Diagnostics For All (DFA) is a non-profit enterprise in Cambridge, MA saving lives through the creation of low-cost, easy-to-use, point-of-care diagnostic devices designed specifically for the 60% of the developing world that lives beyond the reach of urban hospitals and medical infrastructure.
DFA has invented a new rapid diagnostic device that could be used to diagnose Ebola, early infant HIV, or Hepatitis C from a drop of blood in less than 1 hour. Currently, diagnosis of these diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa requires transporting a blood sample to a central laboratory that can run expensive, complicated, and resource-intensive diagnostic instruments. The process of transporting, analyzing and reporting of results can take days to months. Often, by the time patients receive their results, it’s too late to effectively treat their illness; many may never receive their results at all. People that don’t know their health status are also less likely to take precautions not to infect others, making the spread of disease more likely. DFA's all-in-one, disposable, nucleic acid amplification technology requires no additional equipment, or resources such as electricity or running water, and is designed for use by people with minimal training, making it ideal for use in remote clinics and community settings in Sub-Saharan Africa.
DFA recently partnered with Bold Machines to rapidly package our working prototype to show investors and the world that it is possible to make a 1 hour test that fits in the palm of your hand and needs no additional equipment or resources to function. Bold Machines and their 3D printing technologies took us from an idea to a reality in only days. With their new prototype, DFA has attracted the attention of multiple investors and influencers in the global health world. The resulting models are the star of the newest episode of SolidWorks Born to Design series profiling innovative designers.
