273245
Diagnostics for All: Inexpensive Paper Tests Affordable to All
Monday, October 29, 2012
: 2:30 PM - 2:50 PM
DFA combines a unique business strategy with groundbreaking technology to provide health and other benefits in both the developing and developed worlds. Two attributes are of vital importance for DFA: 1) the right technology, and 2) the right business plan. First, technology can provide simple, elegant solutions to complex problems such as the delivery of diagnostic testing to the more than 60% of people who live beyond the reach of large urban hospitals and central testing laboratories. Second, a good business plan ensures near term R&D funding as well as long term revenue generation which is critical for long term sustainability. DFA ‘s technology is based on paper microfluidics, exclusively licensed from Harvard University and further developed at DFA. The patterned paper platform can be used for clinical chemistry, immunoassay, electrochemistry, and molecular diagnostic methodology. DFA tests can be used at the point-of-care, are inexpensive (cents), easy-to-use, disposable, portable, and highly scalable. The tests were designed specifically for the developing world, and the initial approach was focused on human health applications. We have now expanded to include agricultural and food safety uses, both of which are fundamental to improving quality of life in the developing world. The platform leading to low cost-of-goods and scalable manufacturing is also attractive for developed world markets. DFA sees this as an opportunity to leverage partnership and license collaborations through its wholly owned for-profit subsidiary and to do so in a way that does not detract from its mission to provide affordable diagnostics for all.
Learning Areas:
Protection of the public in relation to communicable diseases including prevention or control
Public health biology
Learning Objectives: Describe a unique social entrepreneurship business model designed to bridge developed and developing world health markets.
Explain a new low-cost technological approach to diagnostics.
Discuss the benefits of a combined commercial-social approach to improving global health.
Keywords: Access to Health Care, Business Plans
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The topic is new low-cost paper diagnostic technology. Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the CEO of Diagnostics For All with an extensive background in leading biotech companies and was formerly the President and CEO of AVANT Immunotherapeutics, Inc. I am also Research Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. I serves on a number of boards including AMRI (NASDAQ), IQuum, Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and the Business Advisory Board of BIO Ventures for Global Health.
Any relevant financial relationships? Yes
Name of Organization |
Clinical/Research Area |
Type of relationship |
Diagnostics for All |
Management |
CEO and Employment (includes retainer) |
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
|