Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Dept of Medicine
Abstract
Preventable and treatable diseases cause a huge amount of illness and a huge number of deaths in Africa. Infectious diseases, like malaria, are some of the biggest killers. Not only do these diseases cause major health problems for those infected, they are also a major financial burden to individuals and communities, and they hinder economic and societal development for whole countries. The poorest and most marginalized communities are usually the worst affected, and so these diseases exacerbate inequalities associated with geography, gender and ethnicity.
Current strategies to tackle infectious diseases in the poorest settings rely on rudimentary approaches to diagnosis and treatment, such as reliance on a few clinical features (like fever, difficulty breathing or pallor) and very few simple tests to decide the treatment someone should receive. This approach is necessary because there are rarely diagnostic laboratories nearby to provide comprehensive testing, and even if there are, their services are often too expensive. Unfortunately, the simple methods of diagnosis often result in incorrect diagnosis, and provide little data from which to learn how to improve. A wrong diagnosis can mean the wrong treatment is given, resulting in prolonged illness or death, whilst at the same time encouraging overuse of some treatments like antibiotics or anti-malaria drugs, which can drive resistance to these drugs.
A revolutionary solution to this problem is to develop a new generation of digital diagnostic tests which can be used at the point-of-care in even the hardest-to-reach communities. These diagnostic tests are not only more accurate and faster than current alternatives but potentially cost saving. Digital diagnostics have the potential to transform the situation by linking the precision typical of an advanced laboratory with the portability, connectivity, analysis and support that can be provided through a modern smart phone. This means tests can be administered anywhere and anytime by a wide range of healthcare workers with minimal training.
For example, a drop of blood collected from the tip of the finger of child by a health worker in their community, could be applied to a tiny microchip powered by a mobile phone battery, and within 15-20 minutes a result could be available to make a diagnosis. The results are transmitted from the microchip to a smartphone via Bluetooth so no internet connection is required. If "Malaria" is detected, the device can notify the healthcare worker of the type of malaria and the correct treatment. The smartphone could also send the result and location data via the mobile network to a remote computer system, which could determine whether there is an unusually high level of malaria in that area and, if so, notify the national Malaria control program that extra resources are required to tackle an outbreak before it gets worse. Thus the child benefits from the right treatment, the community benefits from the intervention, and the health authorities benefit from being able to allocate the resources available to where they are most needed or will work best. The real-time data also allows international organizations to make more effective policies to tackle malaria and allocate funding.
In our proposal we are developing a network of scientists with diverse skills and expertise, joining them together with commercial companies that manufacture diagnostics, and organizations who work directly in African countries putting new disease control tools and strategies into practice. This network will plan how best to develop new digital diagnostic devices to tackle health problems in Africa. The network will test its strategies by specifically planning the development of a new digital diagnostic test device for malaria and drawing out a roadmap to its implementation.
Current strategies to tackle infectious diseases in the poorest settings rely on rudimentary approaches to diagnosis and treatment, such as reliance on a few clinical features (like fever, difficulty breathing or pallor) and very few simple tests to decide the treatment someone should receive. This approach is necessary because there are rarely diagnostic laboratories nearby to provide comprehensive testing, and even if there are, their services are often too expensive. Unfortunately, the simple methods of diagnosis often result in incorrect diagnosis, and provide little data from which to learn how to improve. A wrong diagnosis can mean the wrong treatment is given, resulting in prolonged illness or death, whilst at the same time encouraging overuse of some treatments like antibiotics or anti-malaria drugs, which can drive resistance to these drugs.
A revolutionary solution to this problem is to develop a new generation of digital diagnostic tests which can be used at the point-of-care in even the hardest-to-reach communities. These diagnostic tests are not only more accurate and faster than current alternatives but potentially cost saving. Digital diagnostics have the potential to transform the situation by linking the precision typical of an advanced laboratory with the portability, connectivity, analysis and support that can be provided through a modern smart phone. This means tests can be administered anywhere and anytime by a wide range of healthcare workers with minimal training.
For example, a drop of blood collected from the tip of the finger of child by a health worker in their community, could be applied to a tiny microchip powered by a mobile phone battery, and within 15-20 minutes a result could be available to make a diagnosis. The results are transmitted from the microchip to a smartphone via Bluetooth so no internet connection is required. If "Malaria" is detected, the device can notify the healthcare worker of the type of malaria and the correct treatment. The smartphone could also send the result and location data via the mobile network to a remote computer system, which could determine whether there is an unusually high level of malaria in that area and, if so, notify the national Malaria control program that extra resources are required to tackle an outbreak before it gets worse. Thus the child benefits from the right treatment, the community benefits from the intervention, and the health authorities benefit from being able to allocate the resources available to where they are most needed or will work best. The real-time data also allows international organizations to make more effective policies to tackle malaria and allocate funding.
In our proposal we are developing a network of scientists with diverse skills and expertise, joining them together with commercial companies that manufacture diagnostics, and organizations who work directly in African countries putting new disease control tools and strategies into practice. This network will plan how best to develop new digital diagnostic devices to tackle health problems in Africa. The network will test its strategies by specifically planning the development of a new digital diagnostic test device for malaria and drawing out a roadmap to its implementation.
Planned Impact
This network, and the subsequent research and product development that it will enable, will have a wide range of beneficiaries. Academic beneficiaries are described in the preceding section of the application, and here we focus on beneficial impacts for other groups.
In the short term, individuals and communities in Africa participating in the digital molecular diagnostics studies will derive health benefits associated with study participation, such as better care, and access to resources which might otherwise not be available. In the longer term, as digital diagnostics are implemented within healthcare systems, we expect that many individuals in Africa and in other countries will benefit from improved diagnosis and therefore correct treatment. The greatest potential benefits to health will be for those who do not currently have access to good diagnostics, particularly those in the hard-to-reach, poor and marginalized communities.
National public health authorities, departments of health, governments, and international agencies like the World Health Organization will benefit from the development of digital molecular diagnostics which will provide them with new tools to use for disease control and elimination. The target product profiles we will develop and propose will be useful starting points for them to consider how they may use these diagnostics in their activities and what impact they may have.
Implementing digital molecular diagnostics as public health tools, for detection, molecular surveillance and data-driven control of malaria (and other diseases), has potential to benefit the health of entire populations. Reductions in malaria burden consistently produce greater benefits to health than those explained solely by incident malaria cases, and by driving down malaria cases towards elimination, there is the possibility to save huge amounts of health budget which can be spent tackling other diseases. Although we seek to develop digital molecular diagnostics for Africa in the present proposal, the same principles of development and even the same diagnostic devices could be used in any malaria endemic country (and many other countries) globally.
Individuals and populations stand to benefit economically. Rapid diagnosis and treatment produces better health outcomes, less expenditure on incorrect treatments and unnecessary diagnostic tests, faster return to work for patients and carers, and more productivity. Digital diagnostics which facilitate large reductions in malaria burden globally will have a huge economic benefits to countries as a whole, by ultimately reducing the need for expenditure on malaria treatment and prevention, and increasing Gross Domestic Product, thereby alleviating poverty. Potential economic benefits also extend to diagnostics manufacturers, and to the pharmaceutical industry. If our project catalyses wider adoption of digital diagnostics there will be greater opportunities for manufacturers to profit from their production. Pharmaceutical companies may benefit from the potential of digital molecular diagnostics to enable precision treatment with new drugs tailored to patient or pathogen genotype.
Our project will have short term societal benefits in African countries and the UK by building relationships with marginalized communities, promoting gender equality, encouraging the development of junior researchers, and reinforcing the importance of equitable partnerships. By highlighting these positive examples in our outreach activities we expect to raise their profile with the public in the countries in which we work. If mobile connected digital diagnostics start to become widely adopted, they may drive improvements in mobile data networks across Africa, which will facilitate social, educational and economic growth as a result of the same infrastructure, and improve equity of access for all communities.
In the short term, individuals and communities in Africa participating in the digital molecular diagnostics studies will derive health benefits associated with study participation, such as better care, and access to resources which might otherwise not be available. In the longer term, as digital diagnostics are implemented within healthcare systems, we expect that many individuals in Africa and in other countries will benefit from improved diagnosis and therefore correct treatment. The greatest potential benefits to health will be for those who do not currently have access to good diagnostics, particularly those in the hard-to-reach, poor and marginalized communities.
National public health authorities, departments of health, governments, and international agencies like the World Health Organization will benefit from the development of digital molecular diagnostics which will provide them with new tools to use for disease control and elimination. The target product profiles we will develop and propose will be useful starting points for them to consider how they may use these diagnostics in their activities and what impact they may have.
Implementing digital molecular diagnostics as public health tools, for detection, molecular surveillance and data-driven control of malaria (and other diseases), has potential to benefit the health of entire populations. Reductions in malaria burden consistently produce greater benefits to health than those explained solely by incident malaria cases, and by driving down malaria cases towards elimination, there is the possibility to save huge amounts of health budget which can be spent tackling other diseases. Although we seek to develop digital molecular diagnostics for Africa in the present proposal, the same principles of development and even the same diagnostic devices could be used in any malaria endemic country (and many other countries) globally.
Individuals and populations stand to benefit economically. Rapid diagnosis and treatment produces better health outcomes, less expenditure on incorrect treatments and unnecessary diagnostic tests, faster return to work for patients and carers, and more productivity. Digital diagnostics which facilitate large reductions in malaria burden globally will have a huge economic benefits to countries as a whole, by ultimately reducing the need for expenditure on malaria treatment and prevention, and increasing Gross Domestic Product, thereby alleviating poverty. Potential economic benefits also extend to diagnostics manufacturers, and to the pharmaceutical industry. If our project catalyses wider adoption of digital diagnostics there will be greater opportunities for manufacturers to profit from their production. Pharmaceutical companies may benefit from the potential of digital molecular diagnostics to enable precision treatment with new drugs tailored to patient or pathogen genotype.
Our project will have short term societal benefits in African countries and the UK by building relationships with marginalized communities, promoting gender equality, encouraging the development of junior researchers, and reinforcing the importance of equitable partnerships. By highlighting these positive examples in our outreach activities we expect to raise their profile with the public in the countries in which we work. If mobile connected digital diagnostics start to become widely adopted, they may drive improvements in mobile data networks across Africa, which will facilitate social, educational and economic growth as a result of the same infrastructure, and improve equity of access for all communities.
Organisations
- Imperial College London (Lead Research Organisation, Project Partner)
- Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- Institute for Endemic Diseases IEND (Collaboration)
- National Center for Scientific and Technological Research (CNRST) (Collaboration)
- Tropical Disease Research Centre (Collaboration)
- PATH (Collaboration)
- Malaria Consortium (Collaboration)
- Mologic (Collaboration)
- University of Sheffield (Collaboration)
- Pasteur Institute Dakar (Collaboration)
- Emory University (Collaboration)
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Collaboration)
- Medical Research Council (MRC) (Collaboration)
- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI (Collaboration)
- Federal Ministry of Health (Collaboration)
- Ghana Health Service (Collaboration)
- University of Khartoum (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF GHANA (Collaboration)
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMRR) (Collaboration)
- Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (Collaboration)
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (Project Partner)
- GlaxoSmithKline (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- MinoHealth (Project Partner)
- Malaria Consortium (Project Partner)
- Institute Pasteur of Dakar (Project Partner)
- Mologic Ltd (Project Partner)
- University of Sheffield (Project Partner)
- University of Khartoum (Project Partner)
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (Project Partner)
- Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (Project Partner)
Publications
Malpartida-Cardenas K
(2023)
A dual paper-based nucleic acid extraction method from blood in under ten minutes for point-of-care diagnostics
in The Analyst
Digital Diagnostics For Africa Network
(2022)
The potential of digital molecular diagnostics for infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa.
in PLOS digital health
Title | Digital Diagnostic Infographics |
Description | We have produced 5 infographics in conjunction with a professional artist, to illustrate concepts about the need for and development of digital diagnostics |
Type Of Art | Artwork |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Impact | So far they have been used on our website and in presentations. They will be used in a publication and a policy briefing document |
URL | https://www.digitaldiagnostics4africa.org/ |
Title | Hidden Histories of Infectious Disease Research |
Description | The Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network was featured in the Communicators in Residence programme, a novel collaboration between the Institute of Infection Imperial College and Imperial's Science Communication Unit. This inaugural multimedia project explored hidden histories and voices and the role of interdisciplinarity in infection research and the Network members were filmed for a short video on the digital diagnostic technology they are developing. |
Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Impact | The video was used in various engagement activities and events, helping the wider public to understand the work of the Network, its goals and technology. |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/institute-of-infection/publications-and-outputs/communicators-in-residenc... |
Description | The main findings and achievements are summarized s follows: • We demonstrated the capacity to successfully work as a network in a fully remote fashion, addressing the logistic and intercultural challenges, exemplifying how remote working can facilitate participation and access and broaden inclusivity. • We created a safe and open space for collaboration, with clear and streamlined communication channels and methods, that facilitated understanding of and participation in projects, and activities according to member availabilities, desired goals and project requirements. This was achieved by a smart, inclusive open-minded and supportive leadership, recognized by members as fundamental in the setting up of effective collaboration mechanisms and in motivating members to constantly endeavour in the projects • We fostered capacity building by encouraging collaborations between members and partner organizations outside of or parallel to the Network project, maximizing the exploitation of the network expertise, and making it an open hub supporting members' diverse research interests and projects (including collaboration in non-African LMICs) • Fully online operation of the network has massively reduced the environmental impact of travel to meetings in Africa, but may have limited the amount of participation for some members; • Withdrawal of the second phase of UKRI DIDA funding severely jeopardized the opportunity of this successful network to achieve a larger-scale impact. However, Network members demonstrated resilience and the ability to creatively leverage other funding opportunities, being able to rapidly adapt and set out other achievable project objectives related to digital diagnostics development and implementation, recognizing the fundamental role of users, community, stakeholders and policymakers in the uptake of new diagnostics technology. • Our UKRI EPSRC funding was used to establish a productive and increasingly influential Network to develop Lacewing as a transformative solution for the huge gap between diagnostic need and provision in Africa, and the Network has recognized that success will not be determined by the quality of its research and innovation only, but also by a deep understanding of the ecosystem in which digital diagnostics aims to be evaluated and used, driven by co-development and co-design with user and stakeholders principles. • The Network has increasingly capitalized on the connections established with its members and external partners, leveraging further partnerships and collaborations with the Imperial Malaria Network, Imperial College Institute of Infection, Rotary and Rotary International, and FIND, that have broadened the reach out and impact of its message and research around the unmet needs digital diagnostics can respond to. In particular, several important training opportunities for members of the Network have been catalysed through the partnerships established, funding parallel and related projects, aimed at developing further Lacewing assays and exploring avenues for its scaling up and commercialization. |
Exploitation Route | • The Network added value is that is not only a partnership between individuals but also with organizations such as the West African Centre for Cell Biology and Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) or other important academic African institutions (the University of Khartoum, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, etc.), connecting institutions and exponentially increasing capacity building opportunities for students and researchers, including prospectively countries that were not included at the outset of the project. • Capitalizing on the knowledge generated through this Network, and the policy paper "The potential of digital diagnosis for infectious diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa", the Network organized a Workshop with policymakers to evaluate and discuss the frameworks, regulations, and what the barriers and challenges might be in using and implementing digital diagnostics, and how this might affect the health workers, laboratory staff in a completely different approach to diagnostics. |
Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Electronics Healthcare Government Democracy and Justice Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology Security and Diplomacy |
Description | 1. Societal and Economic Impact: None yet. We anticipate that it will take another 3-5 years before the impacts on policy translate into significant changes in society and economics 2. SDGs: GOAL 3 - the implementation of connected / digital diagnostics will almost certainly improve health and well-being at scale. This has not yet happened, but the conceptual advances, awareness and advocacy for digital diagnostics which has arisen from the work of our network has contributed to setting this in motion. Dependent on policies for implementation, we expect that this will produce health benefits within the next 2-3 years. GOAL 5 - we have championed gender equality in all of the activities of our network, and by ensuring equal representation of male and female participants, speakers, and authors, we believe we have contributed to addressing some of the gender inequalities present in research in our ODA partner countries. We have also advocated for digital diagnostics as a means to tackle gender inequalities related to healthcare access and carer burden, particularly to the benefit of women who often take on carer duties in African communities GOAL 10 - we have strongly advocated for digital diagnostics as a means to reduce health inequalities, and to reach marginalised groups. This has often been well received by policy makers, and is being highlighted in diagnostic plans (eg Africa CDC Connected Diagnostics Flagship). 3. Gender - see above (GOAL 5) Further narrative: The Digital Diagnostic for Africa Network initially brought together researchers around a particular pathfinder concept - the transformative potential of lab-on-chip point-of-care molecular diagnostics. However it became clear that the term "Digital Diagnostics" has many different but related interpretations. We expanded the network to embrace the breadth of this term, and this has allowed us to connect with a much wider range of interested stakeholders beyond academia, and to facilitate "match-making" between interested parties, enabling new collaborations. We established partnerships with advocacy groups such as the International Society for for Neglected Tropical Diseases, Speak Up Africa, and Malaria No More UK, which has led to expanded reach into the policy domain, bringing the message about the potential of digital diagnostics to senior policy makers (eg Government Ministers) in the UK and several African countries. The Network has attracted interest from industry, with many approaches from Diagnostics companies and discussions about ways to work together in the future. The Network also formed the foundation of the successful application for a NIHR Global Health Research Group (GHRG) - although this is listed in section on subsequent funding, that does not quite do justice to the importance that the Network played. It would have been impossible for us to get the NIHR funding without the Network already existing and the strength of collaboration and cooperation that this enabled us to demonstrate and call upon when developing the grant application. This success has contributed to promotions for our African collaborators, funding for infrastructure and capacity building, and funding for 10 African PhD students, which we believe may already be interpreted as economic benefits on a small scale. Importantly, the successful NIHR funding, allows us to sustain the wider Digital Diagnostics Network activities, and use these to support researchers outside our original network to come together and forge collaborations with Industry and NGO partners. Throughout 2023 we continued to operate the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network and capitalise on its growing influence, despite formal funding having ended. This allowed policy influence, through being invited to join Africa CDC's flagship initiative on Connected Diagnostics and through a session at the UN General Assembly Science Summit, organised in collaboration with Imperial College Global Development Hub. It also allowed us to continue connecting and expanding multilateral collaborations between researchers across the diverse spectrum of Digital Diagnostic approaches being developed for health benefit in Africa. We believe the findings from our Network are now changing policy strategy, and as these policies attract international funding, they will start to change practice and public health. |
First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Electronics,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
Impact Types | Societal Economic Policy & public services |
Description | Africa CDC Connected Diagnostics Flagship |
Geographic Reach | Africa |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
URL | https://africacdc.org/download/digital-transformation-strategy/ |
Description | Conservative Party Conference & Meeting with UK Ministry of Health |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
URL | https://www.digitaldiagnostics4africa.org/post/minister-of-science-george-freeman-meet-with-lacewing... |
Description | Letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
Description | Malaria Must Die Campaign |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
URL | https://malarianomore.org.uk/new-film-transports-audiences-future-world-without-malaria |
Description | Malaria No More UK Autumn Campaign Best Of British: How British-backed science can accelerate the end of malaria |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
Impact | Relationships with scientists, partners and speakers maintained and new ones secured = IVCC, MMV, Imperial, Jenner Institute, GSK, Sanofi, Novartis, Fever-Tree, Rentokil Initial Attendees at party conference event= approx. 70 people, including Minister Freeman and SPAD, 2 MPs, party members, sector colleagues, pharma and industry. • Number of reports disseminated= approx. 50 reports taken at CPC, and stakeholder mailout to approx. 200 contacts. Also included in MNMUK supporter newsletter. • Requests for copies of the report= Jeremy Lefroy requested 10 copies to share with his networks. • Connections made and meetings secured off the back of the activity= Christian Wakeford MP, Claire Moran FCDO, George Freeman MP and SPAD, Con Home, Science and Tech Committee, IDC. • Partners endorsing spending commitmentask= partners signing a letter to Chancellor (52 signatories from 23 different organisations and research institutes. • Supportive actions taken = James Sunderland MP letter to Chancellor, George Freeman MP cc'd into letter to Chancellor, partner letter to the Chancellor |
URL | https://malarianomore.org.uk/sites/default/files/Best%20Of%20British%20-%20How%20British-backed%20sc... |
Description | Malaria No More UK | Science Superpower: British Malaria Science - Parliamentary Briefing |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
Impact | The parliamentarian briefing will be shared by Malaria No More UK during British Science Week to provide information for debates and give Parliamentarians an update on malaria science and innovation for policy development. The briefing will be published on 13th March 2023. |
Description | DIGITAL DIAGNOSTICS FOR AFRICA NETWORK - UKRI GCRF and Newton Fund Consolidation Award |
Amount | £50,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | PSO020_WDPI |
Organisation | Imperial College London |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2022 |
End | 03/2023 |
Description | Global Health Research Group on Digital Diagnostics for African Health Systems |
Amount | £3,000,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | National Institute for Health Research |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 07/2022 |
End | 07/2026 |
Description | Policy Engagement to Accelerate Development of Digital Diagnostics for Africa |
Amount | £63,847 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/R511547/1 |
Organisation | Imperial College London |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2021 |
End | 03/2022 |
Description | Strategic Priorities Impact Fund |
Amount | £23,184 (GBP) |
Funding ID | WDPI.G28066 |
Organisation | Imperial College London |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 11/2020 |
End | 03/2021 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation |
Country | United States |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • personalized medicine and infectious disease (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • molecular and microbiology (WACCBIP, Noguchi, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology) • bioinformatics virology and parasitology (Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal, University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (MRC Unit The Gambia, University of Khartoum, Sudan) • preventive, haematology (Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania) • AI and big data analytics (MinoHealth AI Labs, Ghana) • technology infrastructure in emergencies settings (Jangala, UK) • health systems and implementation research (University of Sheffield, Malaria Consortium, University of Ghana) • health economics (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (University of Ghana), medical device regulation (National Medicine and Poisons Board, Sudan) ethics, industry and commercial development for diagnostics technology (PATH, GSK, Mologic), • policy influencers and implementers (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ghana Health Services, Directorate of Communicable diseases, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan) The partnerships also aimed to involve female experts in a variety of fields, including engagement science, health economics (Prof Tindana, University of Ghana; Dr Yeung, LSHTM; Malaria Consortium) to ensure that gender was high on the agenda throughout the many activities and phases. |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and develop further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | Emory University |
Department | Rollins School of Public Health |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • including personalized medicine and infectious disease (Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • electronic engineering (University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Burkina Faso, • preventive and community medicine for developing countries (Rollins School of Public Health, United States), • anthropology (University of Nairobi, Kenya) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (Patient Helping Fund Organization, Sudan, Ghana Health Services) |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and developing further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and the USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | Federal Ministry of Health |
Country | Sudan |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • personalized medicine and infectious disease (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • molecular and microbiology (WACCBIP, Noguchi, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology) • bioinformatics virology and parasitology (Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal, University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (MRC Unit The Gambia, University of Khartoum, Sudan) • preventive, haematology (Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania) • AI and big data analytics (MinoHealth AI Labs, Ghana) • technology infrastructure in emergencies settings (Jangala, UK) • health systems and implementation research (University of Sheffield, Malaria Consortium, University of Ghana) • health economics (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (University of Ghana), medical device regulation (National Medicine and Poisons Board, Sudan) ethics, industry and commercial development for diagnostics technology (PATH, GSK, Mologic), • policy influencers and implementers (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ghana Health Services, Directorate of Communicable diseases, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan) The partnerships also aimed to involve female experts in a variety of fields, including engagement science, health economics (Prof Tindana, University of Ghana; Dr Yeung, LSHTM; Malaria Consortium) to ensure that gender was high on the agenda throughout the many activities and phases. |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and develop further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | Ghana Health Service |
Country | Ghana |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • including personalized medicine and infectious disease (Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • electronic engineering (University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Burkina Faso, • preventive and community medicine for developing countries (Rollins School of Public Health, United States), • anthropology (University of Nairobi, Kenya) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (Patient Helping Fund Organization, Sudan, Ghana Health Services) |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and developing further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and the USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) |
Country | Global |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • personalized medicine and infectious disease (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • molecular and microbiology (WACCBIP, Noguchi, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology) • bioinformatics virology and parasitology (Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal, University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (MRC Unit The Gambia, University of Khartoum, Sudan) • preventive, haematology (Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania) • AI and big data analytics (MinoHealth AI Labs, Ghana) • technology infrastructure in emergencies settings (Jangala, UK) • health systems and implementation research (University of Sheffield, Malaria Consortium, University of Ghana) • health economics (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (University of Ghana), medical device regulation (National Medicine and Poisons Board, Sudan) ethics, industry and commercial development for diagnostics technology (PATH, GSK, Mologic), • policy influencers and implementers (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ghana Health Services, Directorate of Communicable diseases, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan) The partnerships also aimed to involve female experts in a variety of fields, including engagement science, health economics (Prof Tindana, University of Ghana; Dr Yeung, LSHTM; Malaria Consortium) to ensure that gender was high on the agenda throughout the many activities and phases. |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and develop further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | Institute for Endemic Diseases IEND |
Country | Sudan |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • including personalized medicine and infectious disease (Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • electronic engineering (University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Burkina Faso, • preventive and community medicine for developing countries (Rollins School of Public Health, United States), • anthropology (University of Nairobi, Kenya) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (Patient Helping Fund Organization, Sudan, Ghana Health Services) |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and developing further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and the USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | Malaria Consortium |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • personalized medicine and infectious disease (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • molecular and microbiology (WACCBIP, Noguchi, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology) • bioinformatics virology and parasitology (Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal, University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (MRC Unit The Gambia, University of Khartoum, Sudan) • preventive, haematology (Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania) • AI and big data analytics (MinoHealth AI Labs, Ghana) • technology infrastructure in emergencies settings (Jangala, UK) • health systems and implementation research (University of Sheffield, Malaria Consortium, University of Ghana) • health economics (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (University of Ghana), medical device regulation (National Medicine and Poisons Board, Sudan) ethics, industry and commercial development for diagnostics technology (PATH, GSK, Mologic), • policy influencers and implementers (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ghana Health Services, Directorate of Communicable diseases, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan) The partnerships also aimed to involve female experts in a variety of fields, including engagement science, health economics (Prof Tindana, University of Ghana; Dr Yeung, LSHTM; Malaria Consortium) to ensure that gender was high on the agenda throughout the many activities and phases. |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and develop further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology |
Country | Kenya |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • personalized medicine and infectious disease (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • molecular and microbiology (WACCBIP, Noguchi, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology) • bioinformatics virology and parasitology (Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal, University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (MRC Unit The Gambia, University of Khartoum, Sudan) • preventive, haematology (Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania) • AI and big data analytics (MinoHealth AI Labs, Ghana) • technology infrastructure in emergencies settings (Jangala, UK) • health systems and implementation research (University of Sheffield, Malaria Consortium, University of Ghana) • health economics (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (University of Ghana), medical device regulation (National Medicine and Poisons Board, Sudan) ethics, industry and commercial development for diagnostics technology (PATH, GSK, Mologic), • policy influencers and implementers (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ghana Health Services, Directorate of Communicable diseases, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan) The partnerships also aimed to involve female experts in a variety of fields, including engagement science, health economics (Prof Tindana, University of Ghana; Dr Yeung, LSHTM; Malaria Consortium) to ensure that gender was high on the agenda throughout the many activities and phases. |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and develop further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | Mologic |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • personalized medicine and infectious disease (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • molecular and microbiology (WACCBIP, Noguchi, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology) • bioinformatics virology and parasitology (Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal, University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (MRC Unit The Gambia, University of Khartoum, Sudan) • preventive, haematology (Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania) • AI and big data analytics (MinoHealth AI Labs, Ghana) • technology infrastructure in emergencies settings (Jangala, UK) • health systems and implementation research (University of Sheffield, Malaria Consortium, University of Ghana) • health economics (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (University of Ghana), medical device regulation (National Medicine and Poisons Board, Sudan) ethics, industry and commercial development for diagnostics technology (PATH, GSK, Mologic), • policy influencers and implementers (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ghana Health Services, Directorate of Communicable diseases, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan) The partnerships also aimed to involve female experts in a variety of fields, including engagement science, health economics (Prof Tindana, University of Ghana; Dr Yeung, LSHTM; Malaria Consortium) to ensure that gender was high on the agenda throughout the many activities and phases. |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and develop further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences |
Country | Tanzania, United Republic of |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • personalized medicine and infectious disease (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • molecular and microbiology (WACCBIP, Noguchi, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology) • bioinformatics virology and parasitology (Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal, University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (MRC Unit The Gambia, University of Khartoum, Sudan) • preventive, haematology (Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania) • AI and big data analytics (MinoHealth AI Labs, Ghana) • technology infrastructure in emergencies settings (Jangala, UK) • health systems and implementation research (University of Sheffield, Malaria Consortium, University of Ghana) • health economics (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (University of Ghana), medical device regulation (National Medicine and Poisons Board, Sudan) ethics, industry and commercial development for diagnostics technology (PATH, GSK, Mologic), • policy influencers and implementers (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ghana Health Services, Directorate of Communicable diseases, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan) The partnerships also aimed to involve female experts in a variety of fields, including engagement science, health economics (Prof Tindana, University of Ghana; Dr Yeung, LSHTM; Malaria Consortium) to ensure that gender was high on the agenda throughout the many activities and phases. |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and develop further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | National Center for Scientific and Technological Research (CNRST) |
Department | Institute of Research in Health Sciences |
Country | Burkina Faso |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • including personalized medicine and infectious disease (Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • electronic engineering (University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Burkina Faso, • preventive and community medicine for developing countries (Rollins School of Public Health, United States), • anthropology (University of Nairobi, Kenya) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (Patient Helping Fund Organization, Sudan, Ghana Health Services) |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and developing further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and the USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMRR) |
Country | Ghana |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • personalized medicine and infectious disease (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • molecular and microbiology (WACCBIP, Noguchi, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology) • bioinformatics virology and parasitology (Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal, University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (MRC Unit The Gambia, University of Khartoum, Sudan) • preventive, haematology (Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania) • AI and big data analytics (MinoHealth AI Labs, Ghana) • technology infrastructure in emergencies settings (Jangala, UK) • health systems and implementation research (University of Sheffield, Malaria Consortium, University of Ghana) • health economics (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (University of Ghana), medical device regulation (National Medicine and Poisons Board, Sudan) ethics, industry and commercial development for diagnostics technology (PATH, GSK, Mologic), • policy influencers and implementers (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ghana Health Services, Directorate of Communicable diseases, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan) The partnerships also aimed to involve female experts in a variety of fields, including engagement science, health economics (Prof Tindana, University of Ghana; Dr Yeung, LSHTM; Malaria Consortium) to ensure that gender was high on the agenda throughout the many activities and phases. |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and develop further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | PATH |
Country | Global |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • personalized medicine and infectious disease (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • molecular and microbiology (WACCBIP, Noguchi, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology) • bioinformatics virology and parasitology (Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal, University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (MRC Unit The Gambia, University of Khartoum, Sudan) • preventive, haematology (Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania) • AI and big data analytics (MinoHealth AI Labs, Ghana) • technology infrastructure in emergencies settings (Jangala, UK) • health systems and implementation research (University of Sheffield, Malaria Consortium, University of Ghana) • health economics (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (University of Ghana), medical device regulation (National Medicine and Poisons Board, Sudan) ethics, industry and commercial development for diagnostics technology (PATH, GSK, Mologic), • policy influencers and implementers (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ghana Health Services, Directorate of Communicable diseases, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan) The partnerships also aimed to involve female experts in a variety of fields, including engagement science, health economics (Prof Tindana, University of Ghana; Dr Yeung, LSHTM; Malaria Consortium) to ensure that gender was high on the agenda throughout the many activities and phases. |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and develop further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | Pasteur Institute Dakar |
Country | Senegal |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • personalized medicine and infectious disease (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • molecular and microbiology (WACCBIP, Noguchi, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology) • bioinformatics virology and parasitology (Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal, University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (MRC Unit The Gambia, University of Khartoum, Sudan) • preventive, haematology (Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania) • AI and big data analytics (MinoHealth AI Labs, Ghana) • technology infrastructure in emergencies settings (Jangala, UK) • health systems and implementation research (University of Sheffield, Malaria Consortium, University of Ghana) • health economics (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (University of Ghana), medical device regulation (National Medicine and Poisons Board, Sudan) ethics, industry and commercial development for diagnostics technology (PATH, GSK, Mologic), • policy influencers and implementers (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ghana Health Services, Directorate of Communicable diseases, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan) The partnerships also aimed to involve female experts in a variety of fields, including engagement science, health economics (Prof Tindana, University of Ghana; Dr Yeung, LSHTM; Malaria Consortium) to ensure that gender was high on the agenda throughout the many activities and phases. |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and develop further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | Tropical Disease Research Centre |
Country | Zambia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • including personalized medicine and infectious disease (Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • electronic engineering (University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Burkina Faso, • preventive and community medicine for developing countries (Rollins School of Public Health, United States), • anthropology (University of Nairobi, Kenya) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (Patient Helping Fund Organization, Sudan, Ghana Health Services) |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and developing further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and the USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | University of Khartoum |
Country | Sudan |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • personalized medicine and infectious disease (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • molecular and microbiology (WACCBIP, Noguchi, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology) • bioinformatics virology and parasitology (Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal, University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (MRC Unit The Gambia, University of Khartoum, Sudan) • preventive, haematology (Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania) • AI and big data analytics (MinoHealth AI Labs, Ghana) • technology infrastructure in emergencies settings (Jangala, UK) • health systems and implementation research (University of Sheffield, Malaria Consortium, University of Ghana) • health economics (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (University of Ghana), medical device regulation (National Medicine and Poisons Board, Sudan) ethics, industry and commercial development for diagnostics technology (PATH, GSK, Mologic), • policy influencers and implementers (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ghana Health Services, Directorate of Communicable diseases, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan) The partnerships also aimed to involve female experts in a variety of fields, including engagement science, health economics (Prof Tindana, University of Ghana; Dr Yeung, LSHTM; Malaria Consortium) to ensure that gender was high on the agenda throughout the many activities and phases. |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and develop further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | University of Nairobi |
Country | Kenya |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • including personalized medicine and infectious disease (Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • electronic engineering (University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Burkina Faso, • preventive and community medicine for developing countries (Rollins School of Public Health, United States), • anthropology (University of Nairobi, Kenya) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (Patient Helping Fund Organization, Sudan, Ghana Health Services) |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and developing further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and the USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network's Partnerships |
Organisation | University of Sheffield |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou), and natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. This collaboration led to the establishment of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, with members from Imperial College London providing the expertise in: • personalized medicine and infectious disease • molecular and microbiology • bioinformatics • virology and parasitology • malaria epidemiology and control • mathematical modelling • technology and human centred design |
Collaborator Contribution | All the experts engaged as members of the Network throughout the funding period have brought the interdisciplinary and specific expertise needed to develop new diagnostics and respond to the challenges of their technology development and widespread implementation, addressing key processes such as diagnostics co-design and co-development with users and stakeholders, clinical behaviours and regulatory approvals in resourced-limited settings. The expertise provided by these organizations and affiliated researchers in the Network encompassed the whole project including: • personalized medicine and infectious disease (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Institute of Endemic Diseases, Sudan) • molecular and microbiology (WACCBIP, Noguchi, and Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology) • bioinformatics virology and parasitology (Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal, University of Ghana) • malaria epidemiology and control (MRC Unit The Gambia, University of Khartoum, Sudan) • preventive, haematology (Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania) • AI and big data analytics (MinoHealth AI Labs, Ghana) • technology infrastructure in emergencies settings (Jangala, UK) • health systems and implementation research (University of Sheffield, Malaria Consortium, University of Ghana) • health economics (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) • patient and public involvement and engagement, and ethics (University of Ghana), medical device regulation (National Medicine and Poisons Board, Sudan) ethics, industry and commercial development for diagnostics technology (PATH, GSK, Mologic), • policy influencers and implementers (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ghana Health Services, Directorate of Communicable diseases, Federal Ministry of Health, Sudan) The partnerships also aimed to involve female experts in a variety of fields, including engagement science, health economics (Prof Tindana, University of Ghana; Dr Yeung, LSHTM; Malaria Consortium) to ensure that gender was high on the agenda throughout the many activities and phases. |
Impact | Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Network focused on promoting digital diagnostics and develop further the technology, comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. Partners met over 30 Network meetings (online) • Establishment of partnerships and collaborations with external partners aimed at disseminating research on digital diagnostics, at influencing stakeholders and the wider public, and at building a conducive environment for the effective uptake of digital diagnostics in Africa (partnerships with Malaria No More UK, ISNTD) • Assessed and evaluated potential commercial partners' appetite and routes to implementation in Africa • Leveraged further funding (EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award 2021, Strategic Priorities Fund Award 2020/21) • Participated to international African conference (WACCBIP Research Conference) • Written white paper titled "The transformative potential of digital diagnostics for infectious disease in Sub-Saharan Africa" and sent for review to PLOS Digital Health. • Created a digital communication strategy for promoting digital diagnostics and scaling up the reach out to the targeted stakeholders and African Communities • Outlined strategy, methodology, drafted invitation letters and agreed list of 40 policymakers to invite to a workshop for discussing the appetite for digital diagnostics and the unmet needs the technology can respond to in different scenarios within different African settings, and for exploring interest for longer-term collaboration. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Partnership with MRC Unit The Gambia (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Department | MRC Unit, The Gambia |
Country | Gambia |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou, and the natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. The partnership with MRC Unit the Gambia was included as part of the original UKRI GCRF application and aimed at developing digital diagnostics to reduce the burden of malaria in The Gambia where malaria is endemic. |
Collaborator Contribution | The Gambia is an ODA listed malaria-endemic country and MRC Unit The Gambia at LSHTM represents a unique concentration of scientific expertise and high-quality research platforms in the West African region, well suited to act as the Network's point of contact for liaising with the Gambian National Malaria Control Program and other stakeholders and diagnostics users in The Gambia. MRC Unit The Gambia Director, Professor Umberto D'Alessandro joined this UKRI-funded partnership as Network's Lead as part of the original application, bringing fundamental expertise in research management and strategy and in malaria epidemiology. MRC Unit The Gambia has also a strong track record of gender equality within its academic leadership, promoting a strong positive message amongst our other partners. |
Impact | The main outcomes following the establishment of this multi-disciplinary partnership with MRC Unit the Gambia are listed as follows: • Established a Network comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. • Developed and increased collaboration capacity within a close network partnership, enabling members to contribute actively, collaboratively, and regularly at operative, strategical and scientific level, on various topics related to the need, evaluation, use and implementation of digital diagnostics technology in Africa. • Developed solid relationships and capacity to work and collaborate at fast pace from remote, delivering and achieving results within deadlines. • Demonstrated sound capacity to set up quickly and efficient complex research project plans, budgeting training programmes, and other research projects within various sites in Africa (NIHR Global Health Research Group application) and to get further funding leveraging the established connections and collaborations between internal and external partners (Imperial College Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF) 2020/2021 and ESPSRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) Awards) • Increased reach of the Network message around digital diagnostics, including meeting with the UK Minister of Health, strengthened the policy-making activities pulling together organisations that make up the backbone of field work, fostered the dialogue around digital diagnostics R&D, driving lasting interconnection between organisations and disciplines. • Developed a framework for the adoption and implementation of digital diagnostics in Sub-Saharan Africa, showing the need and potential of interdisciplinary and international expertise, highlighting the fundamental role of community and stakeholders in the process of assessing challenges and barriers of the health systems, and in the uptake of new health interventions or diagnostics technology. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Partnership with the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) |
Organisation | University of Ghana |
Department | West Africa Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens |
Country | Ghana |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | In 2017, Imperial College London established a cross-faculty collaboration between the fields of medicine (Dr Aubrey Cunnington, Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano), engineering (Professor Pantelis Georgiou, and the natural sciences (Professor Jake Baum) to develop novel digital diagnostic technologies for infectious diseases. The resultant technology was a lab-on-a-chip platform called Lacewing, able to bring the sensitivity of molecular diagnostics usually found in a well-resourced laboratory to the point-of-care, in a portable format with real-time connectivity. The partnership with the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP) was included as part of the original UKRI GCRF application, following other previous collaborations set up by this cross-faculty group at Imperial College London with WACCBIP for the development Lacewing. The partnership with WACBBIP, which has become a flagship Centre of Excellence in pathogen research within West Africa, aimed at developing digital diagnostics to reduce the burden of malaria in Africa and building a conducive environment for its implementation in this malaria-endemic country. |
Collaborator Contribution | WACCBIP is a major training hub for African young scientists and a leading centre of excellence building global partnerships with world-class research institutions and funding organisations. Professor Gordon Awandare, a prominent parasitologist and Director of WACCBIP, is one of the nominated Leads of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network funded by this UKRI grant, bringing fundamental expertise in research management and in the development of the Lacewing platform. Other scientists from the WACCBIP and from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) joined the partnership as members of the Network, bringing relevant and needed expertise in cell and molecular biology. The partnership with WACCBIP connects institutions and exponentially increases capacity building opportunities for students and researchers, including prospective countries that were not included at the outset of the project. WACCBIP has also a strong track record of gender equality within its academic leadership, promoting a strong positive message amongst our other partners. |
Impact | The multi-disciplinary partnership with WACCBIP led to the following outcomes: • Established a Network comprising of 75 members from 26 partners organizations from the UK, Africa (Ghana, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia, and Uganda), and USA. • Developed and increased collaboration capacity within a close network partnership, enabling members to contribute actively, collaboratively, and regularly at operative, strategical and scientific level, on various topics related to the need, evaluation, use and implementation of digital diagnostics technology in Africa. • Developed solid relationships and capacity to work and collaborate at fast pace from remote, delivering and achieving results within deadlines. • Demonstrated sound capacity to set up quickly and efficient complex research project plans, budgeting training programmes, and other research projects within various sites in Africa (NIHR Global Health Research Group application) and to get further funding leveraging the established connections and collaborations between internal and external partners (Imperial College Strategic Priorities Fund (SPF) 2020/2021 and ESPSRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) Awards) • Increased reach of the Network message around digital diagnostics, including meeting with the UK Minister of Health, strengthened the policy-making activities pulling together organisations that make up the backbone of fieldwork, fostered the dialogue around digital diagnostics R&D, driving lasting interconnection between organisations and disciplines. • Developed a framework for the adoption and implementation of digital diagnostics in Sub-Saharan Africa, showing the need and potential of interdisciplinary and international expertise, highlighting the fundamental role of community and stakeholders in the process of assessing challenges and barriers of the health systems, and in the uptake of new health interventions or diagnostics technology. |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | Best Of British: How British-backed science can accelerate the end of malaria Report |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | As part of Malaria No More UK's Autumn 2021 Campaign push, the Network was featured in a national report called "Best Of British: How British-backed science can accelerate the end of malaria' and launched in September 2021. The report, aimed at highlighting the importance of UK funding for malaria and showcasing the contribution of British science and innovation to the fight against this deadly disease, indicated the digital diagnostics technology promoted and developed by the Network as one of the most promising approaches to tackle malaria and improve its diagnosis in endemic areas. This increased the reach of the Network message around digital diagnostics, including: • meeting with the UK Minister of Health at Conservative Party Conference • strengthening the policy-making activities around digital diagnostics |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.digitaldiagnostics4africa.org/post/science-and-medicine-viewed-as-britain-s-most-valuabl... |
Description | Conceptualization Workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | The Network Lead, Dr Aubrey Cunnington, organized at the outset of the Network's UKRI funded project a conceptualization workshop aimed at developing a joint vision for the use of digital diagnostics in Africa. Participants were invited first to do an appraisal exercise of the Network, using the Strenght, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) method and the Annotate Tool in Zoom, encouraging creativity in the contributions. Participants were divided then into smaller groups to identify and outline digital diagnostics users' perspectives and scenarios. The Digital Diagnostics Use Scenarios breakout rooms proposed were: • ROOM 1 - Mother of a febrile child in a spoor rural community with a village health worker • ROOM 2 - Experienced Clinical Officer working at a busy peri-urban • ROOM 3 - National malaria control program director, working with a tight budget Each group identified a rapporteur to prepare and present to the Network (in a maximum of 3 minutes) a 1 slide summary of the discussion undertaken. As the last exercise, members were invited to join Work Packages groups in different breakout rooms to discuss the following fundamental aspects for the use and implementation of digital diagnostics: 1. Technical Development (molecular targets, sensors, microfluidics) 2. Applications, Market Opportunity, and Commercialization 3. Co-development with users, patients, and public 4. Data Usage / Security / Ethics 5. Evaluation of Diagnostic Performance on Clinical Samples 6. Health Systems Integration and economic evaluation The exercise's main outcomes were: • formed the necessary Work Packages • nominated WP Leads to start the collaboration and actively worked on the Network's objectives (such as describing a white paper framework for use and implementation of digital diagnostics in Africa). The Conceptualization Workshop was deemed a very successful exercise by the members, setting the model for the collaboration ahead, which carried on completely from remote until the end of the funding period (October 2021). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Conservative Party Conference & Meeting with UK Ministry of Health |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | As part of their wider UK campaign push in Autumn 2021, Malaria No More UK organised an in-person event at Conservative Party Conference in partnership with Conservative Home, to showcase the vital role of British science in the fight against malaria and highlight the importance of continued UK government funding ahead of the spending review in the Autumn. The event took place at the beginning of October in the Conservative Home Tent, inside the Secure Zone at the Conference in Manchester, and started with a keynote speech from the PM and cabinet minister, followed by a drink reception. A group of Network's members from Imperial College London, including Network's Lead (Dr Aubrey Cunnington), joined a delegation of selected innovators showcasing British funded innovations for malaria (all featured in the MNMUK national report "Best Of British: How British-backed Science Can Accelerate The End Of Malaria) and met with Ministry of Health, George Freeman, to discuss the potential and applications on smart portable digital diagnostics for the diagnosis and surveillance of malaria, particularly in Africa settings. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.digitaldiagnostics4africa.org/post/minister-of-science-george-freeman-meet-with-lacewing... |
Description | DIDA Network Meeting 2023 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Online symposium focused on engaging with researchers working in the "digital diagnostic" ecosystem in Africa, primarily connecting and networking with each other. ~50 attendees, many of whom made further connections and collaborations after the event Participant countries, organisations and sectors International - Africa CDC - Policy maker - 1 presenter Sudan - University of Khartoum - Academic - 3 participants Kenya - Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology - Academic - 2 participants Ghana - Ghana Health Service - Health Sector - 1 participant UK - Imperial College London - Academic - 1 presenter, 10 participants UK - Natural History Museum - Academic - 1 presenter Zambia - Tropical Diseases Research Centre - Research Organization - 2 participants UK - Malaria Consortium - NGO - 3 participants Ghana - MinoHealth AI - Commercial sector - 1 presenter, 1 participant International - FIND - NGO - 1 presenter Gambia - MRC Unit The Gambia (LSHTM) - Academic - 3 participants Ghana - University of Ghana - Academic - 5 participants Zimbabwe - Neotree - Charity - 1 participant UK - University of Glasgow - Academic - 1 presenter Burkina Faso - Institut de la Recherche en Science de la Santé - Research Organization - 1 presenter, 2 participants UAE - Ajman University - Academic - 1 participant UK - Canterbury Christ Church University - Academic - 1 participant UK - London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - Academic - 1 participant The Netherlands - The Hague University of Applied Sciences - Academic - 1 participant Senegal - SpeakUpAfrica - Advocacy - 1 participant UK - International Society of Neglected Tropical Diseases - Advocacy - 1 participant Sudan - Institute of Endemic Diseases - Research Organization - 1 participant UK - Jangala - NGO - 1 presenter, 1 participant Australia - University of New South Wales - Academic - 1 participant |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Digital Diagnostics for Africa Website |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Digital Diagnostics for Africa public facing website launched in February 2021 to explain the activities of the Network |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.digitaldiagnostics4africa.org/ |
Description | Drinks Reception to Celebrate the Global Fund |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) The event was organized by Malaria No More UK to celebrate the Global Fund 20 years foundation anniversary, which was co-funded by the U.K, ahead of the 7th Replenishment of the Global Fund, hosted in the United States by President Biden. Since then, with consistent U.K. support, the Global Fund has saved over 44 million lives, and the number of deaths from the three diseases has been halved in the countries where the Global Fund invests. This Replenishment represented a critical moment for world leaders and a call to act decisively to urgently get progress back on track and accelerate action to end the preventable epidemics of HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 2030. The Reception aimed at supporting an ambitious commitment from the U.K. government, vital to ensuring the Global Fund is able to carry out life-saving work over the next three years. The event was a celebration of everything the Global Fund has achieved to date, and a call to action for U.K. parliamentarians and government Ministers to support a strong U.K. pledge ahead of the Replenishment in the autumn. Speakers included the Executive Director of the Global Fund, Peter Sands, and Vice President, Global Health Strategy and Operations at GSK, Fiona Smith-Laittan. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://twitter.com/CFIDinfo/status/1534286088860225536 |
Description | Engagement with APPG for Malaria and NTDs & APPG for TB |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | In December 2021 the Network was invited by Malaria No More UK to join the Global Health R&D Roundtable organized by APPG for Malaria and NTDs and APPG for TB. The group discussed the UK government Product Development Partnerships (PDPs), the reductions to the ODA budget, and made a case for investing in developing better diagnostics and surveillance systems. This started an increasingly fruitful collaboration with Malaria No More UK. The APPG event peaked at 100 attendees, featuring the following stakeholders on the night: Charlie Webster • -Catherine West • -Andrew Mitchell • -Stephen Doughty • -Bridget Wachira • -Ingrid Etoke • -Ross Plummer • -Peter Bottomley • -Bob Blackman • -Pauline Latham • -Lord Selkirk |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://appgmalariantds.org.uk/ |
Description | Engagement with Commercial Partners |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | The Network met with representatives of Baraka Finance Impact and VillageReach in 2021, to explore possible collaborations and routes to the implementation of digital diagnostics in Africa. Baraka Impact Finance is a Swiss-based company developing an investment platform focused on global health innovations. Villagereach is an organization based in Seattle and helps governments healthcare system backend, in particular transportation and data systems supporting the delivery of healthcare services. The organization is also involved in medical records and immunization side, and diagnostics. The Network also met with a representative of GlaxoSmithKline and a member of the Network to understand the availability of GSK to collaborate on finding commercial routes and implementing digital diagnostics in Africa. The group discussed with Baraka Finance possible external investments for Lacewing and further meetings were held between the company and the Imperial College London spinoff company commercially developing the Lacewing project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.barakaimpact.com/ |
Description | ISNTD |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases d3 Meeting: Nine presentations from Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network members demonstrating diagnostic gaps, the need for digital diagnostics, and the potential for digital diagnostics for individual health and health systems. Also participated in panel discussions. Comment from moderator: "The future is...what Aubrey Cunnington just presented". Extensive social media interest. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.isntd.org/isntd-d3 |
Description | ISNTD Connect Series on Digital Diagnostics |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The ISNTD Connect on Digital Diagnostics is a series of events the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network held in partnership with the International Society for Neglected Tropical Disease and focused on the various aspects and feature of digital diagnostics technology and their innovation journey, from early development to implementation. Main outcomes of this activity were two events held in July 2021: • 1st ISNTD Connect event on Digital Diagnostics: Digital Diagnostics technology to transform healthcare delivery in Africa (July 2021). Speakers of the events: Dr Francis Krampa (University of Ghana) and Dr Nicolas Moser (Centre of Bio-Inspired Technology at Imperial College). Members outlined the huge gaps in access to gold-standard laboratory diagnostics across Africa and how technology can provide a transformative solution to this. • 2nd ISNTD Connect event on Digital Diagnostics: Developing New Diagnostics for Neglected Tropical Diseases with Community and Key Stakeholders. Speakers from partners organization Malaria Consortium (Dr Kevin Baker and Ms Laura Donovan) and from the University of Nairobi (Professor Salome Bukachi) presented research findings from the field in Africa. The ISNTD Connect events led to: • A strengthened and improved Network's communication and reach out capacity (118 Twitter followers at the end of the UKRI reporting period) • Two further Connect events organised (in November 2021 and in February 2022) • Network invited to join the ISNTD Bites Vector control & vector-borne diseases (a PhD student, Kenny Malpartida Cardenas presented her research "Molecular diagnostics for infectious diseases using microchip technology • The Network was contacted by Baraka Finance Impact, a Swiss company developing an investment platforms dedicated to investement for global health and interested in the digital diagnostics technology the Network promotes. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.digitaldiagnostics4africa.org/post/first-isntd-connect-on-digital-diagnostics-watch-the-... |
Description | Malaria Must Die Campaign Clip with David Beckham |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Malaria No More UK, a highly influential advocacy group, launched in December 2020 a clip featuring David Beckham aged announcing the end of malaria. The Network was invited to the launch, and Network's Lead, Dr Aubrey Cunnington and Professor Jake Baum attended the event. The global media coverage saw over 400 pieces of coverage related to the event. Major outlets in the UK included BBC News, The Sun and Daily Mail. Other regions also saw mainstream coverage including the African region and Americas, from CNN and BBC Swahili to the Miami Herald and Hollywood Reporter, and in Europe. There were high reach numbers for the target audience's key platforms Facebook and Instagram, with over 500 million potential reach calculated for each. 91 countries around the world discussed the campaign on social media and 2.5 million individuals actively engaged with David Beckham's posts a 10% engagement rate. In total, the following outcomes can be counted: • 1.2 Billion+ potential digital reach • 2.5 million engaged with David Beckham posts: 10% (with Beckham's family reach around 922 million) • 538 million potential reach on Facebook Partner supports included: • Novartis • Unicef • Gates foundation • Global citizen • The global fund • General of WHO The campaign was also supported across the UK Parliamentary parties. Politicians also engaged with the campaign on social media by retweeting, showing engagement with the message to keep up efforts to fight malaria from the UK. As a result of the push, Lord Roberts of Llandudno also tabled a written question to the House of Lords on the UK's £500 million investment in malaria. Labour's shadow international development team organised an urgent questions session in the House of Lords. FCDO minister Lord Ahmad was quizzed on funding for the malaria vaccine as well as wider bilateral and multilateral funding. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://malariamustdie.com/news/david-beckham-launches-worlds-first-voice-petition-end-malaria |
Description | Malaria No More UK | Conservative Party Conference 2022 & Report |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | CONSERVATIVE PARTY CONFERENCE The initiative was organized by Malaria No More UK and featured innovators and scientists from the UK who attended the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham to showcase their innovation to eliminate malaria. The event took place at a key moment shortly after a new PM has been elected, representing a great opportunity for innovators to promote new technologies and a positive vision of the role that the new Cabinet can play in the fight against malaria on the other side. The event was also the occasion to launch a new Report focused on the importance of British leadership in the fight against malaria and focus in particular on the women behind the malaria fight - from scientists to community health workers to advocates. Dr Kenny Malpartida-Cardenas, a member of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, attended the event and discussed with the Minister for Africa the potential of portable molecular digital diagnostics for Africa. https://twitter.com/DiDi4Africa/status/1577225438371663872 REPORT: BRITAIN AT ITS BEST: DELIVERING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS THROUGH MALARIA ERADICATION Dr Kenny Malpartida Cardenas is an EPSRC Doctoral Prize Fellow in the Department of Infectious Disease at Imperial College, London and her research is focused on the development of novel molecular methods to improve the rapid diagnosis of infectious diseases by using digital platforms. Dr Malpartida Cardenas was featured in the Report by Malaria No More UK as a female scientist who works on digital diagnostics, covering the contribution she has made to this area, why digital diagnostics are needed to tackle malaria and other infectious diseases, and what inspires her everuday to do her job. Both initiatives strengthened the relationship with Malaria No More UK, and enabled the Network to spread the message of the transformative potential of advanced portable molecular diagnostics for African healthcare settings. The two projects also provided an opportunity for the Network to promote gender equality and champion inclusivity in Science and Research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://malarianomore.org.uk/sites/default/files/BritainAtItsBest_Report_ONLINE.pdf |
Description | Meeting with representatives from The Gambia Ministry of Health |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | In July 2021, the Network Lead, Dr Aubrey Cunnington, with Dr Julie Balen, an expert in global health and Network's policy consultant, met with the Director of Health Services and other representatives from the Ministry of Health in The Gambia and discussed the potential of digital diagnostics technology developed at Imperial College London and the appetite for digital diagnostics in The Gambia. The group agreed about the opportunity of a workshop to deepen the details of using the technology in different African contexts. The meeting highlighted the need of engaging directly with African policymakers and build a dialogue to discuss potential implementation routes and influenced the outlined strategy and methodology which was then designed to engage with policymakers. In particular, based on the initial conversation held with The Gambia Ministry of Health's representatives, the Network drafted invitation letters and agreed on a list of 40 African policymakers to invite to a workshop, which was then held in January 2022. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
Description | Rotary District 1200 Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Dr Aubrey Cunnington attended as a speaker the Rotary District 1200 Conference in Plymouth in October 2021, which was attended by 300 participants. The talk was focused on how digital diagnostics work and can transform healthcare in Africa, by bringing the accuracy of standards laboratories methods to the point-of-care in a portable, easy to use and cheap format. The talk also led to networking opportunities with innovators developing a digital training programme on caring for the sick child commissioned by the WHO for community health workers in Africa and other Rotary Club epresentatives. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.hungryplanet.com/sitemap/ |
Description | UNGA Science Summit |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | We organised a session on Transformative Digital Diagnostic Technologies at the UN General Assembly Science Summit 2023, which reached a wide audience of over 500 participants from diverse backgrounds through the Science Summit platform, highlights documents, and a YouTube video. We believe this session has contributed to increased commitment from policy makers to diagnostic policies and particularly "connected diagnostics". We do not have a comprehensive list of participants, but by the nature of the assembly, this included policy makers, researchers, media, public, and third sector participants from many ODA eligible countries in addition to those based in other UN member countries. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/247798/un-science-summit-heralds-coming-revolution/ |
Description | WACCBIP Conference: Building Sustainable Research Capacity in Africa: Lessons from the Pandemic |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
Results and Impact | The West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens annually three-day conference was held in 2021 from July 21-23, under the theme "Building Sustainable Research Capacity in Africa: Lessons from the Pandemic". The Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network was invited to the conference and Ivana Pennisi, a PhD student, PhD student from the Centre of Bio-Inspired Technology at Imperial College London, was invited as (online) speaker to present her research "Detection of a 2-host response gene expression signatures discriminating bacterial from a viral infection on a microchip technology at the point-of-care". The Network's participation at the event strengthened the relationship with WACCBIP and: • increased the outreach and social media engagement with the University of Ghana research community and with researchers from other African countries • contributed to disseminate the vision, shared with our African partner (WACCBIP), that digital diagnostics can transform healthcare in Africa |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://twitter.com/DiDi4Africa/status/1418279714070925323 |
Description | WACCBIP Research Conference | Building Forward: Elevating African Research Innovation and Output |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | The West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), a key partner of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, held the sixth in the series of its annual WACCBIP Research Conference (WRC) from July 20-22, 2022. The theme for this year's WACCBIP Research Conference was "Building Forward: Elevating African Research Innovation and Output." Dr Kenny Malpartida Cardenas, a member of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, joined the conference as speaker, presenting her work "Development of species-specific LAMP assays for point-of-care detection of human-infective Plasmodium species". Professor Muzamil Mahdi, Director of the Insitute of Endemic Disease and member of the Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network, presented an abstract XXX The participation to the WACCBIP conference strengthened the collaboration with the partner and provided an opportunity for disseminating further the progress made with the diagnostics technology the Network is dedicated to. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://twitter.com/UnivofGh/status/1549826256224616450 |
Description | Workshop: NIHR Global Health Research Group on Digital Diagnostics for African Health Systems |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | The newly awarded NIHR Global Health Research on Digital Diagnostics for African Health Systems led by Imperial's Professor Aubrey Cunnington and Professor Halidou Tinto (Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro, Burkina Faso) organised a 3-day workshop in early February in Accra (Ghana). The research group members, including the African PhD Fellows conducting research on digital diagnostics had the opportunity to meet in person for the first time since the start of the project and also meet with key stakeholders to discuss the potential of digital diagnostics within the Ghana health systems. The NIHR Global Health Research on Digital Diagnostics for African Health Systems, which comprises 14 collaborating institutions and 50 members across The Gambia, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Zambia Sudan, and the Netherlands, is developing and evaluating the next-generation digital diagnostics test for infectious diseases using a handheld electronic platform developed by Professor Pantelis Georgiou's and Dr Jesus Rodriguez Manzano's team at Imperial - which performs highly-sensitive detection of nucleic acids (such as DNA) on the surface of a microchip. The workshop was funded by a UKRI GCRF and Newton Fund Consolidation Award by Imperial College and the National Institute of Health and Care Research Award from the West African Centre of Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens at the University of Ghana. The event was attended by 40 Research Group Members and 30 key stakeholders, including health workers, patient and community representatives and policymakers, who engaged in various sessions and table discussions with the NIHR Group Members, providing key insights on the needs and expectations of new diagnostics and on the different perspectives involved and impacted by the implementation of new technologies for malaria and other infectious diseases diagnosis and real-time monitoring. The NIHR GHRG builds on the work of the UKRI GCRF-funded Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network and it aims to develop further over the next four years the approach outlined and published in a perspective paper on PLOS Digital Health The potential of digital molecular diagnostics for infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa, understanding the perspective of users and stakeholders from the start and engaging them throughout product design, development and evaluation in a codesign and co-production process. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://imperialdeptofinfectiousdiseases.newsweaver.com/zsf3of20yv/iseb43umvp3?lang=en&a=2&p=1091155... |
Description | World Malaria Day (25 April 2022) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The Digital Diagnostics for Africa Network joined an initiative for World Malaria Day organized by Imperial College London and focused on innovation for malaria. The initiative aimed at highlighting advances in the prevention and control of the disease, and at drawing attention to the need for continued investment and political commitment towards malaria elimination. A blog article was published online featuring all Imperial College interdisciplinary researchers and groups channelling their expertise into malaria research, including the Network's work on advanced molecular digital diagnostics. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/stories/world-malaria-day-2022/ |
Description | World Malaria Day - 25th April 2021 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | The Network worked collaboratively with internal and external partners, Malaria Consortium and Malaria Network of Excellence on an article shared on various media channels on 25th April 2021 for World Malaria Day. The article aimed at presenting some of the most promising innovations in the fight against malaria, and it was particularly focused on smart diagnostics, considered a gamechanger technology in the pathway to malaria elimination. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/220294/smart-diagnostics-stepping-stone-pathway-malaria/ |