Outstanding health technology breakthroughs from developing countries
Developing countries are now adding to the innovations of the world and it is exciting to find countries in Africa like Senegal and Kenya contributing to this. These technologies are what Bill Gates described as the next big breakthrough in the health sector.
In October 2023, technologist Bill Gates attended the annual meeting of the Grand Challenges initiative in Senegal, an initiative launched 20 years ago to support scientists in developing technologies that will transform health in low-income countries.
As part of his visit to Senegal, Gates engaged scientists who were present at the event and witnessed what he terms the ‘next big breakthrough’.
Addressing the high rates of women that die during childbirth in India, is an AI trainer that teaches health workers in India how to treat high-risk pregnancies. Developed by Amrita Mahale and the team at ARMMAN, this technology can be used in both English and Telugu. What’s more, it automatically adjusts to the experience level of the person using it. Whether you’re a brand-new nurse or a midwife with decades of experience, the training chatbot is easy to use.
Senegal has also designed a low-cost mRNA vaccine platform that puts manufacturing where it’s needed most. Designed by the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD), this vaccine platform will provide a path for local scientists to discover and develop their own vaccines.
Dating back to 2019 when the world experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines helped prevent millions of deaths. Senegal is preparing us for the future. With partnership from Quantoom company and funding from the Gates Foundation, this vaccine platform will become cheaper and easier to build and run factories that can be adapted to make different mRNA vaccines. This will guard against the possibility of vaccine hoarding in future emergencies.
Now there’s a solution to the rise of mosquito-borne diseases. Isabella Oyier at the Kenya Medical Research Institute is fighting back against mosquito evolution tackling their drug resistance. How’s she doing it? She has discovered a new way of tracking mosquitoes on the molecular level to stop malaria.
Isabella uses molecular epidemiology to track mosquitoes that have the genes that cause drug resistance. She will then integrate it into national malaria surveillance and monitoring efforts which will provide stakeholders with more insights into where resistance is spreading and how to stop it.
Melin Zhu and her team have also designed a novel approach to treating issues related to the microbiome (a community of microorganisms). In our microbiomes are the ‘good bacteria’ that keep the ‘bad bacteria’ in check. In cases where it is not so, diseases like bacterial vaginosis which can increase the likelihood of women contracting HIV infection or a birth preterm are easily contracted and there has not been effective treatment for this condition.
The new approach being explored by Melin used uses oleic acids to inhibit the growth of a “gateway” bacteria that can promote the growth of the good bacteria.
A new drug development platform, similar to the technology developed by Senegal will prepare the world for the next pandemic. Although the world made it through the phase of COVID-19, it cannot boast of finding a sure remedy for it. The team at Decoy Therapeutics is working to speed up the process of developing drugs with a biological platform by using lipopeptide molecules to inhibit a virus’ fusion machinery and prevent it from infecting cells.
If this approach turns out successful, in the face of pandemics, scientists can design therapies for novel viruses within days or even hours using the platform.
From AI trainers for pregnancy care to novel approaches in vaccine platforms and disease prevention, these technologies offer a glimpse into the future of Global healthcare, collectively shaping a healthier future.
