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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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"Coffee Ring Stain" Diagnostics for Malaria

David WrightVanderbilt UniversityNashville, Tennessee, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Diagnostics
1 Nov 2009

David Wright of Vanderbilt University in the U.S. will develop a new low-cost diagnostic tool in which a droplet of malaria-infected blood deposited on a glass slide will, based on fluid dynamics, leave a ring-like pattern as the blood evaporates. The slide will be prepared with a solution that will interact with a particular protein of the malaria parasite to visualize this "coffee ring stain," allowing for easy interpretation and ready diagnosis.

"Help, the Mother Is Bleeding!" An Interactive Voice-Controlled Virtual Mentor to Support Birth Attendants in Resource-Constrained Settings

Tiffany LundeenPreterm Birth Initiative East AfricaSan Francisco, California, United States
Grand Challenges for Development
Saving Lives at Birth
1 Mar 2018

"Help, the Mother is Bleeding!" An interactive voice-controlled virtual mentor to support birth attendants in resource-constrained settings

"Just-Add-Water" Nucleic Acid Amplification

Apostolos AlissandratosThe Australian National UniversityActon, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Grand Challenges Explorations
Diagnostics Systems
1 May 2018

Apostolos Alissandratos of the Australian National University in Australia will develop a biotechnology platform for the low-cost production of simple, just-add-water diagnostic tests for the early detection of infectious diseases in resource-limited settings. Diagnosis of infectious diseases generally involves detecting pathogen-specific nucleic acids in human samples, which requires unstable reagents, costly procedures, and skilled workers. They have engineered a safe bacterium that produces the biochemical reagents needed to detect the pathogenic nucleic acids as an extract. They will develop a method to freeze-dry this extract so that it is stable at room temperature, simplifying production and storage, and a protocol for incorporating it into a reaction mixture that only requires the addition of water to an individual tube for a diagnostic polymerase chain reaction. They aim to reduce the cost per test by at least 100-fold, and will evaluate their approach for detecting a malaria-causing pathogen.

"Krik Krak": Mental Health for Pregnant Haitian Teens

Guitele RahillUniversity of South FloridaTampa, Florida, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Maternal Mental Health
1 May 2018

Guitele Rahill and Manisha Joshi of the University of South Florida in the U.S. will harness the Haitian tradition of storytelling to produce online videos, brochures, and posters that support pregnant teenagers in Haiti who are at high risk of depression. There has been an increase in unplanned teenage pregnancies since the 2010 earthquake, due in part to the loss of parents, and a rise in transactional sex and sexual assaults facilitated by very limited resources. Pregnancy places a substantial additional stress on these children, which in turn causes long-term difficulties for their children. In Haiti, to tell a story you announce "Krik?", and to hear it you respond "Krak!" They will use this familiar story-telling framework and actors who resemble the target group to teach pregnant teenagers about childbirth, motherhood, and how to cope with depression. They will conduct two focus groups of six pregnant teens to identify the specific challenges they face, and use their feedback to help ensure the approach will work.

10+10+30 Infant Vaccines Communication via Radio in Ethiopia

Bernard AppiahTexas A&M School of Public HealthCollege Station, Texas, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Immunization Delivery
1 May 2018

Bernard Appiah of Texas A&M School of Public Health in the U.S. will produce a one-hour community radio program to be aired twice per week comprising a 10-minute radio drama serial on infant vaccines, a 10-minute panel discussion by community health workers, and a 30-minute phone-in by listeners, to improve on-time childhood vaccinations in Ethiopia. In 2016, on-time and full immunization coverage in Ethiopia was only achieved for 39% of children between one and two years of age, despite long-term efforts to improve it. One of the main reasons for this was lack of communication with mothers about immunizations. To address this, they will harness the popularity of community radio in Ethiopia. They will engage mothers, community health workers, and radio actors to help design a radio drama incorporating relevant topics on childhood immunizations, and train 20 health workers to be part of radio panel discussions. They will air the radio program for six months in two districts, and determine its impact on timely immunization coverage in a selected cohort of mothers with infants.

A Bacterial Protease Inhibitor is a Mucosal Adjuvant

Juliana CassataroInstituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral, CONICETBuenos Aires, Argentina
Grand Challenges Explorations
Mucosal Immunity
1 May 2010

Juliana Cassataro of the Universidad Nacional de San Martín-CONICET in Argentina will test whether the bacterial protease inhibitor Omp19 can make vaccines more effective when they are administered orally. Oral delivery of vaccines is far simpler than by injection, which is particularly useful in low-resource settings, and it may also stimulate mucosal immunity making them more effective against some diseases. However, most vaccines administered orally are degraded in the stomach or do not induce a sufficient immune response to protect against the disease. In Phase I, while at the Universidad de Buenos Aires-CONICET, they discovered that Omp19 protects antigens from degradation and serves as an adjuvant, contributing to induction of both a mucosal and systemic immune response in mice orally immunized with proteins from the Salmonella bacterium and the Toxoplasma parasite, both of which have mucosal routes of infection. In Phase II, they will extend their mechanistic studies in order to move towards a Phase I clinical trial, and evaluate the ability of Omp19 to help induce an immune response in mice upon oral vaccination against Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), which is the most common cause of bacterial diarrhea in children from developing countries.

A Blended Intervention: Digital Mental Health Game and Mentoring for Treatment of Common Perinatal Mental Disorders in Adolescent Refugee Mothers

Rebecca DempsterHIASSilver Spring, Maryland, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Maternal Mental Health
1 May 2018

Rebecca Dempster of HIAS in the U.S. will develop an online game- and mentorship-based intervention to improve the mental health of refugee adolescent mothers in Kenya that integrates into their daily lives and helps them develop new skills. Digital games can help treat mental health disorders such as depression particularly in young people because they have a natural appeal and are easy to access from home. They will recruit ten young mothers, a psychologist, and software programmers to design a mental health game so that it can be used to identify those with mental health disorders and connect them with counselors, and provides interactive challenges to help treat and protect against those disorders as well as build relevant life skills. They will then train these young mothers to act as mentors to support the online game, and pilot test their approach on a sample of 15 refugee adolescent mothers over three months to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and effect on maternal depression.

A Crowd-Sourcing Approach to Large-Scale Monitoring of Pests by Smallholder Farmers

Menale KassieInternational Centre of Insect Physiology and EcologyNairobi, Kenya
Grand Challenges Explorations
Crop Disease Surveillance
1 Nov 2018

Menale Kassie of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Kenya along with Ram Fishman and Opher Mendelsohn from Tel Aviv University in Israel will take a community-based crowdsourcing approach to crop protection of smallholder farms in low-resource settings by developing a simple software platform for basic feature phones to monitor pest incidence. Human-based monitoring of crops is the most accurate way to identify pests, but there are too few public monitoring agents in low-resource settings, leaving the majority of farms unprotected. Engaging the smallholder farmers to monitor their own crops is a promising solution, but most of them lack sophisticated equipment like smart phones and have low technical knowledge, so simpler solutions are needed. Therefore, they will adapt commercially-available software that collates and analyzes pest incidence data for basic feature phones and, together with smallholder farmers, design simple interfaces for SMS communication. They will test their approach by performing a pilot study to monitor wheat and maize, covering one to two counties in Kenya, and teach smallholder farmers and government agents how to use the monitoring system and compare the data with that collected by expert field agents.

A Developing Story: HIV Resistance Among African Populations May be Linked to Genotypic Traits of Type 2 Diabetes

Elijah SongokKenya Medical Research InstituteNairobi, Kenya
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 Oct 2008

Elijah Songok at the Kenya Medical Research Institute hopes to better understand preliminary findings from studies of sex workers that natural resistance to HIV may be linked to genetic markers for type 2 diabetes.

A Digital Platform for 21st Century Education

Saurabh AgarwalDeeper Learning Innovations Private LimitedLucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India
Grand Challenges
Teaching and School Leadership
1 Nov 2018

Saurabh Agarwal of Deeper Learning Innovations Private Limited in India will build an interactive, digital teaching platform using advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence algorithms to enable teachers across the globe to more effectively teach life skills to every child. Teaching standards in developing countries suffer from limited access to quality content, restricted teaching methods for teachers, and a lack of ways to transfer knowledge and skills to other teachers and parents. Life skills such as problem solving and communication that are needed to address 21st century challenges such as health, wellness, and gender equality are far better learned by experience and reflection, rather than reading and lectures. They will build the platform and incorporate life skills modules designed by learning experts and teachers containing multi-lingual and contextualized content for global access, a teacher's discussion forum, and a module designed by teachers to help parents support their child's education. The goal is to make the platform freely available and accessible to all teachers across the globe.

A Disposable SIM Card Biosensor for Rapid Malaria Detection

Peter LillehojUniversity of California, Los AngelesLos Angeles, California, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Cell Phone Applications
1 Nov 2010

Peter Lillehoj and Chih-Ming Ho of the University of California, Los Angeles in the US. will develop a disposable malaria biosensor based on a SIM card platform. This SIM card-biosensor will allow malaria detection to be performed using a cell phone, making diagnostic testing more widely available in rural and decentralized settings.

A Lexicon of HIV-RNA Interactions

Alice TelesnitskyUniversity of MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Drug Resistance
1 May 2009

Alice Telesnitsky of the University of Michigan in the U.S. seeks to define and characterize HIV interactions with host RNA. The team will attempt to determine whether disrupting or mimicking essential interactions with host RNAs may lead to antiviral strategies to which HIV cannot readily develop resistance.

A Low-Cost, Rapid, and Sensitive Malaria Diagnostic Tool

Sang-Yeon ChoNew Mexico State UniversityLas Cruces, New Mexico, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Diagnostics
1 May 2010

Sang-Yeon Cho and Immo Hansen of New Mexico State University in the U.S. seeks to develop a malaria test that measures antibody-antigen reactions through a nanohole to indicate the presence of malaria parasites.

A Mobile Phone Enabled Diagnostic Platform for Monitoring Drug Compliance

Amit SrivastavaChildren's Hospital BostonBoston, Massachusetts, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Cell Phone Applications
1 Nov 2010

Amit Srivastava of Children's Hospital, Boston in the U.S., along with colleagues at MIT, will develop a novel drug compliance platform combining the use of mobile phones for a simple diagnostic test, with economic incentives. The device will include a platform that measures drug metabolites in bodily fluids to generate a readout. Test results submitted on time will result in immediate economic rewards, such as additional cell phone minutes.

A Mobile-Based Training Platform for ASHA workers

Pushpendra SinghIIIT-DelhiNew Delhi, Delhi, India
Grand Challenges Explorations
Immunization Delivery
1 May 2018

Pushpendra Singh of IIIT Delhi in India will develop interactive training and mentoring sessions for community health workers in India (ASHAs) using mobile phones and interactive voice response systems so they can provide better public healthcare in rural communities. Current training programs are run by medical professionals and require the workers to visit a health center, which may be inconvenient. The lack of medical experts has also reduced the frequency of these programs. These limitations could be overcome with online sessions whereby one expert trains multiple health workers remotely. They have already developed the format of the sessions, which involves an expert delivering a defined curriculum to groups of health workers followed by a question and answer session, and shown that it improved the knowledge and confidence of the health workers in a pilot test. They will now scale up the testing to 500 health workers, and also evaluate the platform as a peer-to-peer learning mechanism for health workers to share their experiences and learn from each other without the need for an expert.

A Mutable Vaccine for HIV

Marilia CascalhoUniversity of MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 Oct 2008

Marilia Cascalho of the University of Michigan will test whether a “mutable”DNA vaccine in which the gene coding for the antigen mutates a million times more frequently than a typical gene will trigger immune response that anticipates the production of new viral variants and produces broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV.

A New Platform for Making Effective Vaccines Against Pathogens That Cause Infectious Diseases

Ellen VitettaUniversity of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at DallasDallas, Texas, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 Oct 2008

Ellen Vitetta of University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas is developing a new vaccine platform that will utilize synthetic B cell epitope mimetics (peptoids) conjugated to protein carriers to make vaccines that will induce robust, specific, and protective antibody responses against pathogens.

A New Platform for Vaccine Delivery Capable Of Eliciting a Mucosal Immune Response

Daniel SteinUniversity of MarylandCollege Park, Maryland, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 Nov 2010

Daniel Stein and Phillip DeShong of the University of Maryland in the U.S. will construct and test a vaccine platform that utilizes low-cost, stable surfactant vesicles to deliver antigens for a sustained mucosal immune response. If successful, the platform could be used to develop low-cost vaccines for bacterial infections where carbohydrates form the basis of protective immunity, such as bacterial pneumonia and diarrheal diseases.

A New Tool for Anti-Malarial Target Gene Validation

Philip ShawNational Center for Genetic Engineering and BiotechnologyPathumthani, Thailand
Grand Challenges Explorations
Malaria Eradication
5 Oct 2009

Philip J. Shaw of Thailand's National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology will seek to identify potential drug targets and vaccine antigens in the malaria parasite using a novel technology to reduce specific gene expression. By fusing a natural genetic “riboswitch” onto gene targets, the team will attempt to attenuate gene expression and thereby determine gene function.

A New Way to Prevent HIV Infection During Breastfeeding

David SokalFamily Health InternationalDurham, North Carolina, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 May 2009

David Sokal of Family Health International in the U.S., with colleagues at Cambridge and Drexel Universities, will develop and test low-cost filters coated with safe microbicides that can be inserted into tips of nipple shields to prevent HIV transmission during breastfeeding.

A New Whole-Organism Vaccine Against Malaria

Miguel PrudencioInstituto de Medicina MolecularLisbon, Portugal
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 Nov 2010

Miguel Prudencio of Instituto de Medicina Molecular in Portugal will test the theory that modified live rodent malaria parasites (P. berghei) can be used in a vaccine to elicit a strong immune response in humans without being able to infect human red blood cells and cause illness. This was successfully tested in Phase I, and they also established that the human antigens carried by the parasites could induce a selective immune response in mice. In Phase II, they will test their vaccine in Phase I/IIa human trials and evaluate it for safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity. They will also extend their approach to another human malaria parasite P. vivax, and begin optimizing methods for large-scale vaccine production.

A Newborn Cry-Based Diagnosis System

Chakib TadjÉcole de Technologie SupérieureMontreal, Quebec, Canada
Grand Challenges Explorations
Mothers and Newborns
1 Nov 2010

Chakib Tadj of École de Technologie Supérieure in Canada will design a non-invasive diagnostic tool using computer acoustical analysis of newborn cries to detect serious medical conditions such as heart defects and infections. Cry production in newborns can be influenced by neurological and physiological states. In this project's Phase I, Tadj and his team analyzed cries from 120 healthy and sick newborns to identify acoustic features that can be used for diagnostic purposes. In Phase II, they will build on these results by incorporating an additional 1000 infants, and expanding to other serious pathological conditions afflicting newborns. They will also develop a software-based diagnostic tool that can interpret recorded cries to help neonatologists detect specific pathologies affecting newborns.

A Non-Pathogenic Chimeric THLV-1/HIV-1 Viral Genome as a Model to Study Superinfection Restriction

Kuan-Teh JeangNational Institutes of HealthBethesda, Maryland, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 May 2009

Kuan-Teh Jeang of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. will investigate whether cells infected by one virus become resistant to infection from other viruses, and if this viral interference can confer protection against HIV. The team will develop an attenuated virus to test whether over-expression of viral envelope proteins within cells can confer resistance to further HIV infection.

A Novel Antimicrobial Delivery System

George O'TooleDartmouth CollegeHanover, New Hampshire, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Drug Resistance
1 Oct 2008

George O'Toole, a microbiologist at Darmouth Medical School, and Mark Grinstaff, a biomedical engineer and chemist at Boston University, will work to develop an expansile nanoparticle, packed with high concentrations of antibiotics, which would expand and release their content when internalized by host cells. The hope is that more precise delivery of high concentrations of antimicrobial agents, in single or combination therapies, will reduce the development of resistance.

A Novel Approach of Creating an Attenuated Pneumonia Vaccine

Vijay PancholiOhio State University Research FoundationColumbus, Ohio, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Vaccines
1 Nov 2009

Vijay Pancholi of The Ohio State University Research Foundation in the U.S. will attempt to attenuate the S. pneumonia bacteria by altering export of the GAPDH enzyme, a function thought to be essential to the bacteria's survival. Preventing export of this key enzyme will decrease bacterial virulence, allowing the attenuated strain to be used for development an affordable live vaccine for pneumococcal pneumonia.

A Novel Approach to Prevent or Cure HIV Infection

Karthikeyan KandavelouPondicherry Biotech Pvt LtdPondicherry, , India
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 Oct 2008

People born with a natural resistance to the HIV virus have a genetic mutation in the CCR5 gene. Karthikeyan Kandavelou of Pondicherry Biotech Pvt. Ltd. in India will attempt to achieve targeted disruption of CCR5 genes, making an important first step in a new strategy to make people permanently resistant to HIV.

A Novel Bactericidal Protein Found in Milk

Anders HakanssonThe Research Foundation of the State University of New YorkAlbany, New York, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Drug Resistance
1 May 2009

Anders Hakansson of the University of Buffalo in the U.S. has identified a protein from human breast milk (Human Alpha Lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumor cell, or HAMLET), that kills respiratory tract bacteria. Hakansson will attempt to understand the mechanism by which HAMLET binds to and kills pheumococci without the bacteria developing resistance.

A Novel Effective Vaccine Against Cholera

Michael LebensUniversity of Gothenburg Institute for Vaccine ResearchGothenburg, Sweden
Grand Challenges Explorations
Vaccines
5 Oct 2009

Michael Lebens of the University of Gothenburg Institute for Vaccine Research in Sweden proposes to develop a new oral cholera vaccine using a single cholera strain that expresses antigens for both the Inaba and Ogawa serotypes and produces cholera toxin subunits that act as an adjuvant to stimulate mucosal immune activity. In this project’s Phase I research, Lebens and his team successfully generated potential vaccine candidate strains that express both Ogawa and Inaba type antigens simultaneously. They also demonstrated in an animal model that oral immunization with these bacteria in a killed formulation elicited immune responses similar to those obtained by vaccination with currently licensed oral killed whole-cell cholera vaccines. In Phase II, he will further improve these strains by inducing them to express an accompanying adjuvant and conduct immunogenicity analyses and other work to prepare for a Phase I trial.

A Novel Female-Controlled Antiviral Contraceptive

Renjie ChangLavaxPalantine, Illinois, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Contraceptive Technologies
1 Nov 2010

Renjie Chang of Lavax in the U.S. will develop and test a vaginal suppository that uses a strain of commensal bacteria which has the ability to immobilize sperm and capture viruses. If successful, the bacteria could be used as a reversible contraceptive that also affords protection against viruses such as HIV and herpes.

A Novel Method for Controlling Fertility and STD

Robert AitkenUniversity of NewcastleCallaghan, New South Wales, Australia
Grand Challenges Explorations
Contraceptive Technologies
1 May 2010

John Aitken of the University of Newcastle in Australia will study the mechanisms by which organic compounds called quinones may provide simultaneous protection against pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. Aitken will test the capability of quinones to react to enzymes in semen and not only immobilize sperm, but also disrupt the infective nature of pathogenic microbes found in STD infections such as Chlamydia

A Novel Structure-Based Model for the Prediction and Exploitation of Resistance Mutations

Ryan LilienUniversity of TorontoToronto, Ontario, Canada
Grand Challenges Explorations
Drug Resistance
1 Oct 2008

Dr. Ryan Lilien of the University of Toronto in Canada will work to computationally model the structural and functional effects of point mutations on a target protein's active site. With the development of predictive models of pathogen evolution and the spread of resistance, this information can be used to guide drug development and optimization.

A Novel Test to Measure Mucosal Immunity to Vaccines

Giulietta SalettiInternational Vaccine InstituteSeoul, South Korea
Grand Challenges Explorations
Mucosal Immunity
1 May 2010

Giulietta Saletti of the International Vaccine Institute in the Republic of Korea will work to develop an assay test that binds to tissue-specific cell markers to not only measure the concentration of anti-body secreting cells, but also identify which of those cells are targeted to mucosal tissues. If successful, this simple test that requires a small blood sample can be used in low-resource settings to measure mucosal immune responses to vaccines in infants and children.

A Novel Vaccination Strategy for Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Jesus ValenzuelaNational Institutes of HealthBethesda, Maryland, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 May 2009

Because Leishmania is transmitted to humans when sand flies feed on humans, Jesus Valenzuela of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. proposes to develop a novel vaccine against salivary proteins of sand flies with the aim to induce a strong immune response against the parasite.

A Novel Virulence-Associated Malaria Drug Target

Paul GilsonBurnet InstituteMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Grand Challenges Explorations
Malaria Eradication
1 Nov 2009

Paul Gilson of Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health in Australia will study the function of a newly discovered malaria parasite mechanism that exports proteins into host red blood cells in an effort to develop compounds that block this transfer and inhibit parasite growth.

A Novel Way of Controlling Malaria Transmitting Mosquitoes

Jasper Ogwal-OkengMakerere UniversityKampala, Uganda
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 May 2010

Jasper Ogwal-Okeng of Makerere University in Uganda will test whether the insect-eating plants can reduce the population of mosquitoes and their larvae. Ogwal- Okeng will study optimal numbers and placement of such plants and record subsequent impact on mosquito and larvae populations to further refine this vector control method.

A Novel Way of Targeting TB using Aptamers and Nanotechnology

Boitumelo SemeteCouncil for Scientific and Industrial ResearchPretoria, South Africa
Grand Challenges Explorations
Drug Resistance
1 May 2009

To optimize the effectiveness of current anti-tuberculosis drugs, Boitumelo Semete of the CSIR in South Africa will work with collaborators to develop “sticky nanoparticles” that specifically attach to TB-infected cells. Once taken in by these cells, the nanoparticles will slowly degrade, releasing the anti-TB drugs and killing the bacteria. With this novel drug delivery system, the team aims to improve the bioavailability of the current therapies, with the possibility of shortening the treatment period for TB as well as reduce drug side effects.

A Portable Brain Scanner with Telemonitoring Platform for Detection and Management of Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

Abhijit DasArogya Medtech Pvt. LtdKolkata, , India
Grand Challenges India
India-GCE
7 Mar 2018

Abhijit Das of Arogya Medtech Pvt. Ltd. in India will develop a device - CEREBROS - that is a modular unit combining electroencephalography (EEG) and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) together with an Internet of Things (IoT) component incorporating a telemonitoring platform. This system enables continuous remote monitoring of cerebral hypoxia and seizures and early detection and management of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) at point-of-care. The device is in the form of a wearable cap for neonates. It will also include a multivariate classifier incorporating quantitative EEG metrics and cerebral oximetry metrics, which will identify disease-specific patterns that can be presented remotely by a neonatologist simultaneously in voice, text, pictures, or video or animations. The device could be provided, through both public and private care providers, under an affordable rental or pay-per-use model. The device provides an easy-to-use alternative to structural imaging (CT or MRI) that has better sensitivity and specificity, especially for neonates or infants less than 2 years old.

A Self-Adjuvanting Vaccine for ST-ETEC

Roy Robins-BrowneUniversity of MelbourneMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Grand Challenges Explorations
Vaccines
1 May 2009

Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) is the leading cause of diarrhea in the developing world. Roy Robins-Browne, of the University of Melbourne, in Australia will evaluate the effectiveness of a prototype vaccine that combines enterotoxin of E. coli (which lacks immunogenicity by itself) with another epitope to attract helper T cells and a lipid adjuvant to ensure delivery of the antigen directly into the cell.

A Simple and Specific Screening Method for M.tb Infection

Guozhi WangNational Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical & Biological ProductsBeijing, China
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 Nov 2010

Guozhi Wang of the National Institute for Control Pharmaceutical & Biological Products in China will assess the effectiveness of a new inexpensive skin test that can differentiate between true Tuberculosis infection and the markers of the BCG vaccination. Because the current TB screening protocol is not sensitive enough to tell the difference, this new test could lead to earlier and better treatment options for those with early-stage infections.

A Single Vaccine Against Pneumococcus and Typhoid Fever

Yingjie LuChildren's Hospital BostonBoston, Massachusetts, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Vaccines
1 Nov 2009

Yingjie Lu and Richard Malley of Children's Hospital Boston in the U.S. will develop a bivalent pneumococcal and typhoid vaccine by using a new technology to include three highly conserved pneumococcal antigens and the well-established Vi polysaccharide antigen that provides protection against typhoid fever. The team will test the ability of this vaccine to induce strong humoral and cellular immune responses against both pneumococcus and the causative agent of typhoid fever, Salmonella Typhi. In this project’s Phase I research, the team successfully developed the bivalent vaccine and in initial research was able to demonstrate dual immunity to both pneumococcus and S. Typhi. In Phase II, they will perform further proof-of-concept experiments in animal models that will provide support for the clinical development of this bivalent vaccine candidate.

A Single-Step Device for Monitoring Mucosal Iga Titers

Kevin PlaxcoUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara, California, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Diagnostics
7 Apr 2010

Kevin Plaxco of the University of California, Santa Barbara, United States seeks to develop a diagnostics platform based upon measuring the electric current produced by the binding of antibodies to DNA molecules. If successful, this method will provide a rapid, single-step reagent free measurement of immune antibodies which could significantly augment disease detection and vaccine validation efforts.

A Small Molecule That Blocks Male-to-Female Sexual Transmission of HIV

David EisenbergUniversity of California, Los AngelesLos Angeles, California, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 May 2009

Recent evidence suggests that HIV infection may be drastically enhanced when a specific protein found in human semen is present in fibril form. David Eisenberg of UCLA in the U.S. will design and test a small peptide that can effectively block formation of fibrils on this protein. If successful, the therapy could be administered via spray or liquid drops to inhibit transmission of HIV.

A Targeted Stealth Weapon of Viral Destruction for HIV

Karen AndersonYale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 Oct 2008

HIV has a very high rate of mutation allowing it to very rapidly develop resistance to AIDS therapies. The essential viral enzyme, HIV reverse transcriptase, lacks a "proofreading" or "repair activity" leading to errors or mutations. Karen Anderson of Yale University is working on "stealth" compounds that have a unique anchor specific for HIV. These compounds encourage the virus to make mutations until the virus is annihilated.

A Therapeutic Strategy to Control HIV-1 Infection

Qigui YuIndiana UniversityBloomington, Indiana, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 May 2009

Antibodies and the complement system work together to specifically detect and clear viruses, but they are circumvented by HIV, which hides itself and the cells it infects by hijacking host proteins such as CD59. Qigui Yu of Indiana University School of Medicine in U.S. will attempt to unmask HIV and HIV-infected cells and render them susceptible to antibody-complement attack. In this project's Phase I research, Yu and his team identified a potent, specific, and non-toxic inhibitor of human CD59, which is used by HIV to escape destruction by antibody-complement attack. In Phase II, Yu will continue to research how this inhibitor might allow antibodies to regain their complement-mediated activity to destroy the virus and HIV-infected cells, and will also research how HIV-1 incorporates human CD59 onto viral particles to escape antibody-complement immunity.

A Toxin-Binding Probiotic for Prevention Of ETEC Diarrhea

Adrienne PatonUniversity of AdelaideAdelaide, South Australia, Australia
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 May 2010

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) cause diarrhea by producing two distinct enterotoxins that attack intestinal cells. Adrienne Paton and colleagues at the University of Adelaide in Australia propose to develop a harmless probiotic bacterium capable of binding and neutralizing both these enterotoxins by mimicking their respective receptors, thereby preventing disease.

A Trick To Control Malaria: Manipulating the Mosquito Innate Immune Response

Sumi BiswasJenner InstituteOxford, United Kingdom
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 Nov 2010

Sumi Biswas of the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford in the United Kingdom will test three components from the mosquito's innate signaling pathways for possible use in a malaria vaccine. Biswas will test whether immunizing mammal hosts with these components can induce strong antibodies, which can be passed along to mosquitoes to enhance the insect's innate immune response, thus leading to the death of the malaria parasite in the vector.

A Tutor for Every Child

Hans BrunnerValue Spring Technology, Inc.New York, New York, United States
Grand Challenges
Teaching and School Leadership
1 Nov 2018

Hans Brunner of Value Spring Technology, Inc. in the U.S. will build and test an artificial intelligence (AI) tutor to teach the scientific method and critical thinking skills to individual students at their pace and level. All children learn differently but one-on-one lessons are often prohibitively expensive or unavailable. To address this, in collaboration with two non-profit teaching institutions, they will adapt their AI software for education, and build and train an AI tutor, Ali. Ali will be designed to produce natural sounding language to engage students in conversation involving open-ended questions and answers that stimulate critical thinking, which is based on the Socratic method. Students will be taught at their own pace and level of understanding, and Ali will be built to ensure each topic is fully understood before starting the next. They will engage teachers to test and critique their AI tutor approach and to evaluate its teaching performance.

A VLP-Based Phage Display System for HIV Vaccine Discovery

Bryce ChackerianUniversity of New MexicoAlbuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Vaccines
1 May 2009

Bryce Chackerian and David Peabody at the University of New Mexico in the U.S. have developed a new phage display system based on highly immunogenic virus- like particles (VLPs), and will utilize this new system as a platform to identify new vaccines that induce broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV.

A Voice-Based Social Networking Platform for Rural Mothers

Manish BhardwajInnovators in Health (India)Patna, Bihar, India
Grand Challenges Explorations
Maternal Mental Health
1 May 2018

Manish Bhardwaj of Innovators in Health in India will build a social networking platform consisting of voice messages accessed via mobile phone that is monitored by community health workers to connect small groups of young pregnant women and new mothers in India. Currently, community health workers provide home visits to help adolescent mothers combat mental health disorders. However, their capacity is limited. An additional difficulty for adolescent mothers is the lack of social networks caused by moving to new neighborhoods to live with their husbands. Social networks can protect against mental health disorders by providing peer support and the relevant knowledge and experience to overcome any challenges. They will trial their approach in a rural area in India and recruit young mothers with no access to mental health care into specified social groups. Each group will be associated with trained community health workers who provide additional support to the mothers, and manage the messages and posts.

A Zeolite Hydrogel 'Nano-Mop' For Contraception

Benson WamalwaUniversity of NairobiNairobi, Kenya
Grand Challenges Explorations
Contraceptive Technologies
1 May 2010

Benson Wamalwa of the University of Nairobi in Kenya will develop and test a vaginal gel that contains zeolite nanoparticles which soak up the fructose present in semen. By “mopping” up the fructose, this gel will rob sperm of the energy needed for motility. If successful, the gel could be used as an inexpensive, non-hormonal contraceptive.

Accessible Metrics of Access: Novel Tools to Measure Immunization Coverage

Ross BoyceUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Immunization Delivery
1 Nov 2018

Ross Boyce at the University of North Carolina in the U.S. will develop an approach that uses new methods of mapping households together with available health data to better identify places that have limited access to healthcare to improve immunization coverage. Many sub-Saharan African countries have very poor rates of childhood vaccination coverage. Improving coverage requires identifying those households and areas with poor access to healthcare, but this is challenging with the limited data available. To more accurately measure healthcare access and thereby immunization coverage, they will perform a six-month study in a rural sub-county of western Uganda. By providing user-friendly tools to health workers and providers, they will generate more accurate household maps and assess three different metrics of healthcare access using freely available software and a Bayesian statistical framework. They will evaluate the accuracy of their approach for predicting coverage by conducting a cross-sectional survey to determine the vaccination status of all children aged between 12 and 23 months in the sub-county.

Accurate Phone-Based Plant Disease Diagnostics

Jan KreuzeInternational Potato CenterLima, Peru
Grand Challenges Explorations
Crop Disease Surveillance
1 Nov 2018

Jan Kreuze of the International Potato Center in Peru will develop a low-cost, mobile phone-based diagnostic test for African farmers that uses artificial intelligence to quickly and accurately detect plant diseases such as cassava brown streak and banana bunchy top, which devastate crops and are threatening to spread. Accurately diagnosing plant diseases is difficult because visual symptoms can be highly variable. Artificial intelligence (AI) has shown promise for analyzing images of plants taken by mobile phone to detect diseases in low-resource settings, but it is not accurate enough. Alternatively, chemical-based diagnostic tests that detect the underlying viruses are far more accurate but difficult to use without training and require costly equipment. They will enhance the accuracy of AI for diagnosing a range of plant diseases by mobile phone by training it with validated diagnostic test results from their microfluidic amplification and detection device used by researchers and inspection agents. Their approach has the potential to recognize hard-to-detect symptoms in plants that may even be missed by crop specialists.

Adjuvant Effects of a Special Light

Mei WuGeneral Hospital CorporationBoston, Massachusetts, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 May 2009

Laser light at a specific setting can activate antigen presenting cells in the skin and temporarily make cellular membranes permeable. Mei X. Wu and colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in the U.S. will test whether injection of a vaccine into laser-exposed skin can significantly enhance immune responses stimulated by the vaccine.

Aerial Plant Disease Surveillance by Spectral Signatures

Pierluigi BonelloOhio State UniversityColumbus, Ohio, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Crop Disease Surveillance
1 Nov 2018

Pierluigi Bonello of Ohio State University in the U.S. will develop a surveillance system for crops using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) to position sensors to help diagnose plant diseases in low-income countries. Plant diseases are usually identified first by the farmers or human scouts and then confirmed by laboratory testing. This process is inefficient and requires resources often unavailable in low-income countries, calling for alternative approaches. It is known that when a plant becomes infected, it produces specific chemicals. In addition, functional chemical groups in biological samples are known to vibrate in predictable ways after absorbing light. They will test whether this information can be exploited for the rapid and widespread detection of two plant diseases, rice blast and maize dwarf mosaic, by vibrational spectroscopy that could be positioned inside crop canopies by drones. Rice and maize grown in greenhouses and fields in the U.S. will be infected, and they will develop statistical methods to evaluate whether handheld spectrometers can distinguish between infected and uninfected plants. This technology could ultimately allow crop managers to control the spread of a disease even before plants show visual symptoms.

Alternative Strategies to Eradicate the Latent HIV-1 Reservoir

Olaf KutschUniversity of Alabama at BirminghamBirmingham, Alabama, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 Oct 2008

Olaf Kutsch of the University of Alabama proposes that HIV latency is controlled by host-gene promoter interference, a mechanism that prevents the initiation of viral gene expression. Understanding how host-gene promoter interference controls latent HIV-1 infection may aid development of therapies to deplete latent HIV in patients.

An "Evolution-Proof" Bio-Pesticide to Control Malaria

Jason RasgonJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, Maryland, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 May 2010

Jason Rasgon of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the U.S. will engineer a virus to express a scorpion toxin that kills mosquitoes. After infecting mosquito larvae, the virus will express the killer gene when the insect becomes old enough to reproduce, but not old enough to transmit the malaria parasite. By allowing the mosquito to reproduce, the virus not only will be transmitted vertically to the next generation, but will also significantly slow the evolution of resistance to the gene.

An Altruistic Vaccine for Mosquito Transmitted Pathogens

Paul YoungUniversity of QueenslandBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 May 2009

Mosquito transmitted pathogens such as dengue and malaria are a significant disease burden on the world's population. Paul Young of the University of Queensland in Australia aims to develop a novel vaccine approach that is based on blocking mosquito transmission of these disease agents rather than inducing pathogen- specific immunity.

An Artificial Intelligence System to Strengthen Antimicrobial Prescription in a Children's Hospital: SMART-EP

Marcelo PillonettoPontifícia Universidade Católica do ParanáCuritiba, Paraná, Brazil
Grand Challenges Brazil
Drug Resistance Burden
1 Nov 2018

The idea is to develop an artificial intelligence model capable of simultaneously analyzing data from the Laboratory Information System and from the Hospital Information System. This technology aims to enable the delivery to hospital physicians of a ranked list of antimicrobials that are more suitable to treat infection by multi-resistant microorganism with a focus on newborn and young children.

An Endothelial Reservoir for Malaria?

Michael LeibowitzRobert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolPiscataway, New Jersey, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Malaria Eradication
1 Nov 2009

Michael Leibowitz of the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in the U.S. will investigate whether malaria parasites bind to, invade and replicate in the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels to test the theory that endothelial cells play an important role in the development of malaria infection and may serve as undiscovered reservoirs for parasite latency.

An Immunity-Enhancing Beverage

Steven MaranzCornell UniversityIthaca, New York, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Malaria Eradication
1 Nov 2009

Steven Maranz of Weill Medical College in the U.S. will test the hypothesis that providing children high levels of flavanols, compounds found in chocolate, green tea, cola and shea nuts, deprives malaria parasites of lipids needed to survive, keeping parasite infection at levels low enough to elicit a strong immune response that builds lifelong immunity.

An Innovative "Inject & Forget" Contraceptive Drug Delivery Device

Gerrard PoinernMurdoch UniversityPerth, Western Australia, Australia
Grand Challenges Explorations
Contraceptive Technologies
1 Nov 2010

Gérrard Poinern of Murdoch University in Australia will develop and test an implantable subcutaneous device made from same calcium mineral that bones are made of, which will release contraceptive drugs in a sustained and controlled way for a period of months. Creating of this device uses ultrasound and microwave technology, allowing for eventual low-cost manufacture in developing countries.

An Innovative Strategy to Induce Potent Mucosal Immune Responses Against HIV

Yue ChenUniversity of PittsburghPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 Oct 2008

Yue Chen of the University of Pittsburgh will attempt to develop an oral HIV vaccine based on Clostridium perfringens, a bacteria able to withstand upper GI conditions to deliver large amounts of antigens to gut-associated lymphoid tissue, a major site of HIV activity.

An Optical "Seek-And-Destroy" System To Vaccinate Against Leishmania Infection

Owain MillingtonUniversity of StrathclydeGlasgow, United Kingdom
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 May 2010

Owain Millington and Gail McConnell of University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom seek to adapt existing imaging systems to provide non-invasive in vivo imaging of Leishmania parasites present in macrophages and dendritic cells, and then use a targeted laser to destroy them. They will also test the hypothesis that targeting these cells for destruction will stimulate protective immunity against future Leishmania parasite infections.

Anaerobic Shock as a Novel Treatment for Tuberculosis

Xilin ZhaoFoundation of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New JerseyNewark, New Jersey, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 Oct 2008

Xilin Zhao of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey will test whether anaerobic gas, which causes rapid depletion of oxygen, will kill the tuberculosis bacteria without permanent damage to surrounding tissue.

Antagonist of RNA-Protein Interactions as Activators of A3G

Harold SmithUniversity of RochesterRochester, New York, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Drug Resistance
1 Oct 2008

A3G, protein found in human cells that inactivates several viruses including HIV, is "switched off" in proliferating T cells. Harold Smith of the University of Rochester will screen for small molecule compounds that bind to A3G in cells and turn its anti-viral activity back on.

Anti-Microbial/HIV-1 Peptide as a Vaginal Contraceptive

Nongnuj TanphaichitrOttawa Hospital Research InstituteOttawa, Ontario, Canada
Grand Challenges Explorations
Contraceptive Technologies
1 Nov 2010

Nongnuj Tanphaichitr of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (formerly Ottawa Health Research Institute) in Canada will research whether the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 can be used simultaneously as a contraceptive and an anti-HIV treatment. LL-37 binds to specific sites on sperm which are thought not only to play key roles in egg fertilization but also interact with gp120 used by HIV to gain entry into cells.

Anti-TB Drugs That Limit Evolution of Resistance

Gerald SmithFred Hutchinson Cancer Research CenterSeattle, Washington, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Drug Resistance
1 May 2009

Gerald R. Smith of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the U.S. seeks to identify inhibitors of a bacterial DNA repair enzyme that allows tuberculosis to mutate. Identifying these inhibitors could lead to therapies that kill bacteria and limit drug resistance.

Antibodies to GB Virus C Envelope Glycoprotein E2 Delay HIV Disease Progression

Jinhua XiangUniversity of IowaIowa City, Iowa, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 Oct 2008

To test the hypothesis that immunization with a non-HIV antigen will neutralize the virus, Jinhua Xiang of the University of Iowa will determine if immunization with an envelope protein of the GB Virus C elicits antibodies that block HIV replication.

Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity Targeted Against HIV-1 Env Glycans

Pandelakis KoniGeorgia Health Sciences UniversityAugusta, Georgia, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 Oct 2008

Pandelakis Koni of the Medical College of Georgia will study the complex sugar coating that surrounds and protects HIV to see if parts of this shield can serve as targets for a vaccine, to generate antibodies that bind to and accelerate the killing of HIV-infected cells.

Application of Low-Cost and Sustainable Solar Oxidation Treatment to Prevent Microbial Resistance in Effluents in Brazil

Camila AmaralUniversidade Federal de Minas GeraisBelo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Grand Challenges Brazil
Drug Resistance Burden
1 Nov 2018

This project will test a sustainable solar oxidation system as a way to remove antibiotic resistant bacteria from wastewater. The hypothesis is that this technology can enable the inactivation of antibiotic resistant bacteria and the elimination of antibiotic resistant genes from effluents in Brazil.

Applying the Metagenomic Approach for the Detection of EsβL- and Carbapenemase-Producing Enteric Pathogens Recovered from Different Hosts

Ana GalesUniversidade Federal de São PauloSão Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Grand Challenges Brazil
Drug Resistance Burden
1 Nov 2018

The project will study the genetic material from environmental samples from humans (healthy and ill), cattle and their meat to estimate the proportion of E. coli and K. pneumoniae in the microbiome. The main objective is to better understand the distribution of bacteria and its resistance genes, Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria and extended spectrum beta-lactamase (EsβL) and carbapenemases encoding genes in distinct ecological sources.

Arctic Essential Genes Used to Create Temperature Sensitive Pathogens

Francis NanoUniversity of VictoriaVictoria, British Columbia, Canada
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 Oct 2008

Francis Nano of Canada's University of Victoria will introduce essential genes found in Arctic bacteria into the genomes of “warm-loving” pathogens, making them unable to grow at core body temperatures. Such microbes could survive on human skin, which is cold enough to allow for replication and the stimulation of a strong immune system response, but not survive further dissemination into deeper and warmer tissue.

Artificial Triggering of Malaria Parasite Relapse

Lena HuldenUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinki, Finland
Grand Challenges Explorations
Malaria Eradication
1 Nov 2009

Lena Hulden of the University of Helsinki in Finland will test the hypothesis that saliva from newly emerging mosquitoes activates dormant P. vivax parasites in the liver. By robust statistical analysis of the timing of P. vivax outbreaks, as well as molecular analysis of mosquito saliva, Hulden hopes to eventually identify the trigger for these relapses in hopes of controlling outbreaks.

Ask, Boost, Connect, Discuss for Improved Mental Health of HIV+ Adolescent Mothers in Africa

Agnes RonanPediatric Adolescent Treatment AfricaCape Town, South Africa
Grand Challenges Explorations
Maternal Mental Health
1 May 2018

Agnes Ronan, from Pediatric Adolescent Treatment Africa, in South Africa will develop a training and supervision tool for young health workers that combines screening and support in an accessible format to reduce depression in HIV-positive, adolescent mothers. There are an estimated two million adolescent mothers living with HIV in Africa, and stigma prevents many of them accessing health care. Young HIV-positive peer supporters work in local clinics and use informal chats, text messages, and home visits to support HIV-positive adolescents. However, they lack the skills to support the mental health of HIV-positive adolescent mothers. They will adapt existing cognitive behavioral therapy methods based on the WHO's Thinking Healthy program, and co-develop their approach with adolescent mothers, peer supporters, and developers. They will train 70 peer supporters from six southern African countries and each will recruit three HIV-positive adolescent mothers to test the approach.

Assessing the Impact of Hospital-Based Breastfeeding Interventions on Infant Health

Cristiano BoccoliniFiocruzRio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Grand Challenges Brazil
Data Science Approaches
1 Nov 2018

Aims to access all 68.3 million living births certificates from Brazil, from 1994 to 2016, and compare them with breastfeeding policies in all Brazilian hospitals to assess the impact of the initiatives on infant health. The study also plans to estimate the number of avoidable deaths during this time period, if those initiatives were adopted in Brazil.

Augmented Infant Resuscitator: Transitioning a Novel Behavior Change Innovation to Drive Newborn Ventilation Enhancement to Improve Newborn Health Outcomes At Birth

Data SantorinoMbarara University of Science and TechnologyMbarara, Uganda
Grand Challenges for Development
Saving Lives at Birth
1 Mar 2018

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

Autoantibody Protection Against HIV Infection

Benjamin ChainUniversity College LondonLondon, United Kingdom
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 Oct 2008

Benjamin Chain of University College London will attempt to stimulate an antibody response against CCR5, a protein found in the body which is used by HIV to infect cells. By combining a small portion of the molecule with part of the tetanus bacterium, Chain hopes to overcome natural tolerance of CCR5 to deplete the presence of the protein and prevent a way for HIV to enter cells.

Autophagy as a Cell-Autonomous Mechanism of HIV Control

Vojo DereticUniversity of New MexicoAlbuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 Oct 2008

Vojo Deretic of the University of New Mexico in the U.S. proposed that autophagy, a process by which cells destroy cellular components and intracellular pathogens, can be induced through drug therapy to not only destroy the HIV virus in infected cells, but also to block its transmission from dendritic cells to T cells. This project's Phase I research demonstrated that autophagy can destroy HIV, block dendritic to T cell transfer of HIV, and promote antigen presentation by dendritic cells. In Phase II, Deretic's team will screen for compounds that can induce autophagy to block HIV from infecting cells, limit HIV spread, and enhance dendritic cell immune functions.

Bacillus-fermented Natto as Edible Vaccines

Michael ChanOhio State UniversityColumbus, Ohio, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 Nov 2010

Michael Chan of the Ohio State Research Foundation in the U.S. will develop an engineered strain of bacteria used to ferment beans in traditional Asian and African diets, to display an antigen from the Tuberculosis bacterium. The engineered bacillus will then be used to make the traditional Asian dish natto, which can serve as a kind of oral vaccine to elicit a strong immune response. If successful, this strategy can be used to introduce a variety of disease antigens through culturally accepted foods.

Bacterial Viruses as Tool for Blocking Transmission of Malaria

Luiz OzakiVirginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, Virginia, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Malaria Eradication
1 Nov 2009

Luiz Ozaki and Gail E. Christie of Virginia Commonwealth University in the U.S. will genetically engineer bacterial viruses to carry peptides that block the development of the malaria parasites, survive in the mosquito gut, and spread through vector populations. If successful, these bacteriophages could be used as “gene dissemination tools” for effective control of the malaria.

Bacteriophage Lambda Mucosal Vaccine Delivery System

Sylvia van den HurkUniversity of SaskatchewanSaskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Grand Challenges Explorations
Mucosal Immunity
1 May 2010

Sylvia van den Hurk and Sidney Hayes of the University of Saskatchewan in Canada proposes that bacteriophage lambda, a virus that invades bacterial cells and uses the host's genome to replicate, can be used as a vector to deliver DNA vaccines into targeted cells. Van den Hurk will test this lambda delivery platform its ability to induce long-term systemic and mucosal immune responses.

Biologic Contraceptive

Rachel TeitelbaumHervana, Ltd.Beit Shemesh, Israel
Grand Challenges Explorations
Contraceptive Technologies
1 May 2010

Rachel Teitelbaum of Hervana, Ltd. in Israel will develop and test a biological vaginal formulation that produces a sperm-binding agent, which interferes with sperm motility or fertilization or both. It is hoped that this non-hormonal contraceptive will need only infrequent administration to maintain its effectiveness. In this project's Phase I research, Teitelbaum developed a lead formulation and demonstrated initial proof-of-principle that such an approach can provide effective contraception. In Phase II, Teitelbaum and her team will expand upon this proof-of-principle in animal models to arrive at a long-acting, safe, and effective contraceptive that is ready for evaluation in human trials.

Biological Control For Sandflies Using Free-Living Fungi

Peter NgureDaystar UniversityNairobi, Kenya
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
23 Apr 2010

Peter Ngure of Daystar University in Kenya seeks to develop a biological control for sandflies using fungi found in the local soil in Kenya. These entomopathogenic fungi, which attach like parasites onto adult insects and larvae and kill them, will be harvested and cultured to isolate virulent strains that can eradicate sandflies, which are responsible for the spread of visceral leishmaniasis.

Biological Control of Mosquitoes with Bti-Engineered Algae

David HerrinThe University of Texas at AustinAustin, Texas, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 Nov 2010

David Herrin and colleagues at the University of Texas propose to develop a green-algal food source for mosquito larvae into a biological control agent by engineering their chloroplasts to produce larvacidal proteins. The chloroplast genome has significant advantages for genetic modification, including stability and containment.

Biomimetic In-Field, IoT, "Sentinel" Fungal & Viral Sensor

Bruce GrieveUniversity of ManchesterManchester, United Kingdom
Grand Challenges Explorations
Crop Disease Surveillance
1 Nov 2018

Bruce Grieve of Manchester University in the United Kingdom will develop a low-cost, stereo-printed sensor that mimics plant leaves and stems and can detect and signal the presence of live pathogens as an early warning system to help protect crops in low-resource settings. They will demonstrate proof-of-concept of their approach in the laboratory by designing three dimensional sensors with specific patterns of cells and chemically-doped polymers to identify an ideal surface on which pathogenic fungal spores can grow and differentiate. Incorporated sensor cells will be designed to detect the live pathogens and produce a detectable response, such as a visible density change, and results can be stored locally or transmitted wirelessly. They will test different sensor designs for the detection of rust pathogens in wheat. Their approach can be adapted to detect multiple pathogens simultaneously, including viruses, as well as for human and livestock pathogens, and when deployed in the field can ultimately be linked to national surveillance systems.

Biosynthetic Immunotargeting for Pneumococcal Treatment

David SpiegelYale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Drug Resistance
1 May 2009

David A. Spiegel of Yale University in the U.S. will pursue an antibiotic strategy called “biosynthetic immunotargeting.” Streptococcus pneumoniae will be fed small molecules which they will incorporate into their cell walls. These small molecules contain an epitope recognized by antibodies in the human bloodstream, leading to immune clearance independent of bacterial antigens, representing a unique, resistance-free approach to pneumococcal disease.

Block Malarial Transmission by Targeting Gametocyte Activation

Greg GarciaWalter Reed Army Institute of ResearchSilver Spring, Maryland, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 Oct 2008

To interrupt reproduction of the malaria parasite in the mosquito gut, Greg Garcia and Sheetij Dutta of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research seek to identify and block a gametocyte stage receptor for xanthreunic acid, which is known to trigger the differentiation of gametocytes, an essential step in the life-cycle of the malaria parasite.

Blocking the P. falciparum Transporter PfCRT

Christine HrycynaPurdue UniversityWest Lafayette, Indiana, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 May 2010

Christine Hrycyna and Jean Chmielewski of Purdue University in the U.S. will develop novel dimeric drugs designed to block a key protein in the malaria parasite that limits the accumulation of anti-malarials in the parasite's digestive system. By inhibiting this protein, this new therapy could eliminate drug resistance in malaria parasites.

Blood Separator Device

David AndersonBurnet InstituteMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
Grand Challenges Explorations
Diagnostics Systems
1 May 2018

David Anderson of the Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research in Australia will develop a low-cost, simple to use, sample collection device to improve sample quality and ensure accurate and timely diagnosis in remote, low-resource areas. Obtaining high quality serum samples needed for diagnosing a variety of diseases is challenging in these regions due to the lack of equipment and expertise to process the samples and stabilize them for transport to the diagnostic laboratories. They have developed a device comprising an integrated two-step process based on lateral flow chromatography that separates plasma from other blood cells and dries it on paper so it can be stably transported. The dried plasma samples can also be used directly in the laboratory, which accelerates analysis. They will modify the device to separate and store larger volumes of plasma using 25 healthy volunteers, and test its performance for diagnosing patients with different infections, including Hepatitis B and C, compared with fresh plasma.

Breastmilk shield to prevent HIV transmission

Gadi BorkowCupron, Inc.Richmond, Virginia, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
HIV Infection
1 May 2009

Gadi Borkow of Cupron, Inc. in the U.S. will study the efficacy of using newly developed copper-oxide based filters that deactivate a wide range of viruses, including HIV-1, as a shield to enable HIV-infected mothers to breastfeed their infants without risking transmission of the virus.

Bringing STEM to Elementary School Teachers Using a Digital Platform

Yen VerhoevenParagon Learning Research GroupAmes, Iowa, United States
Grand Challenges
Teaching and School Leadership
1 Nov 2018

Yen Verhoeven of the Paragon Learning Research Group in the U.S. will create a digital platform for massive open online courses (MOOCs) and a supportive online community of professionals for kindergarten to sixth grade teachers to transform their teaching practices and bring STEM and 21st century skills to their schools. MOOCs were developed as a means to provide free education to everyone. However, their content is typically restricted to videos and reading with little interactive learning, which is inadequate for teaching life skills such as critical thinking and creativity. And encouraging teachers to adopt new teaching practices requires additional professional support from peers and mentors. To address these issues, they will work with teachers and teaching experts to formulate a new MOOC design containing a variety of instructional resources and free professional development classes and develop a beta version of the online community platform. They will evaluate the course by teaching it to local K-6 teachers and gathering feedback to refine the content.

Building a Mobile Midwives' Ultrasound

Beth KolkoUniversity of WashingtonSeattle, Washington, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Mothers and Newborns
1 Nov 2010

Beth Kolko of the University of Washington in the U.S. will build on recent research that has revealed that current portable ultrasound devices are often too complex for rural midwives in developing countries to use, and will develop instead a streamlined, inexpensive device with limited functionality, a simplified user interface, and a contextual help system. The prototype will be field tested with midwives in Uganda.

Building Resilience through Self-Help Groups for Adolescent Sex Workers with Young Children in Zimbabwe

Joanna BuszaLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondon, United Kingdom
Grand Challenges Explorations
Maternal Mental Health
1 May 2018

Joanna Busza of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom will help vulnerable young mothers who sell sex in Zimbabwe by involving them in designing self-help groups incorporating virtual meetings via social media to build support networks and teach them life skills such as money management and parenting. Adolescent sex workers who become mothers are at high risk of developing mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, and often have little support caring for their children. They will involve adolescent women in the design stage by holding interviews and group discussions to gather opinion on social media and group meetings, as well as identify the types of skills they most need and how best to teach them. They will train peer educators to lead six-month virtual support groups and recruit young, pregnant sex workers to pilot test the approach in two urban sites in Zimbabwe.

Capturing Nature's Weapons to Prevent Infectious Diseases

Gregory TewUniversity of MassachusettsWorcester, Massachusetts, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 May 2009

To better understand the role that antimicrobial peptides play in the immune system, Gregory Tew of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the U.S. will test synthetic molecules that mimic these peptides for their ability to clear bacteria by engaging the innate and adaptive immune system.

Catalyst: Better Mental Health for Young Mozambican Mothers

Tatiana SalisburyKing's College LondonLondon, United Kingdom
Grand Challenges Explorations
Maternal Mental Health
1 May 2018

Tatiana Salisbury of King's College London in the United Kingdom along with colleagues at the Royal College of Art in the United Kingdom and the Manhiça Health Research Centre in Mozambique will develop a strategy to improve the mental health of young mothers in Mozambique by adapting existing technology-based and group-based methods to teach them life skills such as parenting and social skills. Almost half of Mozambican girls have had a baby by the time they are 18 years old. Together with associated events including being excluded from school and family conflicts, this can damage their mental health and lead to suicide. They will recruit experts in mental and maternal health and implementation science, analyze resources and local infrastructure, and, together with young mothers, their families, and other stakeholders, co-develop the skill-strengthening and delivery methods. Delivery methods to be analyzed include text messaging, mobile phone applications, and group meetings. They will then pilot test their strategy with three different delivery methods using up to 60 pregnant and young mothers (aged 15-24 years) over four months, and evaluate their effect on mental health.

Cell Based Protocols for Safer Deliveries

Marc MitchellD-Tree InternationalWeston, Massachusetts, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Cell Phone Applications
1 Nov 2010

Marc Mitchell of D-tree International in the U.S. will develop and test a mobile phone-based tool using clinical algorithms that rapidly identify women at risk during labor and delivery and facilitate emergency transfer to a hospital. The tool is a combination of phone decision support, data storage, on-line banking, and communications on a single device at the point of care, and it could significantly reduce maternal mortality in low-income countries. During Phase I, this project demonstrated that training traditional birth attendants to use the phone-based application in targeted districts in Zanzibar, Tanzania increased facility-based deliveries and post-partum care by reducing the informational, logistical, and financial barriers to such services. During Phase II, Mitchell and his team will scale this intervention to all of Zanzibar and also test its impact in another country.

Cell Phone Microscopy for Malaria Diagnosis

Daniel FletcherUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeley, California, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Malaria Eradication
1 Nov 2009

Daniel Fletcher of the University of California, Berkeley in the U.S. will develop a microscope that attaches to cell phones to capture high-contrast fluorescent images of malaria parasites. Custom software on the phone will automatically count the parasite load, with results and patient information wirelessly transmitted to clinical centers for tracking.

Cheap, Practical Surfactant Therapy for Premature Infants

Charles SmithSeattle Children's HospitalSeattle, Washington, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Mothers and Newborns
1 Nov 2010

Charles (Skip) Smith of Seattle Children's Hospital in the U.S. seeks to develop a low cost pulmonary surfactant that can be administered by minimally educated health care workers to premature infants as they are being born as a means to avoid infant intubation as well as injury to premature lungs.

Chimera-immunoglobulin Against Broad-range Bacteria

Yutaka TeraoOsaka University School of DentistrySuita, Osaka, Japan
Grand Challenges Explorations
Infectious Diseases
1 Nov 2010

Yutaka Terao of the Osaka University in Japan will construct and test synthetic immunoglobulin derived from the human immune system. If successful, these molecules could provide protection against a broad range of bacteria, including multiple-antibiotic resistant pathogens.

Chromatin Condensation: The Master Switch for Latency

Sarah FortuneHarvard UniversityCambridge, Massachusetts, United States
Grand Challenges Explorations
Tuberculosis Latency
1 Oct 2008

Sarah Fortune of Harvard University will research whether chromatin crystallization, in which DNA condenses into a protective matrix due to environmental stress, occurs in tuberculosis and is a characteristic of latent organisms.

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