Health Diagnostics

IDEA cognitive screen - a culturally adapted dementia screening tool. Post-screening, the IDEA study employed the principles of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST), a non-pharmacological, group treatment for mild to moderate dementia which aims to delay declines in cognition and quality of life through themed activities. Evidence shows that CST can be effectively delivered by non-specialist health care workers, and has the potential to be used as a non-pharmacological and cost effective disease management strategy.

Childrens Automated Respiration Monitor

Our bold idea is to make a low-cost, multiplexed, highly-sensitive, rapid and easy-to-use diagnostic tool for simultaneous detection of 4 most common gastrointestinal pathogens, causing persistent diarrhea in children (i.Giardia Lamblia, ii. Cryptosporidium Parvum, iii. Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli and iv. Rotavirus) from stool samples of the patients. We have developed a technology to accurately deliver and control liquids in microchannels using only capillary (surface tension) forces.

Cervical cancer is the 2nd largest cause of cancer deaths in women around the world. Globally 288000 women die of cervical cancer.In India 74000 females succumb, which is 1/3rd of the global burden. Most of these deaths are preventable. While methods like Pap and HPV DNA test are employed for cervical screening, they need a lab, trained manpower and suffer with many drawbacks. Thus there is a critical need for a rapid, accurate and low cost diagnostic test that can be used at the point of care.

Birth Asphyxia complications impact a very large number of Newborns every year resulting in high Morbidity & Mortality. Over 7 million Newborns are affected every year globally. Currently there is no effective means to diagnose the severity of Asphyxia to enable initiation of early treatment. This delay in diagnosis results in grievous damage to the Newborn's brain resulting in death or long term neurological sequelae like Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, Learning disabilities etc.

Pre-eclampsia is a major cause of maternal mortality & morbidity particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Multi-faceted factors including hypoxia, inflammation of undetermined mechanisms impact the onset & progression of this disease which cause immunological alteration of placental micro-environment & impaired angiogenesis. However, the major challenge in modern obstetrics is the lack of early cost effective method of prediction & prevention.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) complicates pregnancies of up to 1,080,000 women each year in India. The heart problems that pregnant women may experience include valve disease, abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure, and peripartum cardiomyopathy (a form of heart failure). Heart disease during pregnancy can cause abortion, growth retardation in the womb, stillbirth and premature labor. Women in remote and rural areas do not have access to early detection of CVD and high quality management.

Obstructed labour is a major cause of mortality in Uganda causing 26% according to UDHS 2016 report. It caused maternal and fetal complications the most devastating include uterine rupture 41.5%, sepsis 38.3% and birth asphyxia most of these occur in areas that lack basic health infrastructure like refugees camps, villages and slums. Labour in these areas is first attended to by unskilled Village birth attendants who can’t detect complications by physical examination.

Every year more than 6000 (1.3%) babies are born in Ukraine with congenital heart disease (CHD). The current CHD detection approach is based on ultrasound diagnostics which in Ukraine is not available in the majority of hospitals due to both the lack of experience from healthcare professionals and a high cost of ultrasound machines. This project aims at developing a simple-to-use cloud-based medical software which will provide an objective support in clinical decision making by analyzing heart sounds captured by means of electronic stethoscopes soon after birth.