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SUMMARY:Diagnostiques Sans Frontières: Low-Cost\, Rapid Diagnostics for E
 veryone - Ali Yetisen
DTSTART:20120607T121000Z
DTEND:20120607T130000Z
UID:TALK37852@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Sven Friedemann
DESCRIPTION:*Initial efforts from the University of Cambridge and internat
 ional partners to develop new biomedical rapid tests to tackle diarrheal d
 iseases and malaria will be described. Potential implications on public he
 alth policies and telecommunications industry will be discussed.*\n\nOnly 
 10 of 67 countries with high child mortality rate are on track towards Mil
 lennium Development Goal 4: Reducing Child Mortality. Many of these countr
 ies\, predominantly in Africa and South East Asia\, are struggling to make
  improvements in their public health sector despite the support of interna
 tional organizations. Highest mortality rates are still in Sub-Saharan Afr
 ica where 4.4 million children under the age of five claimed annually\, co
 rresponding to half of the child deaths worldwide. The UN called for an ac
 tion to reduce diarrheal diseases\, pneumonia\, and malaria which continue
  to stay as the leading causes of child mortality. Although\, many of thes
 e diseases are preventable and treatable\, the international community has
  failed to address and control these diseases. Obstacles include lack of i
 nfrastructure\, mobility\,  and shortages in skilled healthcare workers.\n
 \nHealthcare monitoring is typically performed in centralized laboratories
 \, most often out of reach for those living in resource-limited regions. H
 ence\, there is an urgent need to develop low-cost\, easy-to-use\, mobile\
 , rapid biomedical tests to monitor human illnesses. Until recently\, usin
 g rapid diagnostics with telecommunication technologies presented a major 
 technology challenge significantly limiting progress towards Millennium De
 velopment Goal 4. However\, high mobile phone penetration and rapidly grow
 ing telecommunications infrastructure in the developing world created an o
 pportunity to provide low-cost diagnostics. As will be demonstrated\, the 
 advent of telemedicine now provides us with new opportunities for developi
 ng novel devices and interfaces that are adequate for monitoring infectiou
 s diseases in remote regions\, although some fabrication and interface pro
 blems are yet to be resolved.
LOCATION:Entertaining Room\, Darwin College
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