DIAGNOSTICS FOR ALL INC

DFA DEVELOPS LOW-COST DIAGNOSTIC DEVICES FOR LOW-RESOURCE SETTINGS. USING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES CREATED AT DFA AND WITH PARTNER UNIVERSITIES, DFA DEVELOPS POINT-OF-CARE DIAGNOSTIC SOLUTIONS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD. INSTEAD OF FORCING HEALTHCARE AND AGRICULTURE SYSTEMS TO CHANGE IN ORDER TO USE EXISTING PRODUCTS DEVELOPED FOR VERY DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES, DFA'S PRODUCTS HAVE UTILITY INDEPENDENT OF THE CURRENT STATE OF INFRASTRUCTURE. BY USING NOVEL TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE INHERENTLY LOW-COST AND DO NOT REQUIRE ELECTRICITY, DFA IS ABLE TO DESIGN DEVICES THAT ARE UNIQUELY SUITED TO PERFORM IN DIFFICULT, DECENTRALIZED HEALTH CARE DELIVERY SETTINGS, BUT REMAIN AFFORDABLE. A FEW EXAMPLES OF THESE TESTS ARE LISTED BELOW:MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS - DFA IS DEVELOPING A MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTIC TEST FOR EBOLA AND OTHER INFECTIOUS DISEASES. THE CORE VISION OF THE EBOLA DIAGNOSTIC PROGRAM IS TO CREATE THE WORLD'S FIRST MOLECULAR ASSAY IN A DISPOSABLE LOW-COST FORMAT THAT ENTIRELY ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR INSTRUMENTATION. DFA BELIEVES THIS CAN HAVE A DEEP IMPACT ON THE EBOLA CRISIS, AS WELL AS IN OTHER AREAS OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE THAT ARE THREATENING AND WILL THREATEN POPULATIONS WORLDWIDE.LIVER FUNCTION TEST DFA IS DEVELOPING A LIVER FUNCTION TEST THAT CAN BE USED AT A REMOTE HEALTH OUTPOST WITHOUT ELECTRICITY OR OTHER AMENITIES. A FINGER-PRICK OF BLOOD AND DFA'S PAPER TEST RAPIDLY PROVIDES THE STATUS OF A PATIENT'S LIVER. THIS TEST, ALMOST TRIVIAL IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD, IS NOT AVAILABLE TO MANY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. IF A PATIENT IS ON ANTIRETROVIRAL OR TB DRUGS, AND FOR MANY OTHER REASONS, THE PATIENT'S LIVER SHOULD BE REGULARLY MONITORED.RAPID IMMUNITY ASSESSMENT DFA IS DEVELOPING A RAPID, DISPOSABLE DIAGNOSTIC TO DETERMINE WHETHER A CHILD HAS BEEN VACCINATED AGAINST MEASLES AND TETANUS. TO MINIMIZE DISCOMFORT AND PARENTAL CONCERN, THE TEST IS DESIGNED TO USE AN ORAL FLUID SAMPLE OBTAINED BY BRUSHING THE GUM LINE OF AN INFANT OR TODDLER. THIS TOOL WILL ENABLE FRONT LINE HEALTHCARE WORKERS TO ACCURATELY MONITOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF VACCINATION CAMPAIGNS, A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OVER THE CURRENT STANDARD MEASUREMENT SUBJECTIVE SURVEYS. ARMED WITH THIS DATA, HEALTH MINISTRIES WILL BE ABLE TO BETTER TARGET VACCINATION CAMPAIGNS IN ORDER TO MINIMIZE COSTS AND MAXIMIZE COVERAGE, POTENTIALLY LEADING TO DISEASE ELIMINATION.AGRICULTURE TESTS- DFA HAS RECENTLY TESTED PROTOTYPES OF DEVICES IN EAST AFRICA THAT WILL HELP DAIRY FARMERS PREDICT THE FERTILITY OF THEIR COWS, THE QUALITY OF THEIR MILK, AND THE PRESENCE OF HARMFUL CONTAMINATION IN GRAIN. OVER 60% OF THE WORLD'S POOR RELY ON LIVESTOCK AS A SIGNIFICANT FORM OF INCOME GENERATION AND SAVINGS, AND ENABLING THE FARMERS TO MAXIMIZE INCOME AND ACCESS THE FORMAL ECONOMY HAS A HUGE IMPACT ON THEIR INCOME, STABILITY, AND OVERALL HEALTH.