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Grand Challenges is a family of initiatives fostering innovation to solve key global health and development problems. Each initiative is an experiment in the use of challenges to focus innovation on making an impact. Individual challenges address some of the same problems, but from differing perspectives.

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Bacteriophage-Based LAMP for Pathogen Detection

Héctor MorbidoniUniversidad Nacional de RosarioRosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
Grand Challenges Explorations
Synthetic Biology
30 Sep 2011

Héctor Morbidoni of the Universidad Nacional de Rosario in Argentina proposes to develop a biosensor to detect bacterial pathogens using modified bacteriophages and an isothermal DNA amplification process. Commercial scale manufacturing of the biosensor should be possible due to the simplicity of their components.

Breeding and Rearing Nsenene Grasshoppers as Protein Source

Jacob Godfrey AgeaMakerere UniversityKampala, Uganda
Grand Challenges Explorations
Nutrition
30 Sep 2011

Jacob Godfrey Agea of Makerere University in Uganda proposes to breed Nsenene grasshoppers (Ruspolia Nitidula), which are a rich source of protein, and grind or mill them for use as a flour or additive in other foods such as cereals and grains. These insects could provide a unique source of nutrition for infants and children under the age of five in Eastern Africa.

Design of Pathways for Biofabrication of Global Health Drugs

Linda BroadbeltNorthwestern UniversityEvanston, Illinois, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Synthetic Biology
30 Sep 2011

Linda Broadbelt and Keith Tyo of Northwestern University in the U.S. propose to use a computer-aided design (CAD) tool to identify new metabolic mechanisms of action in priority drugs for the developing world. Understanding of these pathways could help optimize methods to produce low-cost versions of these therapeutics in microbes.

Bacteriophage with Programmable Antibiotic Activity

Feng ZhangBroad InstituteCambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Synthetic Biology
30 Sep 2011

Feng Zhang of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in the U.S. proposes to engineer bacterial viruses to deliver enzymes that can be designed to degrade the genome of pathogenic bacteria. These bacteriophages could be used as a new platform for treating drug-resistant bacterial infections.

Direct Electricity from Fecal Sludge in Bioelectric Systems

Zhiyong RenUniversity of Colorado DenverAurora, Colorado, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Sanitation Technologies
30 Sep 2011

Zhiyong Ren of the University of Colorado Denver in the U.S. proposes to develop a low-cost and easy-to-operate bioelectric system that uses microbes to break down waste and convert it to usable electricity. This technology could provide a self-sustainable solution for communities in need of both sanitary waste disposal and an energy supply.

Highly-Parallel PCR Analysis of Latently-Infected Reservoirs

R. Paul JohnsonHarvard UniversityCambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
30 Sep 2011

R. Paul Johnson of Emory University in the U.S. is using single-cell transcriptional profiling to identify unique biomarkers expressed in CD4+ T cells latently infected with HIV or the simian equivalent SIV. Latent infection of long-lived cells enables the viruses to survive current drug treatments, and makes the disease very difficult to cure. In Phase I, while working at Harvard Medical School in the U.S., they developed a robust high-throughput technique to identify viral genes expressed in single cells and tested it on SIV-infected macaques. In Phase II, they will use their approach to identify biomarkers on clinically relevant latently infected cell populations, which they will isolate from SIV-infected macaques treated with newly-developed antiretroviral regimens. These biomarkers could be used to design therapeutics that selectively target latently-infected cells to fully eradicate the virus.

Cell Mechanics to Increase Nutrition of Vegetable-Based Fare

Philip LeDucCarnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Nutrition
30 Sep 2011

Philip LeDuc of Carnegie Mellon University in the U.S. will attempt to increase consumption of native, highly nutritious but underutilized leafy vegetables found in Africa by using mechanical processing of the plant's cells to improve palatability as well as nutrient bioavailability. Using cell mechanics to alter the properties of these crops could lead to improved, low-cost diets for infants and children.

Pro-Vitamin A Biosynthesis by Gut Microbiota

Steven MaranzDavid H. Murdock Research InstituteKannapolis, North Carolina, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Nutrition
30 Sep 2011

Steven Maranz of David H. Murdock Research Institute in the U.S. proposes to address vitamin A deficiency by using probiotics that biosynthesize carotenoids. Delivered in yogurt, the beneficial microbes will subsequently colonize the digestive tract, where they will manufacture the raw material for the body to convert to vitamin A.

A Method to Generate Bacteriophages Targeting Enterobacteria

Mark van RaaijConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC)Madrid, Spain
Grand Challenges Explorations
Synthetic Biology
3 Oct 2011

Mark van Raaij of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) at the National Center for Biotechnology in Spain will work to build a library of engineered bacteriophages that can recognize, infect, and kill a range of enterobacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli.

Cost-Effective Shelf-Stable Delivery of Phytonutrients

Mary Ann LilaNorth Carolina State UniversityRaleigh, North Carolina, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Nutrition
3 Oct 2011

Mary Ann Lila and colleagues at North Carolina University in the U.S. will partner with the University of Zambia to test a new technology that concentrates phytonutrients from locally grown fruits and vegetables into a protein-rich food matrix. The resulting product could provide a low-cost highly stable year-round source of vital nutrients for mothers, infants and children in African communities.

Microneedle Patch for Low-Cost, Intradermal IPV Vaccination

Mark PrausnitzGeorgia Tech Research CorporationAtlanta, Georgia, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Poliovirus Eradication
3 Oct 2011

Mark Prausnitz of Georgia Institute of Technology and Steve Oberste of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. will test the feasibility of using microneedle patches to deliver the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) instead of using intramuscular vaccine shots. This new method is designed to lower the required dose, simplify vaccination procedures, and eliminate dangers associated with hypodermic needles.

Nanoparticulate Cosmetics for Nutrient Delivery in Pregnancy

Rinti BanerjeeIndian Institute of Technology BombayMumbai, , India
Grand Challenges Explorations
Nutrition
3 Oct 2011

Rinti Banerjee of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in India will develop lipid-based nanoparticles containing iron, folic acid, and iodine and attempt to integrate them into cosmetic pastes such as mehendi or kohl that are commonly used by rural women in developing countries. These cosmetics could be used to transdermally deliver to mothers important micronutrients needed for healthy growth of fetuses.

Malnutrition and Body Composition Assessment for Under $1

Alistair McEwanThe University of SydneySydney, New South Wales, Australia
Grand Challenges Explorations
Nutrition
4 Oct 2011

Alistair McEwan of The University of Sydney in Australia will develop a simple, low-cost electronic device built from recycled LEDs and microcontrollers to measure subcutaneous fat levels and thereby determine nutritional status in infants. Current methods are expensive or require a trained health worker, and as such are unsuitable for use particularly in developing countries. In Phase I, they performed several design iterations leading to the production of a low-cost prototype that was used for a small trial in newborns. The results revealed a good correlation with the gold standard method for measuring body fat percentage. In Phase II they will expand this trial and further optimize the device design. In addition, they will develop an algorithm to display the result using simple colored lights for use by untrained individuals.

Development of a New Poliovirus Concentration Method

Minetaro AritaNational Institute of Infectious DiseasesTokyo, Japan
Grand Challenges Explorations
Poliovirus Eradication
4 Oct 2011

Minetaro Arita of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan will develop a diagnostics platform to detect and characterize poliovirus from a stool sample. A soluble poliovirus receptor and magnetic beads will work together to concentrate the virus in a diagnostic tool and allow for not only detection but also differentiation of strains.

Software to Identify and Quantify Pathogenic Helminth Eggs

Blanca Jimenez CisnerosNational University of MexicoCuernavaca, Mexico
Grand Challenges Explorations
Sanitation Technologies
4 Oct 2011

Blanca Jimenez Cisneros of Mexican Autonomous National University in Mexico will develop software to automatically identify and quantify parasitic helminth eggs in wastewater. The software could provide a rapid and low-cost method for untrained personnel to test wastewater before its reuse in agriculture, thereby reducing parasitic infections in local populations. In Phase I, Cisneros generated an image database of a variety of common helminth species and developed an algorithm that could effectively identify helminth eggs from seven different species in two different water quality conditions. In Phase II, she will expand the image database to cover more species, and upgrade the software protocol to identify eggs in water with higher solid contents, such as fecal sludge and excreta. Cisneros will also develop a simple software platform and a strategy for worldwide distribution to both low- and high-income countries.

Bacterial Nano-Particles as Oral Vaccines Against Diarrhea

Garry BlakelyThe University of EdinburghEdinburgh, United Kingdom
Grand Challenges Explorations
Synthetic Biology
4 Oct 2011

Garry Blakely of the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom will engineer a common gut bacterium to express antigens from pathogens that cause diarrhea onto nanoscale outer membrane vesicles. These nanoparticles could be the basis for a new generation of biocompatible oral vaccines that will protect against diarrheal disease.

Multi-Diagnostic Platform Derived From Olfactory Receptors

Sergio BoteroRockefeller UniversityNew York, New York, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Synthetic Biology
4 Oct 2011

Sergio Botero of Rockefeller University in the U.S. will build and test a library of yeast cells that express olfactory receptors encoded with a reporter gene that can react to various metabolic and infectious diseases. Such yeast cells could be used in a diagnostics platform to detect multiple diseases at a time.

Pigment-Based, Low-Cost, Portable Nutrition Status Tests

Mark StyczynskiGeorgia Tech Research CorporationAtlanta, Georgia, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Synthetic Biology
4 Oct 2011

Mark Styczynski of the Georgia Institute of Technology in the U.S. proposes to create portable, low-cost, bacteria-based genetic circuits to measure blood micronutrient levels without requiring sophisticated instrumentation to perform or read the test. This would provide an inexpensive, rapid method to diagnose nutrition status in the field.

Floating Community Wastewater Treatment in Asia

Taber HandWetlands Work LimitedPhnom Penh, Cambodia
Grand Challenges Explorations
Sanitation Technologies
5 Oct 2011

Taber Hand of Wetlands Work! in Cambodia will field test a waste water treatment system that uses floating “pods” similar to children's wading pools that are filled with wetland plants and moving water and sit directly under the toilet of houseboats in floating villages in Southeast Asia. Bacteria that reside in the plant roots create a biofilm which traps organic matter and begins a food chain which breaks down the waste and cleans the water.

Genetically Modified Malaria Parasites for Human Challenge

Christian OckenhouseWalter Reed Army Institute of ResearchSilver Spring, Maryland, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Synthetic Biology
5 Oct 2011

Christian Ockenhouse of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in the U.S. and Alan Cowman of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Australia seek to generate a transgenic P. falciparum malaria parasite that can be used to assess the efficacy of P. vivax-based circumsporozoite vaccines.

Using Fecal Sludge for Butanol Fermentation

Yinjie TangWashington University School of MedicineSt. Louis, Missouri, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Sanitation Technologies
5 Oct 2011

Yinjie Tang at Washington University in St. Louis in the U.S. proposes to develop a genetically engineered fungal species that can convert fecal sludge to butanol, a high-energy biofuel similar to gasoline. The fungal species could not only produce biofuels, but also kill pathogenic microorganisms in fecal sludge.

Alternative Delivery of Human Milk Proteins to Infants

Qiang ChenArizona State UniversityTempe, Arizona, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Nutrition
5 Oct 2011

Qiang Chen of Arizona State University in the U.S. proposes to engineer edible plants, such as lettuce and rice, to express beneficial proteins found in human milk. The protein bodies in these plants allow for the stable, high accumulation of these human milk proteins, and the plants can either be eaten directly by infants or formulated into baby food to provide essential nutrients and antibacterial benefits.

Role of Wild and Underutilized Foods in Daily Costs of Diets

Jessica FanzoBioversity InternationalRome, Italy
Grand Challenges Explorations
Nutrition
6 Oct 2011

Jessica Fanzo of Bioversity International in Italy and colleagues at Save the Children UK will analyze the nutritional value and local acceptability of wild and neglected foods in Kenya to help introduce these underutilized foods and significantly reduce the costs of a nutritious diet for mothers and children in the region.

Urine-tricity: Electricity from Urine and Sludge

Ioannis IeropoulosUniversity of the West of England, BristolBristol, United Kingdom
Grand Challenges Explorations
Sanitation Technologies
6 Oct 2011

Ioannis Ieropoulos of the University of the West of England, Bristol in the United Kingdom will test the ability of microbial fuel cells to convert urine and sludge into electrical energy while also purifying water by killing disease-causing pathogens in the waste. This technology could enable energy recovery from urine and other waste streams in developing countries. In Phase I, he provided proof of concept that the technology could be used with urine by testing power performance, clean water output, and pathogen kill rates of different types of microbial fuel cells, as well as identifying ceramic as a promising material for construction. In Phase II, he will ready the technology for implementation in developing countries by further developing the ceramic designs for low-cost mass manufacturing and servicing, and testing their ability to destroy a wide range of pathogens and generate energy for lighting or mobile phone charging. They will also analyze water production quality. The final prototype integrated into a real toilet or urinal will be field tested initially in Durban.

A Household Yeast Biosensor for Cholera

Virginia CornishColumbia UniversityNew York, New York, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Synthetic Biology
6 Oct 2011

Virginia Cornish and Nili Ostrov at Columbia University in the U.S. propose to engineer baker's yeast to produce the red tomato pigment lycopene when exposed to the cholera pathogen in drinking water. This safe and simple sensor could be inexpensively manufactured and highly effective for household monitoring of cholera in water by communities at risk for infection.

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