Validation of an onsite, easy-to-use chlorine generator (SE Flow) for infection prevention and control in labor wards

Validation of a POC Bilirubin Measurement to Diagnose Neonatal Jaundice and Monitor Phototherapy in Hospitals in Sub-Saharan Africa

This project will build and test a prototype application that streamlines and automates patient, provider and payer transactions across the maternal/newborn EOC. The goal is to pilot the application in Liberia, where the government must overcome operational challenges to engage private providers in the Liberia Health Equity Fund.

PremieBreathe has built a functional infant breathing aid for $450, one tenth the price of commercial models. The device, a humidified high flow nasal cannula (HHFNC), is the gold standard of non-invasive neonatal respiratory care in high-income countries. With the support of Saving Lives at Birth, PremieBreathe will conduct initial trials at Ayder Referral Hospital in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, and identify design, manufacturing, and distribution partners to prepare for scaled production and dissemination.

The project will scale-up distribution of the Lucky Iron Fish: an innovative, affordable, and clinically-proven solution to iron deficiency. The fish have a compliance rate of 90% and reduce the prevalence of iron deficiency by ~50%. We will integrate business, health care and university-based expertise to create a different service delivery and carry out research into the impact of the fish on iron status in women with HIV. We will promote an integrated approach that will change service delivery to some of the poorest people in urban areas including HIV positive women.

Scaling the BEMPU hypothermia alert device across Indian and international markets

We will seek to demonstrate measurable levels of the first inhalable formulation of oxytocin in blood and measurable biological effects of inhalation, all this with no seriously adverse side effects. Success will provide the essential platform for the further steps required to move into a first clinical trial. Our ultimate goal is licensure and distribution in affected areas: providing every mother on the planet with access to a life-saving drug when in labor.

Salt is universally consumed at a constant, predictable level independently of social status. Our approach is to develop innovative technology for incorporating these micronutrients into salt at levels that can have a significant beneficial health effect. Our objective is to develop a stable premix in the laboratory, test its long-term stability in salt, and scale up the process for premix production in pilot scale tests in India.

The NIFTY cup's extended reservoir off the cup lip optimizes efficient milk delivery, and mothers can directly express into the 60-ml cup. The NIFTY cup's soft silicone material protects the infant's mouth from injury. The cup has embossed volume measurements to track intake; is designed to enhance finger and wrist control over milk flow; and is made with quick-drying, UV- and heat-resistant, durable, affordable silicone that can be boiled for sterilization. Our project aims to 1) generate an evidence base by validating the NIFTY cup in a hospital in Ethiopia and 2) shape the sub-Saharan Africa market by identifying a commercialization partner and developing a go-to market strategy and global advocacy plan.

Neonate Biometric Scanner for Frontline Health Workers

This team proposes to develop and test an innovative microarray patch to deliver a combination of antibiotics for the treatment of neonatal sepsis. An easy-to-use, less-invasive, affordable delivery method for amoxicillin and gentamicin could expand access to lifesaving outpatient antibiotic treatment for infants with severe infection during the neonatal period.

A reliable, low-cost screening tool to identify high-risk cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD) patients is of paramount importance especially in resource-limited areas where a timely referral to a medical facility for assisted delivery or cesarean section would make the difference between saving the life of mother and child and potential loss of both patients. To address this pressing need we propose to develop and test a simple, ultra-low cost portable technology using off-the-shelf Microsoft Kinect sensor to quantify an obstructive score to identify women at high risk for CPD. The technology will create very high precision 3D patient models from which a plethora of traditional and novel anthropometric and volume measures can be extracted and used in conjunction with machine learning algorithms to establish a clinical score identifying high risk for CPD. This novel technology has the potential to establish a better risk assessment for obstruction than currently available clinical practice in low-resource setting, thus providing a low-cost avenue to save lives at birth.

This project seeks to substantially expand access to oxytocin through the development of an affordable, simple to administer inhaled oxytocin delivery system. Using innovative technology, inhaled oxytocin is formulated as a fine powder that can withstand the climatic conditions common in tropical regions without the need for refrigeration. The product therefore removes the requirement for cold chain supply and storage, potentially allows task-shifting to lower tier healthcare and community workers and has the potential to save 146,000 lives over 8 years.

PATH seeks to improve access to improved preeclampsia screening in routine antenatal care (ANC) by addressing the need for a low-cost, accurate proteinuria screening tool to replace the protein-only dipstick as the standard used in routine ANC in LRS. PATH is working in collaboration with LifeAssay Diagnostics, Ltd. (South Africa) to develop and support validation of a simple, low-cost protein-to-creatinine ratiometric urine dipstick test and is seeking to demonstrate the feasibility for implementation and use of the test within routine ANC.

The goal of this project is to improve newborn survival among low birth weight (LBW) infants through a daily prophylactic dose of bovine lactoferrin (bLF). A two-stage project will be conducted with formative research followed by randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the appropriate daily dose of bLF and its efficacy in preventing neonatal infections.

PATH's novel infusion pump, the RELI Delivery System, was designed to address many of the barriers surrounding access to infusion pumps in LRS: it does not require electricity or a battery, is inexpensive to manufacture and operate, does not require expensive consumables, and has a simple user interface. We will develop a functional prototype and related job aids to share with stakeholders.

Augmented infant resuscitator: transitioning a novel behavior change innovation to drive newborn ventilation enhancement to improve newborn health outcomes at birth

There is international consensus that syringe pumps are an essential medical device to support care of mothers and newborns at district hospitals. Yet, they are often unavailable in low-resource settings because of high cost, technical complexity, and lack of brand name consumables. The project's idea is to scale AutoSyp, a low cost, low power, syringe pump in maternity and neonatal wards of hospitals in Malawi.

We have developed a sustainable barcode-based incentive system that encourages "loyal health visits". Pilot proof was undertaken for child and mother vaccinations with strong evidence that our Barcode Mother and Child Wellness Card innovation could very quickly elicit a positive behavioral response for immunization adherence in low resource smallholder settings. Our project's goal is to validate this novel approach to mobilize and sustain maternal and neonatal health visits with special emphasis on around the time of birth but all the while tracking the pregnant mother along the continuum of antenatal care. We specifically address the problem of few (no) antenatal care visits and skilled attendant deliveries with the goal of reaching every pregnant mother and/or neonates. The Mother and Child Wellness Loyalty Card will apply quick response (QR) codes to track ANC attendance and reward mothers with discounts on essential livelihood items thereby creating demand for both health and livelihood services.