The National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) renewed funding for a multidisciplinary grant (U54 EB027049) to drive the development and application of innovative point-of-care (POC) and home-based technologies for HIV/AIDS and emerging infectious diseases in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). The center is now led by contact principal investigator Chad Achenbach, MD. He has served as co-investigator on the TC CFAR’s Clinical Sciences (CS) Core since its founding and is currently co-leader of Informatics in the CS Core.

The Center for Innovation in Point-of-Care Technologies for HIV/AIDS and Emerging Infectious Diseases at Northwestern University, or C-THAN, is housed within Northwestern Engineering’s Center for Innovation Global Health Technologies and has nine academic partner sites in Africa. It is a multidisciplinary Technology Research and Development Center of the Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network (POCTRN) with funding from NIH since 2018.

Northwestern’s Robert Murphy, MD, and Sally McFall, PhD, founded C-THAN and are currently co-principal investigators of the center. Murphy served as one of the TC CFAR’s initial advisors and senior faculty members. McFall led a TC CFAR 2016 pilot award that contributed to the first C-THAN application submitted to the NIH.

“C-THAN has supported over 40 projects with funding and expertise in the areas of technology development, clinical validation, technology dissemination, and market analysis,” said Achenbach, professor of infectious diseases, preventive medicine, and biomedical engineering at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and McCormick School of Engineering. “We are proud that 32% of projects had African PIs, and all of our sites in sub-Saharan Africa have active projects.”

The overall objective of C-THAN is to help create and implement new POC and home-based technologies that merge scientific and technological capabilities with unmet clinical needs to improve diagnosis and monitoring of HIV/AIDS, its comorbidities, and emerging infectious diseases in LMICs. C-THAN also aims to engage and maintain a network of technology innovators, investigators, and engineers throughout sub-Saharan Africa; and enhance interdisciplinary training on needs assessment, technology development, validation, and commercialization.

The C-THAN network leverages the effective collaborations established by Northwestern in Africa to partner with nine academic centers. They include University of Bamako (Mali)​; University Cheikh Anta Diop (Senegal)​; University of Ibadan (Nigeria)​; University of Lagos (Nigeria)​; University of Jos (Nigeria)​; Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Tanzania)​; Stellenbosch University (South Africa)​; University of Cape Town (South Africa)​; and University of Witwatersrand (South Africa)​.

Many C-THAN research projects have been developed as viable candidates for commercial development. The Sinapi specimen cup for sputum TB diagnosis made it to market with investigators and a company in South Africa. Other notable C-THAN supported technologies produced include an oral swab sample collection and DASH analyzer for TB diagnosis, DASH for COVD-19 rapid PCR system with FDA emergency use authorization, a lateral flow assay for hepatitis B core antigen, and a dried blood spot sample collection and plasma separator card.

“C-THAN is a successful Center of the Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network focusing on diagnostic solutions for low-and middle-income countries,” said Achenbach. “We will continue to develop point-of-care technologies through technologic domains in molecular, lateral flow, synthetic biology, and product engineering.”

Since the TC CFAR’s early beginnings, Achenbach has worked with the Center to support his research focused on improving the diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes of people living with HIV. In 2016, he was the recipient of a TC CFAR pilot award. His prominent roles on the TC CFAR’s Clinical Sciences Core have provided him with the multidisciplinary and collaborative skills to head the C-THAN grant.

“My leadership experience in the TC CFAR Clinical Sciences Core has provided an opportunity to work closely with colleagues in many areas of medicine at several institutions across the Chicagoland area,” said Achenbach. “This type of multidisciplinary work is exactly what C-THAN is about and TC CFAR set me up for success in this new leadership role.”

With opportunities for new collaborations, Achenbach explains there are many ways to synergize HIV research and technology development between TC CFAR members and the C-THAN network.

“TC CFAR emphasizes innovative and interdisciplinary research across scientific areas of engineering, basic, and clinical sciences. C-THAN also welcomes new and interesting ways to find solutions and bring new investigators in different disciplines into HIV research,” said Achenbach. “For our C-THAN project, we have been proud of our partnerships with both the McCormick School of Engineering and Kellogg School of Management. C-THAN and TC CFAR are open to continuing to support investigators across Schools and Departments of Northwestern who are interested in helping us solve problems and answer questions vital to the HIV research mission.”