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…75% are in Sub-Saharan Africa. Conventional methods of diagnosing TB take a long time, increasing the risk of disease progression and further spread. Solution The project aimed to evaluate the usefulness of sweat for the early and accurate diagnosis of TB. Sweating is a common symptom in TB and, to date, sweat has not been explored for its diagnostic potential. In this project, sweat was analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometer for metabolites and proteins. Compositions were compared between the different groups to determine which substances were discriminatory of TB, which could be used to develop an affordable sweat-based TB test. Results Results of the project were inconclusive. One hundred and…

Poor access to maternal care services is a known determinant for low rates of facility births and adverse maternal outcomes. In Zimbabwe, 73% of maternal deaths are attributed to delays in accessing care, resulting from long distances and travel times to health facilities, limited transport options and lack of transport funds for maternal care. Roads …to care. Road-MApp accounts for road and weather conditions in near-real time, and links women to local transport resources that are available to facilitate their transit to maternal care. Goals include establishing micro-savings groups to finance the process, a 25% increase in use of health facilities during pregnancy, and a 10% increase in in-facility deliveries.

…public health issue, causing over four million deaths per year globally, of which, 6,300 occur in Senegal, where 70% of households use biomass as cooking fuels. Most interventions to tackle indoor pollution are failing because the efficient stoves are too expensive and/or not available to those who need them the most. Solution Implemented in Senegal, the project team established an efficient distribution chain and financing mechanism for two clean cooking technologies to drastically reduce indoor air pollution levels and related disease burden. The two products are the EcoSac – a temperature retention bag that cuts…PRIME Stove, an efficient cook stove with gasification technology made of stainless steel, with 49% thermal energy (compared to the usual 13%). By providing entrepreneurship training and setting up micro franchises, women’s groups were assisted in increasing their revenue to decrease the financial, environmental and social cost of cooking. The project also provided a platform for…

…with asthma being the most common respiratory condition. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) will be the third most frequent cause of death worldwide by 2030. In addition to the costs, poorly controlled asthma and COPD are associated with impaired health-related quality of life and more rapid decline in lung function over time. Currently, there is…other inflammatory respiratory diseases non-invasively in a typical doctor’s office. Solution The ultimate goal of this research program was to develop a clinic-based urine test that could significantly improve the diagnosis and management of asthma and other similar respiratory diseases, such as COPD. The project had three main objectives: 1.       To study people with asthma and other diseases (such as COPD) and prove that a metabolomics diagnostic could work 2.       To move the metabolomics diagnostic a platform that would be more suitable for a commercial laboratory 3.       To show that this diagnostic could work in a low-income country. Outcome The project confirmed the ability to measure biomarkers of asthma using…

After the 2010 earthquake, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have become major barriers for many Haitians, as they strive to live productive lives and to contribute positively to economic recovery and development. The gap between the needs in the field and the available resources for mental health is alarming and marked by a shortage …context to enhance the knowledge, understanding and skills of spiritual leaders in Haiti, since they serve as the main informal providers of mental health care. This innovative approach will significantly improve the breadth of delivery of mental health programs and services for depression within the existing infrastructure, and will be sustainable at a community level.

With new support from Grand Challenges Canada, Laguna Water will test a sanitation business model for the Philippines’ most impoverished people using two innovative container-toilet prototypes, with aspirations to scale its sanitation services in the province of Laguna by 2018.An estimated 25 percent of the world’s population live in informal settlements, a number expected to double by…

MomConnect is a National Department of Health program in South Africa that uses mobile phones to deliver stage-based maternal and child health messages, and to provide help-desk services to over 1.8 million women. The program's success in reducing barriers to accessing care has driven demand for similar programs across Africa. To improve the program’s value proposition, the project will develop and test public-private partnerships that can generate revenue to cover costs, and will…

Muhumbili University is developing and testing an android mobile application for reporting incidents of violence against female commuters across different modes of public transportation in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  The objective of the app is to measure the incidence of violence against women (VAW) and test interventions that encourage reporting these incidents experienced or witnessed on public transportation. The app records women’s geo-spatial…

The "PrEP N’ Bounce" is a family planning and unsafe abortions prevention strategy through innovatively availing emergency contraception to adolescents and young mothers. This project is developing and testing a culturally appropriate over-the-counter emergency contraception (EC) delivery model to reduce unwanted pregnancy and prevent unsafe abortion in adolescent girls and young women (17-24 yrs) in…education and information on how to negotiate/avoid dangerous sexual behavior and request EC via a telephone/SMS hotline. Pharmacists enrolled in the program received automated messages when requests for over-the-counter EC are made through the platform and will use an anonymous motorcycle dispatcher to deliver EC package to a location of the beneficiary’s choosing. A tiered…

Issue Ninety-nine percent of all maternal deaths occur in resource-poor settings, with more than 30% of these deaths being attributed to postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) and blood loss. Morbidity and mortality from PPH can largely be avoided through proper prevention, diagnosis and management. However, many women in resource-scarce settings do not have access to quality, assisted delivery by…The project team aimed to develop an easy-to-use, low-cost technology to prevent blood loss, using FDA-approved substances. The technology is based on simple, self-propelling particles that travel upstream through blood flow and clot blood at the source of damaged vessels. Animal testing was coupled with a feasibility study showing that the treatment could be effectively distributed and used in low-income countries. Outcome Study results show the potential for this approach to manage PPH. In two mouse models of severe hemorrhage, self-propelling microparticles consisting of CaCO3 and an organic acid were an effective hemostatic. During hemorrhage, propulsion significantly reduced bleeding time and doubled the likelihood of halting hemorrhage. In mice with lacerated livers, propulsion significantly reduced blood loss. This knowledge was disseminated through conferences and…