In this work we will develop and field validate FeverPhone technology for point-of-care differential diagnosis of six common causes of acute febrile illness (namely: Dengue, Malaria, Chikungunya, Leptospirosis, Typhoid fever, and Chagas). The FeverPhone system builds on our team's extensive background on the development of smartphone based diagnostics, infectious disease, and global health. The technical effort of this program comprises of the development of: a specialized 6-plexed colorimetric IgM/IgG assay cartridge that exploits our previous work on color discrimination assays on mobile devices, associated iPad based hardware that allows rapid interpretation of the cartridge results on a platform already used by our field technicians, and software that will combine differential molecular diagnosis with a confirmatory symptomatic interface used by the operator. The final system will enable actionable diagnosis in around 15 minutes. In parallel with technical development, we will perform a staged field validation study at our existing infectious diseases monitoring site in Machala, Ecuador. In addition to clinical and engineering expertise, we have incorporated a translation partner into the program that will ensure that our system is fully validated and ready for FDA approval by the end of the effort.

Public Health Relevance

Acute undifferentiated febrile illnesses are responsible for substantial morbidity and mortality globally along with imposing a considerable economic cost, primarily in developing country settings. The development of a real time, rapid, and accurate diagnostic technique to identify the causative pathogen would shift current practices from syndromic-based diagnosis to more personalized diagnosis and informed treatment decisions.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01EB021331-02
Application #
9301546
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-BCHI-Z (04))
Program Officer
Lash, Tiffani Bailey
Project Start
2016-07-01
Project End
2020-03-31
Budget Start
2017-04-01
Budget End
2018-03-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
$600,280
Indirect Cost
$205,633
Name
Cornell University
Department
Engineering (All Types)
Type
Schools of Engineering
DUNS #
872612445
City
Ithaca
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
14850
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