Product/Service Development

Elena Levashina of the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Germany and Kelly Lee of the University of Washington in the U.S. will use cryoelectron tomography to image the three-dimensional ultrastructure of a protein on the surface of the malaria-causing parasite Plasmodium falciparum to help design better vaccines. Malaria kills half a million people annually, but there are still no highly effective vaccines available. One of the parasite's coat proteins, CSP, is a prime target for vaccine development.

Iruka Okeke of the University of Ibadan, College of Medicine in Nigeria and Kat Holt of Monash University in Australia will set-up a remote laboratory that uses nanopore sequencing as a low-cost, portable method to monitor the spread of antimicrobial resistance in rural areas of Africa and combine it with genome editing tools for more rapid diagnosis and improved treatment. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when pathogens are able to survive treatments that previously would have killed them.

Hira Zainab of Knowledge Platform Limited in Pakistan will develop a 'Birds and Bees' program to enable teachers and students from underprivileged schools in Islamabad, Pakistan to design and build bird feeders and bee colonies in order to nurture birds and bees and to market honey. Pakistan is home to over 700 species of birds and fauna that can support substantially increased national honey production. They will recruit pilot schools and work together with the teachers and students to research the local bird species in order to design effective bird feeders.

Med Biotech is a research-focused NGO based in Kampala, Uganda that has developed Home Decoration for Malaria Control (HD4MC). HD4MC adapts the customary practice of plastering the walls of mud-walled homes with soil by mixing WHO-approved insecticide into the soil and using this insecticide-mixed soil to plaster walls for household vector control. .

Autom River Inc. is a Canadian start-up that developed a 100% bio-based compostable bin (the Greenlid) for kitchen food waste and are translating this technology to create a biodegradable mosquito trap (BMT), impregnated with insecticide, that kills both eggs and adult mosquitos.

Hewa Tele ("Abundant Air" in Swahili) is a social enterprise focused on saving lives through the creation of effective oxygen systems supported by affordable quality medical oxygen to health facilities in Kenya. TTS funding of $1M from GCC will support the set-up of two new facilities and three depots to enhance distribution in these two and surrounding counties. The funding required for the set-up and launch of one plant has the ability to serve 5M people.

The In2Care Mosquito Trap is a multi-impact lethal ovitrap for Aedes mosquitoes that can effectively lure, infect and contaminate female mosquitoes via auto-dissemination (self- spreading of larvicide). In light of the Zika outbreak, In2Care is under consideration for an expedited registration process in various countries including Brazil. The approved TTS funding will enable In2Care to expand its human capital capacity to meet the demand generated by the Zika crisis and distribute product quickly where it is needed.

Aakar is a Mumbai-based social enterprise that provides access to affordable, 100% biodegradable sanitary pads and menstrual health education to low income women and girls in rural India.

Adequate water supply is a public health intervention aimed at preventing diarrhoeal diseases in relief operations. Children under the age of 5 years and other vulnerable populations are most at risk from preventable enteric infections, including diarrheal diseases, which are associated with environmental enteropathy and stunting. These are likely one of the major contributors to the overall morbidity and mortality rates during a humanitarian crisis [1,2].

The THRIVE initiative provides individuals with severe mental disorders and their caregivers structured support for employment, livelihoods and financial management services, while emphasizing the notion of solidarity and equal citizenship. The focal point of THRIVE will be dedicated and multi-functional THRIVE centers backed up by a central resource hub.