PIs: Ursula Winter, Hyungsoon Im, Cesar M. Castro
Massachusetts General Hospital

AIM-HPV (artificial intelligence monitoring for human papillomavirus, Figure ) is an AI-based point-of-care platform, to detect high-risk HPV DNA for cervical cancer screening/treatment. It is based on a lens-free microholography system that can record and analyze digital diffraction images of microscopic objects. In the presence of high-risk HPV 16 or 18 DNA, polystyrene (PS) and silica microbeads – designed to bind the DNA targets – form microbead dimers. Its deep-learning model analyzes and detects bead dimers in less than 2 min. Pilot clinical testing at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) AIM-HPV assay showed full concordance with the Cobas HPV test, the clinically recognized gold standard test for HPV.

PI: Julia Finkelstein
Cornell University

Anemia Phone aims to validate and deploy a minimally invasive, point-of-care, low-cost, non-infrastructure dependent, and highly portable point-of-care screening platform for iron status assessment based on quantification of serum ferritin (SF), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Anemia Phone is extrapolated from the established FeverPhone and NutriPhone platforms with a research track record. A similar technology has been deployed to and has demonstrated the validity of this platform for many biomarkers of nutrition, infection, and inflammation in the blood. The support from the Protent Center will be vital to accelerate multiplexing, optimization of the assays, and transfer to commercial partners for scale-up.

Research Update: Cornell transfers accessible, affordable anemia detecting tech to Indian Government

PI: Samuel K. Sia
Columbia University

POC qPCR is a platform for rapid HIV detection and measurement of viral load and multiplexed detection of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in highly decentralized settings. This project will build off a predecessor developing decentralized solutions for HIV and STI testing in sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on protein detection. The POC qPCR is a platform that will leverage new lab-based technology for HIV viral load monitoring and will later expand into Sexually Transmitted Infections such as Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. POC qPCR at the PORTENT center will validate this platform with biobanked samples from the Indian clinical site.

PI: Mary Dias
St. John’s Research Institute, India

This project will evaluate a minimally invasive, point-of-care, screening platform for Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites. Malaria continues to affect people in India and other LMICs. The Truenat device is designed to be used in remote and primary healthcare centers in low and middle income countries. This study aims to reduce preventable deaths caused due to malaria by using a point-of-care molecular diagnostic approach that is precise and quick at a reasonable cost.