Technology Core - The Center for Innovation in Point-of-Care Technologies for HIV/AIDS and Emerging Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University (C-THAN)

SUMMARY – TECHNOLOGY (TECH) CORE The Technology Core of The Center for Innovation in Point-of-Care Technologies for HIV/AIDS and Emerging Infectious Diseases at Northwestern (C-THAN) will support the development of vital POC and home-based technology specifically designed for diagnosis and management of HIV/AIDS, related conditions, and emerging infectious diseases in low- and middle-income countries with emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa. We will support technology projects specifically designed for low resource settings with low or limited medical infrastructure such as restricted access to electricity, refrigeration and/or central water supply. A successful test will be: user- friendly, requiring only local training in its operation and maintenance; manufacturable at low cost with low cost consumables; rapid result; durable; and contain internal checks of device/assay performance, self-calibration, and error diagnosis. Projects supported by C-THAN will conform to high priority topics of HIV/AIDS research or address emerging or re-emerging diseases, be amenable to the conditions of low resource environments, and have high likelihood of commercialization in developing countries. A unique feature of C-THAN is our commitment to fostering local technology development in LMICs by providing specific funding opportunities for home-grown solutions via coordinated efforts to specifically incubate POC technology for HIV care in LMICs. This goal is supported by our access network of well established and emerging African biomedical engineering programs through our partners in Nigeria, Tanzania, Mali, Senegal, and South Africa. We will build a robust pipeline of POC and home-based technology by identifying diagnostic needs, recruiting projects that meet those needs, monitoring progress made in funded projects, providing services and mentorship to guide projects to maturity, and facilitating the transfer of technologies to clinical validation. The output will be a pipeline of products of high clinical impact developed from a well-balanced research portfolio originating from the C-THAN Technology Core.