Low-Cost Cell Phone-Based Applications for Priority Global Health Conditions – Gates Foundation List

 

All the recipients in the Create Low-Cost Cell Phone-Based Applications for Priority Global Health Conditions

 

 

A Non-invasive Cell Phone Imaging Probe for Diagnosing Malaria

Alberto Bilenca of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel will develop a cell phone imaging system that can non-invasively detect malaria parasites in the blood. The system uses a polarized red laser pointer to illuminate tissue such as a finger tip, and a zoom lens and polarizing filter on existing cell phone cameras, to create images that depict hemozoin crystals in blood following malaria parasite infection, as well as micro-obstructions in the circulatory system that result from the infection.

 

Adapting Cell Phone Technology for the Diagnosis of Malaria

Mike Barrett, Jon Cooper and Lisa Ranford-Cartwright of the University of Glasgow in the United Kingdom will test the ability of a key component in mobile phones to separate out red blood cells infected with malaria parasites in a blood sample.  If successful, such devices could be mass produced for rapid and accurate malaria diagnosis.

 

Cell Phone-Based Near-Infrared Camera for High-Risk Neonates
Qianqian Fang of the Massachusetts General Hospital in the U.S. proposes to develop a portable, low-cost mobile-phone-based near-infrared camera for monitoring brain injury in neonates. If successful, it could help identify and monitor high-risk newborns in resource-limited regions. Digitizing

 

Paper-Based Data Via Mobile Image Technologies
Allen Wilcox of Village Reach in the U.S., working with the University of Washington’s Computer Science & Engineering Department, will refine and field test a mobile scanning application to transform paper data into a scalable digital system.  The solution would lower time and cost for data capture, improve data quality from the point of care, and provide access to the same information for all levels in the healthcare delivery system.

 

Dirt-Power for Cell Phone Charging in Rural Africa
Erez Lieberman-Aiden and his team at Harvard University in the U.S. propose to develop a low-cost microbial fuel cell (MFC) to power cell phones in Africa. Certain naturally occurring soil microbes produce free electrons during the course of their ordinary metabolic processes, and MFCs will recharge themselves using power derived from these soil microbes. These fuel cells do not require any sophisticated materials to build, and can be easily assembled using locally available materials.

 

Early Child Health Intervention Using Breathing Sound

Insu Song and Joachim Diederich of the James Cook University in Singapore propose a cell phone-based system for collecting and analyzing time location-tagged children’s crying and breathing sounds to detect respiratory infections. This system provides treatment information for parents and generates public health data regarding the spread of infectious diseases.

 

 

eMosquitoNet: Electronic Mosquito Net Application
Josiane Nzouonta and Renita Machado of Cayoll LLC in the U.S. will develop and test a cell phone application, eMosquitoNet, which plays music that includes sound waves at resonant frequencies of female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which transmit yellow fever and dengue fever. These sound waves cause uncontrollable vibrations and failure of the mosquito’s navigation system, preventing them from feeding and spreading disease. Malaria Screening With a Cell Phone and Magnetic Levitation
Ionita Ghiran of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the U.S. and collaborator Pierre Striehl of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine propose to develop a cell phone compatible diagnostic screening device based solely on the principles of magnetic levitation, allowing detection of malaria-infected red blood cells. If successful, mass production of the device should be possible due to its construction from basic components.

 

 

Palm Vein Biometric Identification Prototype
Yaroslav Ryabov and Denis Broydo of BC Portal, Inc. in the U.S. propose to develop cell phones as biometric identification devices which use the phone camera to take and analyze near-infrared images of hand palms. The unique vein patterns found in the palm can be used by health workers in remote areas to identify individuals and maintain health records for these underserved populations.
SpectraPhone Automated Reagentless Diagnostic System
Kenneth Puzey of QuantaSpec in the U.S. will develop the Spectraphone(TM) to provide automated, rapid, reagent-less diagnosis of malaria and other infectious diseases using an infrared spectrometer embedded in a cell phone.