FAILSAFE Fungal Antimicrobial Resistance Innovations for Low & Middle Income Countries: Solutions & Access For Everyone
FAILSAFE Fungal Antimicrobial Resistance Innovations for Low & Middle Income Countries: Solutions & Access For Everyone
Lead applicant
Dr Juan Arias – Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB)
Co-applicants
Tonny Naranjo Preciado – Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB)
Sandra Navarro – Cecoltec Services SAS
Ingrid Dayana Soto Enriquez – Cecoltec Services SAS
Geographical focus – Colombia and other LMICs
Research Theme – Biomarkers and Diagnostics
Lay summary
Clinically, it is crucial for the patient to receive a timely microbiological diagnosis that quickly identifies the pathogen causing the infection, allowing for the prompt initiation of appropriate treatment. However, the reality in our environment is that many laboratories dedicated to diagnosing infectious diseases still rely on traditional methods. Although these methods can be accurate, they are often labor-intensive and time-dependent, which conflicts with the need for timely diagnosis.in recent decades, there has been rapid growth in the development and application of point-of-care (POC) diagnostic methods in the healthcare sector, primarily aimed at providing quick results to enable effective treatment, and to prevent resistance, relapses, or adverse effects in patients.
Advances in nanotechnology have facilitated the design and manufacture of new and improved medical devices, enhancing performance, portability, practicality, and cost-effectiveness, thus promoting the application of these tests and generating significant market potential globally, especially in LMICs.Today, several POC rapid tests are available for diagnosing infections caused by bacterial or parasitic pathogens. However, for globally significant fungal infections like histoplasmosis, there are currently no rapid tests or devices available on the market in LMICs. Therefore, initiatives like this would generate significant anticipation regarding demand and market potential. In this work, we propose to analytically validate a prototype electrochemical biosensor POC rapid test with potential application for diagnosing histoplasmosis. Additionally, the development of this proposal could establish a research line dedicated to developing and validating easy-to-use POC rapid tests that will reduce the burden of fungal diseases in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).