De Beers Funds Startup Erada Technology €288K to Develop World's First Malaria Spit Test - 360Dx

-

NEW YORK – International diamond mining corporation De Beers Group will provide €288,000 ($316,566) to Erada Technology Alliance, a South African medical technology startup developing the world's first saliva-based rapid test for malaria.

The grant, announced today by De Beers, will support the final stages of assay development with a targeted launch date of the assay on World Malaria Day in April 2020.

The test uses a technology called the Saliva-based Malaria Asymptomatic and Asexual Rapid Test, or SMAART, detecting a biomarker produced by female Plasmodium falciparum parasites during subclinical infection.

The method was originally developed at Johns Hopkins University with funding and participation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Maryland Innovation Initiative, and was recently described in Science Translational Medicine.

Erada Technology Alliance has exclusively licensed the technology from JHU, and the startup plans to bring the diagnostic tool to market under the brand name SALVA! in partnership with University of Florida's Dinglasan Malaria Laboratory, US-based oral diagnostic testing company Oasis Diagnostics Corporation, and Fusion Antibodies, a contract research organization based in Northern Ireland.

"This generous grant from De Beers Group makes it possible for Erada to complete much of our vital preparatory work before we conduct field trials and finalization of commercialization of SALVA!," Erada founder Benji Pretorius said in a statement.

Malaria kills an estimated 435,000 people each year worldwide. In 2017, children under the age of 5 in sub-Saharan Africa accounted for approximately 60 percent of global malaria deaths, according to the World Health Organization.

"Our vision is to bring to market as quickly as possible Erada's SALVA! diagnostic tool in the belief that it will go on to save literally millions of lives in the future," Pretorius said.

The funding was facilitated by De Beers Group's Venetia Diamond Mine in Limpopo, located in the Northern province of South Africa close to the border with Zimbabwe and Botswana. "Through this foundation grant, we are proud to be playing a pivotal early part in the eradication of one the most pervasive and destructive diseases on the planet," commented Gerrie Nortje, general manager of the Venetia mine.



https://ift.tt/2ZrNjpo

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Manual on meat inspection for developing countries

-
Image
sinusitis treatment :: Article Creator My 'sinus Infection' Turned Out To Be A One In A Million Nasal Cancer At Just 28 - And Doctors Had To Cut My Eye Out To Save Me By Emily Joshu Health Reporter For Dailymail.Com Published: 06:33 EDT, 20 April 2024Updated: 06:35 EDT, 20 April 2024 A 28 year-old California woman has described the shock of being diagnosed with a deadly sinus cancer that affects fewer than one in a million people - and led to the removal of her right eye. The 'golf ball-sized tumor', which had spread throughout her face, was first mistaken for a sinus infection by the woman's doctors.  Annika, who posts about her condition on TikTok, woke up one morning in 2023 and noticed that the inner corner of her right eye was sore.  While she at first thought nothing of it, by the time the evening rolled around, 'my face started to really, really hurt on the right side,' she said in a video.  The next day, her
Read more

Rash behind ear: Causes, other symptoms, and treatment - Medical News Today

-
Image
A rash behind the ear may occur due to a variety of different medical conditions. Certain viral infections and autoimmune diseases may cause a rash behind the ear in both children and adults. While some causes, such as contact dermatitis, are not concerning, other causes, including rubella, may be more serious. In this article, we look at some of the causes of a rash behind the ear, as well as the other symptoms that they may produce and how to treat them. Contact dermatitis is an allergic reaction to a particular substance. If an allergy-inducing substance comes into contact with the skin behind the ear, a rash can form. Allergens that may cause contact dermatitis behind the ears include: shampoos soaps other hair care products For example, hair dye products contain an ingredient called paraphenylenediamine (PPD), which is a common contact allergen. Symptoms Contact dermatitis causes itchiness, dryness, and flaking of the skin that came into contact with the allergen. Diagnosis A doc
Read more

Having This One Particular Blood Type Can Help Protect You From Severe Malaria - ScienceAlert

-
Image
Nearly  half the world's population is at risk of malaria, one of the most deadly diseases known to humankind. Each year it claims  over 400,000 lives, most of whom are children younger than age five. While it's possible to vaccinate against malaria, virtually all of these cases are in the African region, where protection is often nothing more than a roll of the dice. Now, a recent  analysis  of 23 papers suggests those with blood type O have the genetic odds stacked in their favour. In sub-Saharan Africa, where severe malaria - caused by the  Plasmodium falciparum  parasite  - is endemic, there are far more individuals with blood type O than anywhere in Europe or the US. In Nigeria alone, where 97 percent of the country is at risk of malaria, more than half the population belongs to this blood group. In Ethiopia and many others, the numbers are similar. Rather than a coincidence, co-author and epidemiologist Abraham Degarege Mengist from Robert Stempel College of Publi
Read more