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Issue Many bacterial pathogens can be controlled through pesticides. However, pesticides have significant economic and health-related costs, and pose a risk to biodiversity, biosafety and the environment. In Pakistan, particularly in Punjab, farmers have small farm holdings and bacterial diseases have been the major constraint to production. Bacterial infections can be controlled through quorum quenching …according to the density of their local population. Solution The project team developed a product named "Quenchobac" – comprising QQ bacteria, a carrier and bio stimulants – for cost-effective, ecologically safe and sustainable bacterial disease management in vegetables. The strategy involved harvesting QQ bacteria from the rhizosphere of potatoes, tomatoes and chilies, using simple culture…(47%–64% control of soft rot and wilt diseases of potatoes, tomatoes and chilies), enhances plant vigour by 31%–36%, increases yield by 15%–18% and decreases pesticide use by up to 28%. The product does not contain any synthetic antibiotics or pesticides, and so does not lead to multi-drug resistance, residual toxicity or persistence in the environment.…

…viral hepatitis B and C in Mongolia is at an epidemic level, and constitutes the main cause of Mongolia’s liver cancer mortality rate. Solution The project was designed to collect data on the prevalence of viral hepatitis infection in the Mongolian population through the most comprehensive epidemiological study of hepatitis ever conducted in the country. The project…in Mongolia and how it can be prevented. Several workshops were convened where study findings were shared with policy makers. Outcome Results suggest there is a silver-lining for chronic viral hepatitis C (HCV) in Mongolia, as there appears to be a cohort effect with a reduction in the incidence of some high-risk factors, resulting in…

Issue Inequalities between men and women are created and reinforced by gender roles, leaving women especially vulnerable to infections with HIV and other STIs, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this region, for every one HIV-positive young man who is 15–24 years old, there are three HIV-positive young women. Solution The Bold Idea for Girls (BIG) project team sought to…CEFA (Core Education & Fine Arts), Junior Achievement, Equity Bank, the Nuru Program and the Marie Stopes Tupange Project, providing $81,300 in donations. An application to scale up the project will be made to Grand Challenges Canada to implement the model at two other informal settlements in Nairobi, Mathare and Korogocho, to reach a total…

Issue Thyroid diseases are among common endocrine disorders worldwide. Despite being relatively easy to diagnose and treat, it is estimated that about 42 million people in India continue to suffer from thyroid diseases that are untreated, due to a lack of proper diagnostics. Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is an important biomarker that can be measured to determine thyroid diseases and a low-cost, point-of-care diagnostic device to measure TSH could be used for triage and be of particular use in rural India. Solution The object of the project was to develop a low-cost, semi-quantitative, triaging diagnostic platform for the detection…image-processing algorithms. In the proof of concept stage, three such algorithms were evaluated:  the gamut mapping algorithm, the colour flow algorithm and the colour cat algorithm. A support vector machine (SVM) classifier was used to quantify TSH concentration into one of three levels. Outcome The team was able to successfully demonstrate that it is possible…of the warp region, sensitivity is cut in half. More importantly, the silk fibers used for weaving the device are not porous and this lack of porosity significantly limits the number of active antibodies. The study has also developed a microfluidic platform, using proprietary technology, in conjunction with image-processing algorithms, and this microfluidics chip for…

…born every year globally, with 100,000 of these cases in India. In resource-poor settings, hearing impairment often goes undiagnosed until the child is about three years, leading to speech loss and impaired communication. Solution The project team has developed Sohum, a screening device that uses brainstem auditory evoked response (ABR) technology, which is the gold…and is non-disposable, resulting in a lower cost per test. Sohum takes less time, as it checks both ears at the same time, which makes it ideal for mass screening; it does not require trained personnel to operate. The plan is to implement screening through pediatricians, maternity homes and vaccination camps, which already have access…algorithm had a sensitivity of 98.25% and specificity of 90%. The project was selected as a Laureate by the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, and Rolex is providing support to implement the awareness cycle and clinical evaluation of the product. The Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) has provided a biotechnology ignition grant, which is providing…

…information about good health practices. Solution Implemented in India, the Mobile Vaani network is a voice-based interaction platform operated by Gram Vaani through which people can call to share messages and stories. The Mobile Vaani network (now in the states of Jharkhand, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh) reaches more than 1,000,000 users who regularly interact through the…practices in health and agriculture, and feedback on government schemes. Gram Vaani has also built a large network of community mobilizers who are instrumental in carrying out significant offline activity and follow-ups on the information discussed on the forum. Outcome Results from this project contribute to understanding the value of voice-based social media as a vehicle for health communication in remote and low-literacy populations. The network reached 102,000 people as part of the Grand Challenges Canada grant and has created community empowerment, enhanced local accountability…

Issue The global supply of clean water is under considerable pressure, due to increasing industrialization, water pollution and toxic contamination, and is a major cause of social and economic concern, particularly for vulnerable populations living in low- and middle-income countries. The United Nations has reported that two-thirds of the world will experience fresh water scarcity by 2025. In Uganda, lack of access to clean water and adequate sanitation is a significant public health challenge, as about eight million people lack safe water and 32 million are without adequate toilets. Solution The Dive H2O system is a self-powered, self-contained…