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Issue Pesticides are extensively used in developed and developing countries to increase crop yield. However, pesticide use results in an estimated 26 million poisoning cases and 220,000 deaths annually, so accurate testing is required to measure pesticide safety. Solution Crematoria proposed screening pesticide molecules against human biological targets in silicon, to ensure pesticide safety. Previous…use of binding data, which is measured in solution as opposed to typically used x-ray co-crystals. However, when trying to identify potential off-target effects, the error rate for any target is multiplied by the number of targets against the performance of a molecule and was being analyzed.  Given even a moderate false-negative or false-positive rate,…

Issue Myocardial infarction (MI) is difficult to detect in the early stages. Due to delayed and uncertain diagnosis, physicians are often unable to take treatment decisions during the ‘golden hour’, i.e., before commencement of necrosis. These delays can cause incapacitation or death. Solution The project team set out to build a smart instrument that could rapidly diagnose an MI. The instrument would enable a physician to arrive at a treatment decision very early and would even be suitable for use by a qualified nurse at a rural healthcare centre in India. The device employs a microcantilever-based biosensing system to detect early cardiac markers (e.g., myoglobin) that…presence of a specific antigen, the microcantilever deflects, due to surface stress changes caused by bio-molecular recognition. Mechanical movement of the cantilever is converted into an electrical signal by a piezoresistor embedded inside the cantilever, which is detected by ultra-sensitive electronics. Outcome The team has managed to optimize the different components necessary to develop a…to ensure that the resistors do not short·         development of a ‘frugally-engineered’  bio-chip that consists of the functionalized cantilevers, fluid cell, PCB/connectors and the liquid inlet/outlet. The experimental set-up (consisting of biochip, syringe pump and detection electronics) was then integrated. Intelligent experiments were designed to check the stability of the cantilevers’ resistance in liquids, tests with general…

…artificial limbs is a key part of the rehabilitation process, restoring mobility and reducing the effects of the disability. However, there is currently a large, unmet need for artificial knee joint technologies that are functional and affordable. Solution The aim of the project was to test and further develop a functional and affordable artificial knee joint (AT-Knee) for lower-limb amputations, intended for use globally in both high- and low-income countries. The AT-Knee is…As a result, 90% of these users preferred the AT-Knee for daily use over existing technologies. Other benefits of the AT-Knee technology include ease of maintenance, durability, set-up and alignment, making it ideal for use in many low- and middle-income countries. On the basis of this successful proof-of-concept, Grand Challenges Canada has continued to support LegWorks to bring this innovation to scale through refinement of the design for manufacturing and clinical application, and developing manufacturing processes for production. Since the commercial launch of the AT-Knee in early 2016, nearly 800 knees have been ordered…

Issue In developing countries there is lack of participation by male spouses in the preparation for childbirth. Most maternal and child health programs seek to address the health needs of women and children and ignore men, resulting in little participation by men, resulting in poor outcomes for women and children at delivery. However, in families, …explored, packaged and tested to measure the effect on improving women’s birth preparedness, planning, quality of delivery services and facility delivery rate. This was a prospective quasi-experimental design (pre-post intervention and comparison group) in two health sub-district communities in Uganda, with 670 couples with gestation age 3–7 months enrolled in the study. Outcome Results from this study showed that there…preparedness. The most significant improvements with male involvement were in birth preparedness actions, including saving money for transport, purchasing supplies and seeking skilled delivery. Health education and promotion to male partners of pregnant women resulted in a significant increase in: ·         Female’s birth preparedness:  78.1% from 9.8% in the intervention arm, compared to 22.3% from…

…experience high levels of physical and mental health symptoms, with negative indirect effects on finances, employment performance, parenting skills, etc. Using evidence-based interventions, AFMs can be helped to reduce their levels of symptoms and improve their methods of coping. One such evidence-based intervention is the 5-Step Method, which empowers AFMs by exploring concerns, providing relevant…and exploring further needs. Developed in the UK, the 5-Step Method is now being used in a number of developed countries, with studies demonstrating that it has significant positive effects. Solution The objective of the SAFE (Supporting Addiction-affected Families Effectively) project was to contextually adapt the 5-Step Method to make it acceptable, safe and feasible for delivery by lay health workers in Goa, India. Key activities of the project included: ·         Conducting a systematic review of existing approaches ·         In-depth interviews with AFMs…of this complex intervention will be testing its cost-effectiveness in another RCT. The team has applied for a Medical Research Council (MRC) UK grant to conduct a definitive RCT of the SAFE program at two sites in India. Simultaneously, they have also applied for a grant to scale up SAFE across two districts in India.

Issue Poor water quality leads to more than 4 billion cases of diarrhea and more than 1.5 million deaths of children below the age of five from diarrheal disease annually, making it the second highest cause of infant mortality. Poor water treatment and delivery infrastructure in India makes the risk of water-borne diseases extremely high.…field-usable, rapid microbial water quality test. While current tests can take 24 hours or more, this test would yield results within a few hours. The project team was able to design and fabricate a field-usable, self-contained device for sample preparation (i.e., isolation and concentration of bacteria from water) for two different volumes (20 mL and 100 mL). They also developed a novel filter treatment protocol…will involve optimizing the design of the device and the imaging system as well as ensuring the reagents can be manufactured to meet cost targets. The optimized system will be validated in external settings, especially in field conditions. The project team plans on scaling up the project by applying for Grand Challenges Canada scale-up funding.

Issue Antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious public health threats worldwide, threatening to reverse a multitude of advances in treating bacterial infections and also dangerously reducing therapeutic options. Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng), a sexually transmitted pathogen that was estimated to cause 106 million new gonorrhea infections annually during the 2000s, has the potential to…(POCT) that will facilitate treatment of patients, while minimizing the risk of antibiotic resistance. The approach used involved identification of unique molecular targets that can be used for the determination of antimicrobial susceptibility, coupled with a diagnosis of the pathogen that causes gonorrhea. These targets were then used in different test formats. The team developed a unique test using the technology…sample (with results in about an hour) and potential application at the point of care. In Phase 1 of the project, the team’s goals were to: 1)      Design specific primers for PCR for identification of Ng isolates 2)      Identify DNA sequences and design primers for PCR, to diagnose Ng ciprofloxacin susceptibility and resistance 3)      Design…

Issue Malaria accounts for more than 40% of outpatient visits in Tanzania and approximately 60,000 deaths each year. Early, accurate detection is critical to improving patient outcomes and monitoring outbreaks.Current molecular detection technologies are not suitable for widespread, decentralized testing:  lateral flow assays using antibody/antigen detection are not sufficiently sensitive; PCR requires costly and energy-intensive thermocycling; …Institute, and the Ontario Research Fund for a total project funding of $6 million CAD. This program provided the additional funding to fully develop the necessary technology for designing and fabricating the cost-effective prototype devices. In addition, funding enabled the team to secure a partnership with a Canadian start-up, Xagenic Inc., for the development of low-cost diagnostics for infectious diseases. This partnership has provided financial assistance to the project, as well as guidance on project planning…

…year and 2.6 million babies are stillborn. Approximately 15% of all pregnancies have medical or obstetric complications that greatly increase the risk of mortality or severe morbidity for the mothers and newborns. These pregnancy-related complications could be reduced if they were detected with obstetrical ultrasound earlier in pregnancy, before the onset of labour, allowing mothers to make informed decisions about delivery location. Solution This study was aimed at identifying whether an outreach model at the community level could increase the use of ultrasound…the women had improved maternal and newborn care practices, as a result of the counselling and education provided by the community health workers.The team intends to scale up the intervention to the entire district. The team plans to engage the Ministry of Health and other organizations, such UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), USAID, the…

…sex, and women bear the brunt of the pandemic as, in Africa, two-thirds of new infections are among women. Female sex workers are considered a highly vulnerable group and, despite prevention efforts, HIV incidence remains very high. Despite being intensely exposed to HIV, studies have described a small group of sex workers in Kenya who remain HIV uninfected and are called HIV-exposed seronegative (HESN). Their immune system has a…this phenotype and potentially reduce the risk of acquiring HIV infection. A total of 106 HIV-negative, low-risk women from Kenya were recruited and enrolled in the study for a duration of three months. They were then given oral daily acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) (81mg/day) or hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) (200mg/day) for two months. The study compared their level…female genital tract, potentially reducing the risk of HIV infection. Preliminary results indicate that, in both the acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) arms, a one-month oral drug administration significantly reduces the density of the HIV coreceptors (CCR5) on CD4+ T cells in the blood. Furthermore, ASA significantly decreases the number of HIV target cells (CD4+CCR5+T cells) in…