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 Grand Challenges Explorations Grants

Grand Challenges Explorations fosters creative projects that show great promise to improve the health of people in the developing world. Initial grants are awarded two times a year, and successful projects have the opportunity to receive additional funding of $1 million or more.

On October 21, 2009, the Gates Foundation announced that 76 new global health projects received Grand Challenges Explorations grants. Learn more about these new Round 3 grants below. To review all 262 Explorations projects, select "Show All Rounds" in the Round drop-down menu.

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Topic
Technologies
Round
Showing Grants 1 to 10 of 76
“Coffee Ring Stain” Diagnostics for Malaria
Primary Investigator:
David Wright, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States - US
Topic:
Round:
Round 3 – October 2009
David Wright of Vanderbilt University in the U.S. will develop a new low-cost diagnostic tool in which a droplet of malaria-infected blood deposited on a glass slide will, based on fluid dynamics, leave a ring-like pattern as the blood evaporates. The slide will be prepared with a solution that will interact with a particular protein of the malaria parasite to visualize this "coffee ring stain," allowing for easy interpretation and ready diagnosis.
Diagnosis of Pneumonia Using Sound Recordings
Primary Investigator:
Udantha Abeyratne, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia - AU
Topic:
Round:
Round 3 – October 2009
Udantha Abeyratne of the University of Queensland in Australia proposes using low-cost devices such as mobile phones and mp3 players equipped with microphones to record cough and sleeping sounds that do not require direct contact with the patient. Recording will be analyzed using new algorithms in human speech analysis to identify sounds that characterize the presence of pneumonia.
Electrical Detection of TB Signals in Breath
Primary Investigator:
William Royea, Next Dimensions Technology, Inc., Pasadena, CA, United States - US
Topic:
Round:
Round 3 – October 2009
William Royea of Next Dimensions Technology, Inc., in the United States seeks to develop a point-of-care breath analyzer. The proposed system aims to use an array of chemical films that are sensitive to changes in electrical conduction as a result of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by tuberculosis.
Electronics Nose to Smell Tuberculosis from Breath VOCs
Primary Investigator:
Ranjan Nanda, International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology, Delhi, India - IN
Topic:
Round:
Round 3 – October 2009
Ranjan Nanda, K.V.S. Rao and Virander Chauhan of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology in India will gather breath samples from tuberculosis patients and use gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify and track unique molecules such as volatile organic compounds that can serve as biomarkers to diagnose tuberculosis. The overall goal is to then create a handheld “electronic nose” to diagnose the disease in resource-poor settings.
Highly Sensitive TB Detection using a Paper Cup
Primary Investigator:
Scott Phillips, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States - US
Topic:
Round:
Round 3 – October 2009
Scott Phillips, of Pennsylvania State University in the U.S. proposes to develop a polymer reagent to be deposited at the bottom of a small paper cup used to collect a sputum sample, where it will detect proteins secreted by tuberculosis and turn indicate TB-positive samples by changing color.
Highly Sensitive, Low-Cost Malaria Test
Primary Investigator:
Juan Santiago, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States - US
Topic:
Round:
Round 3 – October 2009
Juan Santiago of Stanford University in the U.S. will develop small, disposable diagnostic device that utilizes isotachophoresis, a technique that separates charged particles, to concentrate a key biomarker of malaria parasites. The goal of this technique is to provide test results within three minutes at a sensitivity much greater than current tests, allowing for detection of malaria at much earlier stages of infection and in asymptomatic individuals.
HIV Incidence Testing in Hair
Primary Investigator:
Christopher Pilcher, UCSF Positive Health Program, San Francisco, CA, United States - US
Topic:
Round:
Round 3 – October 2009
Christopher Pilcher of the University of California, San Francisco in the U.S. will test the theory that HIV proteins, nucleic acids and antibodies to HIV can be detected in shafts of hair. This possible approach may provide a low-cost tool to determine the timing of HIV infection, which is essential to establish incidence rates in populations.
Infrared Signature of Malaria Infection
Primary Investigator:
Wei Lu, The Regents of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States - US
Topic:
Round:
Round 3 – October 2009
Wei Lu of the University of Michigan in the U.S. will test the theory that red blood cells infected with malaria have significantly different characteristics when subjected to light in ultra-far infrared spectrum. Using these techniques, this project aims to develop a non-invasive tool to scan capillaries near the body surface and diagnose malaria.
Lensless Microscope for Diagnostics
Primary Investigator:
Changhuei Yang, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, United States - US
Topic:
Round:
Round 3 – October 2009
Changhuei Yang of the California Institute of Technology in the U.S. will evaluate the feasibility of using a "microscope on a chip" along with a hand-held reader to detect and analyze cells and parasites in bodily fluids. If successful; this technology, which does not use traditional lenses, could provide diagnostic capabilities for a wide range of diseases including malaria.
Malaria Diagnosis Using Iron and Plasma
Primary Investigator:
Jackie Obey, University of Eastern Africa, Eldoret, Kenya - KE
Topic:
Round:
Round 3 – October 2009
Jackie Obey of the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton in Kenya will test the efficacy of a diagnostic test for malaria in which small amounts of blood are mixed with an iron solution to create vibrant colors that indicate the amount of a protein released by the malaria parasite.
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