial fluid. If successful, an easy-to-use biocompatible device may be able to allow continued monitoring of infection for a few weeks, instead of a single time point.

Scott Phillips, of Pennsylvania State University in the U.S. proposes to develop a polymer reagent to be deposited at the bottom of a small paper cup used to collect a sputum sample, where it will detect proteins secreted by tuberculosis and turn indicate TB-positive samples by changing color.

Wei Lu of the University of Michigan in the U.S. will test the theory that red blood cells infected with malaria have significantly different characteristics when subjected to light in ultra-far infrared spectrum. Using these techniques, this project aims to develop a non-invasive tool to scan capillaries near the body surface and diagnose malaria.

Rebecca Richards-Kortum of Rice University in the U.S. will measure light scattered by malaria-infected red blood cells using a small microscope that can be placed on the skin as a way to detect infection in patients without the need to draw blood. This rapid and painless diagnostic would not require consumable reagents or a trained operator, and would not generate biohazardous waste.

Andrew Fung, Jack Judy and Theodore Moore at the University of California, Los Angeles in the U.S., along with Michel Bergeron of l'Université Laval in Canada, will work to identify molecular markers of malaria present in saliva in order to develop a chewing gum diagnostic tool called "MALiVA." During chewing, particles in the gum will react with these malaria proteins, which can be detected and characterized when this device is scanned with a magnet.

Suzanne Smith of STAR Analytical Services in the United States will study recorded cough samples with acoustic vocalization-analysis technology to identify sound characteristics that indicate specific symptoms of pneumonia with the aim of rapidly identifying the cause and severity of respiratory illness. It is hoped that such acoustic landmarks would help in the differentiation between viral infections and bacterial illnesses, each of which may require different treatments.

Phillip Tarr of Washington University in the U.S. is developing a method to evaluate gut permeability by measuring levels of ingested fluorescent molecules non-invasively through the skin. Gut permeability is increased in infants with environmental enteropathy, which is associated with impaired growth and development, and is prevalent in developing countries. Current tests are problematic due to the required collection and handling of body fluids from young children, and can produce varying results.