Selected
The Trinity Challenge: Community Access to Effective Antibiotics

PADs

Detect SF antibiotics with a paper test card and a cell phone

Team Leader
Marya Lieberman
Detect SF antibiotics with a paper test card and a cell phone

The Problem

Substandard or falsified pharmaceuticals impact 6.6 billion people in LMICs. PADs detect products that contain the wrong type or quantity of ingredients. PADs are used with a phone app (the PADreader) and a database (VERIFY) that together track provenance and test results across multiple sites, speeding cooperation on problem products.

The Solution

The PAD system has four components: 1). the PAD is a paper analytical device, a "lab on paper" that generates a color bar code based on the chemical components of the antibiotic dosage form. 2). the PADreader is a cell phone app that snaps a photo of the PAD and reads the test result. 3). VERIFY is a software system that tracks sample data and test results; it is integrated with the PADreader. 4). The distributed pharmaceutical analysis laboratory, or DPAL, is a consortium of colleges and universities that for the past 10 years has provided HPLC analysis capacity for samples from LMICs at very low cost.

What is the name of your organization?
University of Notre Dame
What is the name of your solution?
PADs
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Detect SF antibiotics with a paper test card and a cell phone
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
South Bend, IN
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
United States
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Substandard or falsified pharmaceuticals impact 6.6 billion people in LMICs. PADs detect products that contain the wrong type or quantity of ingredients. PADs are used with a phone app (the PADreader) and a database (VERIFY) that together track provenance and test results across multiple sites, speeding cooperation on problem products.
What is your solution?
The PAD system has four components: 1). the PAD is a paper analytical device, a "lab on paper" that generates a color bar code based on the chemical components of the antibiotic dosage form. 2). the PADreader is a cell phone app that snaps a photo of the PAD and reads the test result. 3). VERIFY is a software system that tracks sample data and test results; it is integrated with the PADreader. 4). The distributed pharmaceutical analysis laboratory, or DPAL, is a consortium of colleges and universities that for the past 10 years has provided HPLC analysis capacity for samples from LMICs at very low cost.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
In 2015, DIV supported ND (AID-OAA-F-15-00050) to integrate PAD-based screening into pharmacovigilance and purchasing at Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital (AMPATH). ND manufactured and delivered 2,820 PADs, tested 1,239 samples, deployed a smartphone NN app (~96% accuracy), and flagged substandard/falsified batches (e.g., amoxicillin, doxycycline, paracetamol, losartan), which were reported rapidly to Kenyan authorities and WHO. The final report indicates ~120,000 people were protected from bad-quality amoxy-clav due to regulatory response by the Kenyan pharmacy and poisons board.

Organization Type:
Nonprofit

Headquarters:
South Bend, IN, United States

Stage:
Pilot

Working In:
Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Malawi

Solution Website:
https://padproject.nd.edu/

Solution Team:
Marya Lieberman
Marya Lieberman
Professor