FiNDeR

Country: India

What infection type does your test focus on? Respiratory Tract Infection, Urinary Tract Infection, Enteric Infection, Bloodstream Infection, Sepsis

What does your test detect? Pathogen(s), Host Response

About the Team: 

The FNDR team has collective experience with infectious disease research of more than 40 years. FNDR has been awarded a grant through Grand Challenges in TB Control towards the development of blood based diagnostic for TB. FNDR is currently in its second year of operation.

The idea involves combining the host based biomarker(s) with the viral and/or bacterial proteins and using the dielectrophoretic properties of bacteria and viruses for speedy separation of proteins on a strip based diagnostic tool. The idea will also attempt to exploit the differences in pH between viral and bacterial proteins to ensure optimal separation of the proteins. The idea will evaluate host proteins like TRAIL, procalcitonin, CRP and others in combination with bacterial and viral proteins in a pin prick blood sample. This vision is for the tool to be easy to administer and interpret and one that can be done by local pharmacist or primary health care personnel even in a remote setting with minimal infrastructure. This test will distinguish between viral and bacterial infections in the community setting and help in the responsible use of antibiotics