McFall Sally M, Maiga Mamoudou, Glucksberg Matthew R, Palamountain Kara M, Achenbach Chad J, Murphy Robert L
Center for Innovation in Point-of-Care Technologies for HIV/AIDS at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
Glob Health Innov. 2019;2(2):1-5. doi: 10.15641/ghi.v2i2.822. Epub 2019 Nov 27.
The Center for Innovation in Point-of-Care Technologies for HIV/AIDS at Northwestern University (C-THAN) is a partner in the Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network (POCTRN) of the National Institutes of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. POCTRN's mission is to drive the development of appropriate point-of-care (POC) diagnostic technologies through collaboration that merges scientific and technological capabilities with clinical need. C-THAN develops POC technologies for improved management of HIV/AIDS in low- and middle-income countries with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. C-THAN incorporates clinical and user needs with technology expertise and resources to address commercialization and implementation barriers through: 1) assessment of unmet clinical needs in POC testing for HIV/AIDS and its comorbidities; 2) collaborations with physicians, researchers and engineers; 3) development of technical, clinical, industrial and regulatory partnerships; 4) clinical testing of prototype devices; and 5) creation of training opportunities for technology developers, evaluators, and other stakeholders. Technologies supported include tests for detection and monitoring of HIV/AIDS and its common comorbidities including tuberculosis, non-tuberculous mycobacteria, viral hepatitis and HIV-related malignancies. CTHAN relies on collaborations established by Northwestern University in Nigeria, South Africa, Mali and Tanzania, to have impact on the prevention and clinical management of HIV/AIDS.
西北大学的艾滋病毒/艾滋病即时检测技术创新中心（C-THAN）是美国国立生物医学成像和生物工程研究所即时检测技术研究网络（POCTRN）的合作伙伴。POCTRN的使命是通过将科技能力与临床需求相结合的合作，推动开发合适的即时检测（POC）诊断技术。C-THAN为改善低收入和中等收入国家（重点是撒哈拉以南非洲）的艾滋病毒/艾滋病管理开发即时检测技术。C-THAN将临床和用户需求与技术专业知识和资源相结合，通过以下方式解决商业化和实施障碍：1）评估艾滋病毒/艾滋病及其合并症即时检测中未满足的临床需求；2）与医生、研究人员和工程师合作；3）建立技术、临床、产业和监管伙伴关系；4）对原型设备进行临床试验；5）为技术开发者、评估人员和其他利益相关者创造培训机会。所支持的技术包括用于检测和监测艾滋病毒/艾滋病及其常见合并症（包括结核病、非结核分枝杆菌、病毒性肝炎和艾滋病毒相关恶性肿瘤）的检测。C-THAN依靠西北大学在尼日利亚、南非、马里和坦桑尼亚建立的合作关系，对艾滋病毒/艾滋病的预防和临床管理产生影响。
