we have developed a heat-stable oxytocin fast-dissolving tablet (FDT) for sublingual administration. Under this project, we propose to test the effectiveness of this simple, needle-free approach to prevention of PPH by conducting a human pharmacokinetic study in South Africa.

Our plan is to scale up a proven e-voucher program covering the costs of maternity care and SMS reminders in order to reduce financial and informational barriers to care and to dramatically increase skilled facility-based deliveries. Specifically, we plan to (1) double the rates of institutional and skilled deliveries; (2) increase the rates of antenatal and postnatal care, particularly the number of women who receive four or more antenatal visits; (3) improve the quality of care delivered by incentivizing CHWs; and integrate our vouchers with a Government health financing plan. We hope to generate generalizable knowledge on: (1) the effectiveness of maternity vouchers; (2) the impact of SMS messages on the demand for care, (3) ways to reduce gender and cultural barriers by integrating husbands; and (4) the effectiveness of CHW incentives in improving the quality of care. Our development and delivery of a mobile phone based solution that is integrated to a mobile money solution is truly innovative

Shan Feng of Tsinghua University in China will develop a novel reagent called DCAF to eliminate antibody-dependence-enhanced (ADE) Dengue virus infection. DCAF stands for Dual-functional Conjugate of Antigenic peptide and Fc-III tag, which is designed for the blocking of cross-reactive antibodies that can enhance secondary infection of Dengue virus. In the current phase, they will synthesize a group of DCAF molecules to test their binding affinities with the antibodies of Dengue virus 2 and to evaluate whether these molecules can be used to block the ADE process.

Kaixia Mi of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in China will identify biomarkers that define the diagnosis and status of tuberculosis infection.