Draper https://www.draper.com located in Massachusetts involved in the design, development, and deployment for advanced technological solutions, is partnering with HealthCubed a company selling Point-of-Care diagnostics and follow-up services www.healthcubed.com. The partners are now working together to develop low cost point-of-care diagnostics for children in low resource environments.
The partnership will address a major health crisis in tropic and sub-tropic regions. Today, many diseases with classic fever and headache symptoms are being misdiagnosed on a massive scale because diagnosing diseases is based largely on health signs and symptoms, but not on medical grade diagnostic tools.
Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostics are rarely available in the developing world where in some areas, two thirds of children are infected by both a virus and a bacterial agent that are often misdiagnosed.
As a result, the deployment of a front line field diagnostic tool that is sensitive enough for the effective and timely treatment of a complex cast of infectious agents is critical for both short term treatment as well as longer term disease elimination efforts.
HealthCube is an integrated cloud and instrument-based platform incorporating a medical grade Android device-based portable instrument that is capable of doing POC diagnostic tests in minutes. The device incorporates a range of urine and finger prick-based rapid diagnostic tests along with diagnostic algorithms and applications for patient registration and medical records.
The company’s flagship product “HealthCube-SE” is a patient management and diagnostic tool to help clinics and doctors improve patient care. The portable device can perform algorithms and applications for patient registration, medical records, payment, and referrals. Test results are available in minutes and are saved in encrypted format.
Sheila Hemami, Director of Strategic Technical Opportunities at Draper said, “Draper looks forward to partnering with HealthCubed and leveraging our expertise in biomedical solutions to develop a rapid fever diagnostic for the HealthCube device.”
An interdisciplinary team at Draper is leading the partnership with HealthCubed under a Draper initiative Called “Engineering Impact” https://www.draper.com/impact to apply Draper’s capabilities and technologies to global challenges to work on projects with partners.